The Pfister Hotel seeks next “Narrator in Residence”
The historic Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee, which is owned and managed by Marcus® Hotels & Resorts, is in search of its next writer in residence, known as the Pfister Narrator. The chosen candidate will spend time in the hotel’s lobby, speaking with visitors and guests and sharing their stories through a blog on the hotel’s website.
“The Pfister Narrator program has served as a great way to honor our guests and their experiences at the hotel and beyond,” says Joe Kurth, general manager of The Pfister Hotel. “The exposure and success of the program is continually growing.”
The person chosen next for the position will be the hotel’s fourth narrator, and will replace current narrator, Ed Makowski. He has been blogging from the hotel since November 2011; his stories can be found at blog.thepfisterhotel.com.
“During my time at the Pfister, this unique narrator position has given me a space to expand and develop my writing and story gathering skills,” says Makowski. “All at once the hotel has been a comfortable living room and big artistic playground. I’ve been a traveler among travelers. It will be exciting to meet the next writer to take on this fantastic position.”
The new Pfister Narrator will work a minimum of 10 hours per week over the course of a six-month period and will publish a minimum of two blog posts per week. In return he or she will receive his or her choice of a $1,000 monthly stipend, scholarship for continuing education or donation to a charity of his or her choice in his or her honor, in addition to complimentary parking and meals within the hotel’s cafeteria. The Narrator’s blog posts will later be published in a narrator book series. The first narrator Julie Ferris’ book is currently available in the hotel’s gift shop.
To be considered, applicants will need to submit an application form, current resume, 2-3 writing samples of recent work, a cover letter and two professional letters of recommendation to pfisternarratorapps@thepfisterhotel.com. Six finalists will be asked to write two sample blog entries and participate in a video interview. Deadline for submissions is March 1, 2012. The Pfister Narrator will take his or her post the week of May 1, 2012, and will remain the hotel’s storyteller through October 2012. A review panel will evaluate the applications and ultimately choose the Pfister Narrator. More information and the application form can be found at ThePfisterHotel.com/Pfister-Narrator.
Since 2009, the hotel has been a member of the Alliance of Artist Communities, www.artistcommunities.org, an international association of artists’ communities and residencies featuring a diverse field of more than 1,000 programs worldwide.