Whiting Foundation Appoints First-Ever Resident Directors

Feb 05, 2026

The Whiting Foundation has named two new resident director roles for its literary programs to provide creative direction. Its inaugural appointees include Adam Kirsch for the Whiting Award for Emerging Writers and Peter Godwin for the Whiting Nonfiction Grant for Works-in-Progress.

Each resident director will serve a term appointment, during which they will provide creative direction to each program. Per the foundation, this new model “encourages new voices and perspectives, while strengthening Whiting’s commitment to writers at pivotal points in their careers.”

Kirsch is a poet, critic, and currently a senior editor at the Atlantic. Godwin has previously served as president of PEN America and is the author of seven nonfiction books.