Creative writing professor earns prestigious National Endowment for the Arts literature fellowship

MURRAY, Ky. – Murray State University Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Dr. Gwendolyn Paradice has received a literature fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in support of their fiction and nonfiction writing.

Paradice was one of 35 writers selected to receive a 2024 fellowship of $25,000. This year’s fellowships are in fiction and creative nonfiction and enable the recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel and general career development. The program operates on a two-year cycle, with fellowships in prose and poetry available in alternating years. Competition for fellowships is extremely rigorous, with more than 2,100 eligible applications received this year.

“Receiving this fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts is emboldening,” said Paradice. “I knew I needed more financial support so that I could create time to write, but I didn’t know how much I needed the validation until I received it. This fellowship will enable me to progress on my second short story collection, a short memoir and two novels.”

Paradice is the author of the short story collection “More Enduring for Having Been Broken,” winner of the 2019 The Hudson Prize, and the co-author of the chapbook “Carnival Bound (or, please unwrap me).” Their work has appeared in “Booth,” “Zone 3,” “ANMLY,” “Tin House Online,” the “Journal of American Folklore” and others.

Paradice is a queer, disabled, enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and their prose often explores form and personal identity. 

“From my perspective, this extremely prestigious award speaks to the respect with which Dr. Paradice's work is held in the creative and scholarly communities, and how lucky Murray State's students are to have them as part of the English and Philosophy faculty,” said Dr. Rusty Jones, chair of the Murray State English and Philosophy department.

Applications are reviewed through an anonymous process in which the criteria for review are the artistic excellence and artistic merit of the submitted writing sample. Through this program, the NEA seeks to sustain and nurture a diverse range of creative writers at various stages of their careers and to continue to expand the portfolio of American art.

The NEA is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and fostering mutual support for the diverse beliefs and values of all individuals and groups.