I saw the new MacArthur Genius Grant fellow list this morning and I only recognized a few names from the list, so I asked ChatGPT what I should be familiar with from the fellows. I mistakenly asked what I should read by them, forgetting that not all of them are authors, but I got good recommendations back for each field nonetheless. Thought I’d share.

The response:

Given the diversity and expertise of the Macarthur genius grant recipients you’ve listed, here’s a selection of works or major contributions from each of them that you might consider exploring:

• E. Tendayi Achiume:
  • “Migration as Decolonization” (Stanford Law Review)

• Andrea Armstrong:
  • “Slavery Revisited in Penal Plantation Labor” (UC Irvine Law Review)

• Rina Foygel Barber:
  • Her research papers are mainly technical in nature. You can refer to her Google Scholar Profile for her most cited works.

• Ian Bassin:
  • As a lawyer and advocate, Bassin’s impact comes through his contributions to legislation and policy. Check out Protect Democracy, an organization he co-founded.

• Courtney Bryan:
  • Albums like “Songs of Laughing, Smiling, and Crying” showcase her musical prowess.

• Jason D. Buenrostro:
  • “Single-cell chromatin accessibility reveals principles of regulatory variation” (Nature)

• María Magdalena Campos-Pons:
  • Explore her exhibitions like “Everything Is Separated by Water” and “Spoken Softly with Mama“.

• Raven Chacon:
  • His compositions and art installations are best experienced directly. Refer to his Personal Website for a list of works and upcoming performances.

• Diana Greene Foster:
  • “The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having—or Being Denied—an Abortion“

• Lucy Hutyra:
  • Browse her Google Scholar Profile to explore her most cited works on urban carbon cycles.

• Carolyn Lazard:
  • Experience their art directly through exhibitions. Works like “Consent to the Machine” and “Pain Scale” are notable.

• Ada Limón:
  • “Bright Dead Things” (poetry collection)
  • “The Carrying” (poetry collection)

• Lester Mackey:
  • Refer to his Google Scholar Profile for technical papers on machine learning.

• Patrick Makuakāne:
  • Experience his work directly through his dance company, Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu.

• Linsey Marr:
  • Her research papers on aerosol transmission of viruses are available on her Google Scholar Profile.

• Manuel Muñoz:
  • “What You See in the Dark” (novel)
  • “The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue” (short stories)

• Imani Perry:
  • “Breathe: A Letter to My Sons”
  • “Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry”

• Dyani White Hawk:
  • Her artworks such as “Listen” and “She Gives” can be viewed on her Official Website.

• A. Park Williams:
  • “Observed Impacts of Anthropogenic Climate Change on Wildfire in California” (Earth’s Future journal)

• Amber Wutich:
  • “Global Ethnographies of Water and Wastewater”

For further exploration:

1. How has the MacArthur Fellowship influenced or changed the trajectory of past recipients’ careers?
2. What’s the selection process for the MacArthur genius grant, and how do they determine the potential and uniqueness of a recipient?
3. How have other countries or organizations replicated or been inspired by the concept of the MacArthur genius grant to support innovators and thinkers?