Open House: Essays on Community in Literary Arts

By Kristina Marie Darling

An ideal supplemental text for courses in creative writing, professional development, leadership studies, management studies, and publishing, with strategies for leadership- and community-building within academia and beyond its boundaries.

This book offers a practical guide to building community, fostering collaboration, and inspiring generosity through the creative arts. This collection of original essays features an accomplished roster of contributors with backgrounds in diverse fields, including literary translation, magazine editing, publishing, higher education, and curriculum design. By featuring successful writers who represent such a wide range of skillsets and career paths, this book helps students envision themselves as leaders in the university and well beyond its boundaries.

In a cultural moment where graduates often seek meaningful careers outside of academia, this essay collection also offers an introduction to alt-ac career paths and the unique opportunities for effecting social change in these roles. Focusing on techniques that have broad applications for high school teachers, nonprofit leaders, community outreach organizations, and college classrooms, each chapter includes an original essay from a contemporary writer, editor, or nonprofit leader in the arts, culminating in a set of exercises for individuals and groups, which focus on empathy, citizenship, and community stewardship.

Contributors include Traci Brimhall, Chris Campanioni, Wendy Chen, Kristina Marie Darling, Ming Lauren Holden, John James, Dean Rader, and Zach Savich.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1961209373
• ISBN13: 9781961209374
• Release Date: December 2025
• Publisher: Tupelo Press
• Length: 128 Pages