Phillip B. Williams

Receiving a National Endowment for the Arts [Fellowship] represents how patience remains on the top of my list of virtues. It lets me know that I do not need to rush work into the world until I am ready because there is someone, or a group of someones, interested in my writing without expiration. It had come at the perfect time, considering the reach of Covid-19 has been not only detrimental against our bodies but also our minds and spirits. It is easy to feel as though I am not doing enough when “to do” is in question. This is a moment of reflection and recalibration, and the NEA grant puts greater freedom on perfecting that art of stillness. The idea of feeling guilty for doing that best that I can, which often means not writing, was never a valid idea to begin with, but there is some peace in knowing that support is available and that this support comes from a community of writers who believe in my work as much as I do, sometimes more.