NEW YORK (AP) — The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has unveiled its 2024 class of fellows, featuring an increased number of writers, artists, and storytellers compared to previous years. Alongside these creatives, the prestigious list of so-called “genius grants” also honors several scientists.
Each of the 22 recipients will benefit from an $800,000 grant distributed over five years, which they can allocate as they see fit. Among the noteworthy honorees are fiction author Ling Ma, acclaimed poet Juan Felipe Herrera, cabaret artist Justin Vivian Bond, and visual artist Ebony G. Patterson.
Marlies Carruth, director of the MacArthur Fellows Program, noted that while the selection process spans several years, certain themes can emerge. “We have to see at least the variety and the strength and the number of nominations in the literary arts space as a response to the zeitgeist,” she explained, recognizing the growing desire to tell underrepresented stories.
Nominators, who are often peers in the respective fields, play a crucial role in putting forth candidates for consideration. Nominations are handled with strict confidentiality; the foundation requests that nominators refrain from informing candidates about their nomination status. “Most understand the value of discretion,” Carruth mentioned, adding that confidentiality allows for candid discussions among nominating peers.
The selection process can be challenging for the foundation, as the secrecy surrounding nominations sometimes complicates communication with awardees. For example, writer Jason Reynolds, who is known for his work in children’s and young adult literature, shared his mixed emotions when he finally received the call. “I had just gotten back from taking care of my mom at the hospital,” he recalled, reflecting on the overwhelming nature of life’s pressures at that moment.
Reynolds, whose work includes the popular “Track” series and a variety of genre-blending projects spotlighting Black childhood experiences, is set to release his first love story, the young adult novel “Twenty-Four Seconds from Now…,” which explores a Black boy’s initial romantic relationship. “Boys are never asked about their feelings surrounding these moments,” he noted, emphasizing the importance of dialogue about emotional experiences.
The foundation looks for individuals who can be “enabled” by the award—those who have demonstrated a strong track record yet possess immense potential for future extraordinary contributions. They further support those who engage in interdisciplinary collaboration. Nicola Dell, a computer and information scientist at Cornell Tech, expressed gratitude for her award, crediting her collaborators and community groups for their work on addressing technology’s role in harassment and abuse. She co-founded the Clinic to End Tech Abuse, which assists individuals experiencing intimate partner violence in navigating technology safely.
Astronomer Keivan G. Stassun, a professor at Vanderbilt University, focuses not only on stellar evolution but also on increasing diversity within scientific fields. Stassun co-founded a program aimed at recruiting and preparing diverse students for advanced science degrees through a partnership between Vanderbilt and Fisk University, a historically Black university. He also established a center dedicated to helping neurodiverse individuals secure employment, motivated by personal experiences with his autistic child.
Stassun emphasized that science thrives on human diversity. “Science depends on access to the full human diversity of mind to make the mysteries of the cosmos understandable and knowable,” he stated, linking his commitment to recruitment and inclusion to the advancement of scientific discovery.
“I take immense pride in the successes of the students emerging from the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-PhD Bridge Program,” he added, highlighting its role as a leading producer of Black, Hispanic, and Native American doctoral recipients in the physical sciences.
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