The 24 MacArthur “genius” grants awarded today are given to “talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.” Among the winners are authors Karen Russell, whose 2011 novel Swamplandia was a finalist for the Pulitzer Award; Donald Antrim, associate professor at Columbia University and author of The Verificationist; and playwright and member of Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater Company Tarell Alvin McCraney. The winners are awarded a “no strings attached” grant of $625,000. For more about these winners as well as the the other honorees, check out today’s articles in NPR and the New York Times.
Laura
