Each year, the MacArthur Foundation bestows some of the nation’s most prestigious awards—the fellowships nicknamed “genius grants”—on some two dozen people who have demonstrated exceptional promise and creativity in the arts, research, and other fields.
And, as in several past years, the 2024 recipients include an alum: Chicago-based author Ling Ma, MFA ’16.
“Ma often grounds her fictions in familiar settings and scenarios—corporate offices, a one-night stand, a shopping mall—and then surprises readers with fantastical plot turns,” the foundation observes.
“Delivered with a deadpan sense of humor, these turns throw into relief the surreal aspects of our contemporary condition and our attachments to routines and consumer goods in the face of loss and disconnection.”
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