MacArthur Foundation announced this year’s 25 “genius grants” today.
Way back in 1982, when the program was young and prize amounts depended on how old you were (older folks got more money) and Frank had recently turned 31 … Frank and I and 7 year-old Amity and zero-year-old Mira went over to England so Frank could do some physics. Later, we headed off for a family trip, haphazardly aimed toward lovely, mysterious Avebury with its stone circles.
We found a farm bed and breakfast where Amity could help herd geese. Each morning, after porridge with creamy milk fresh from the cow, we’d go see some antiquities. Each afternoon, we’d come back to the big farm kitchen to drink tea made on their huge silver Aga.
A few days into this idyll, Frank had to phone Cambridge. Great excitement–everyone had been trying to find him! We were completely astounded. A MacArthur Prize? Wow!
Anyway, if you need a post-Katrina boost of optimism, check out this year’s list of prizewinners. Their impressive and varied talents will lift your heart.