Do MacArthur Grants Misfire for Authors?
Crain's Chicago Business magazine analyzes the effectiveness of the prestigious MacArthur Grants for writers. Called "genius grants," the $500,000 prizes are awarded yearly to authors as well as scientists, architects, artists, and those in other fields with no strings attached. Crain's contends that MacArthur's board tends to recognize writers far past their peak, who have already written their best work and have received numerous other awards. The goal of the grants, writes Mark Scheffler, should be to recognize up and coming writers and help them reach their peak. The average age writers who have received the MacArthur is 48.