{
  "id": 10764820,
  "title": "Here are this year’s literary MacArthur Fellows.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/here-are-this-years-literary-macarthur-fellows",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-29T18:57:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Literary Hub",
    "slug": "literary-hub",
    "url": "https://lithub.com/here-are-this-years-literary-macarthur-fellows-3/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The MacArthur Foundation unveiled its 2026 roster of MacArthur Fellows on Tuesday, honoring 20 individuals who have displayed \"exceptional creativity\" and \"excellence\" in their respective disciplines. These honorees, colloquially known as \"genius grants,\" receive a no-strings-attached award of $800,000, disbursed over a period of five years. This year's cohort includes not only historians, artists, scientists, anthropologists, and composers, but also three literary writers: Layli Long Soldier, Maaza Mengiste, and Bryan Washington.\n\nLayli Long Soldier, a poet, is celebrated for her exploration of Native American histories and her celebration of enduring kinship, strength, and creativity. Maaza Mengiste, a fiction writer, is recognized for her compelling blend of history, memory, and imagination, which she employs to reveal the human costs of political violence. Bryan Washington, another fiction writer, is commended for his ability to capture the \"fragile beauty of modern relationships\" in stories that are shaped by place, memory, and rituals of daily care.",
  "summary": "On Tuesday, the MacArthur Foundation announced its 2026 class of MacArthur Fellows: 20 individuals who demonstrate “exceptional creativity” and excellence in their fields, and “who demonstrate the ability to impact society in significant and beneficial ways through their pioneering work",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}