Fiction writer Megan Pillow got an auspicious start to her literary journey in 1994 at the Kentucky’s Governor’s School for the Arts.
“Frank X Walker — former Kentucky Poet Laureate and former Governor’s School for the Arts instructor — was my first creative writing teacher,” she said.
Pillow, a Louisville resident, was one of four Kentucky literary artists to be awarded a prestigious Individual Artist Fellowship this year.
The fellowship is a $7,500 unrestricted award given to a Kentucky artist who has achieved a high level of excellence and creativity in their discipline. For the 2024 fiscal year, the arts council awarded fellowships in literary arts.
Pillow is currently working on a novel she is developing from a short story she wrote, titled “Long Live the Girl Detective,” that appeared in the publication Electric Literature. The novel is her response to a 2020 comic book that celebrated the 90th anniversary of Nancy Drew. The comic featured the Hardy Boys investigating the death of Nancy Drew, the iconic detective of young adult literature.
“I was mad about that [comic book story], so I used that as a jumping off point,” Pillow said. She has been working on the novel for more than a year.
The Individual Artist Fellowship will allow her to make significant progress toward finishing it, she said.
“It’s huge for me, because writing is often not well paid, especially creative work, and it’s hard to get funding for creative work,” Pillow said. “I work full-time, I’m a single mom and I work my schedule around my kids’ schedule. This fellowship will allow me to dedicate funds to childcare so, in addition to my full-time job, I’ll have time to finish working on this novel.”
Recipients of the Individual Artist Fellowships, listed by discipline and city, are:
• Austyn Gaffney, creative nonfiction, Louisville
• Sage Martin, playwriting, Louisville
• Megan Pillow, fiction, Louisville
• Lisa Briana Williams, poetry, Danville
The fellowship can only be awarded to any individual twice in their lifetime.
In addition to the Individual Artist Fellowships, the arts council awarded four Emerging Artist Awards, $1,000 unrestricted grants to early-career, professional Kentucky artists who demonstrate excellence and creativity in their work.
Emerging Artist Award recipient Emily Borst of Crescent Springs has been a theater performer since their days at the Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville. Borst went on to major in musical theater at Northern Kentucky University. Borst’s writing provides other people in the LGBTQ community with a reflection of themselves.
“Theater and the arts are a huge part of my life,” Borst said. “My writing career came from a want for LGBTQ stories I wanted to see: funny, strange, quirky and joyful. A story like my own life and the lives of my friends around me.”
Recipients of the Emerging Artist Awards, listed by discipline and city, are:
• Haley Crigger, fiction, Park Hills
• Emily Borst, playwriting, Crescent Springs
• Jeremy Smith, creative nonfiction, Lexington
• Joanna Englert, poetry, Louisville
For more information about the Individual Artist Fellowships and Emerging Artists Awards, visit the Kentucky arts council website.
Kentucky Arts Council
