Library Residency for Writers

Who is eligible to apply?

Open to Montreal writers.

What are the program objectives?

Each creation residency includes a cultural mediation project. The program was developed with the following objectives in mind:

• Allow a writer to develop a personal creation project
• Complete a cultural mediation project by meeting with library users and people in the neighbourhood community
• Raise awareness among the general public of a writer’s work, including more practical aspects such as grants, research and publishing contracts
• Offer an opportunity for a writer to be available to the public

What activities are planned for the residency?

The writer must make themselves available for 25 hours per week, of which 10 must be spent at a dedicated space in the host library.

2023 residences will be hosted by the following libraries:

• Bibliothèque du Plateau-Mont-Royal (Plateau-Mont-Royal)
• L’Octogone Library (LaSalle)
• Two pairs of libraries in Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce: Bibliothèque de Côte-des-Neiges and Bibliothèque Interculturelle (CDN) or Bibliothèque Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Bibliothèque Benny (NDG)

What type of assistance is provided?

The Conseil and the Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois (UNEQ) partnered with the Direction des bibliothèques de Montréal to offer the writer a $15,000 grant, of which $13,000 comes from the Conseil and the host library contributes $2,000.

What is the duration of the support?

Each residency is six (6) months long, from May to October 2023.

What are the general eligibility criteria?

• Professional writer with at least one book in any genre, including comics/graphic novels, published by a recognized, accredited publisher.
• Resident of the Island of Montréal (any area).
• Available 25 hours a week, of which 10 hours a week must be spent at the host library, for a period of six months, from May to October 2023.
• Has not done a residency in this program in the last three years.
• Ineligible to apply: writers employed by the City of Montréal, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, or UNEQ.

When must the project be carried out?

The project runs from May to October 2023.

How many applications will be accepted?

Three residency projects will be accepted.

How can I submit an application?

Visit the l’Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois (UNEQ) website to learn more and submit your application.

How are applications evaluated?

The Conseil des arts de Montréal, UÉMPT and Communication-Jeunesse, in consultation with each participating school, will evaluate the applications submitted.

What are the evaluation criteria?

The main evaluation criteria are as follows:

• the originality of both the personal project and the mediation project (projects must not have been proposed previously or be currently underway as part of another residency)
• the quality of both the in-class mediation project (its progress, objectives and ties to personal creative work), and the creator’s creative personal project
• the quality of the planned cultural mediation project, its timeline, objectives and ties to the personal creative work of the author and/or illustrator
• the project’s contribution to the school and students
• the author and/or illustrator’s ability to complete the project

The project selection process will take place as follows:

• UÉMPT employees select schools
• creators submit their applications to CJ
• a committee of representatives from CJ, CAM and UÉMPT assesses applications and makes recommendations
• teachers at participating schools assess recommended applications and select projects
• teachers and selected creators participate in interviews*
• Projects kick-off meeting in schools in January 2024 (residencies would begin in February)

What is the response time?

Five to six weeks from the application deadline.

How will the artist grant be paid?

The $10,500 grant offered to the creator is paid as follows: $5,000 by the Conseil des arts de Montréal at the beginning of the residency and $5,500 by the MÉES, via its Une école montréalaise pour tous (UÉMPT) program, at the end of the residency.

Commitments

Accepting payment of the grant constitutes, for the author and/or illustrator, an undertaking to complete the activities covered by the grant and to comply with the accompanying conditions.

The author and/or illustrator agrees to:

• carry out the proposed project as planned
• notify the Conseil as soon as possible if unable to carry out the project in the fiscal year for which the grant was awarded. Depending on the situation, a full or partial refund may be requested
• the children’s author and/or illustrator who carried out the residency must write a report on their experience. The report must cover the school mediation project (process and results), the involvement of school staff members and the residency’s contribution to the creative process of the author and/or illustrator. The report must be submitted in the second week of May 2024.