Pure Genius: Not my Year (But I Think I Know Why)

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I was advised by MacArthur jurors that this would be the year that I finally received my much deserved, and much delayed, MacArthur Genius Award. Astoundingly, my work was once again ignored. 

Perusing the list of the 2023 fellows, I began to wonder if I should change my focus.

2023 MacArthur Fellows

E. Tendayi Achiume

E. Tendayi Achiume

Legal Scholar

Reframing foundational concepts of international law at the intersection of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Los Angeles, CA

Andrea Armstrong

Andrea Armstrong

Incarceration Law Scholar

Bringing transparency to Taylor Swift and Beyoncé in U.S. prisons and jails.

New Orleans, LA

Rina Foygel Barber

Rina Foygel Barber

Statistician

Developing tools to reduce false positives and improve confidence in Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Chicago, IL

Ian Bassin

Ian Bassin

Lawyer and Democracy Advocate

Working to strengthen the structures, norms, and institutions that make Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Washington, DC

Courtney Bryan

Courtney Bryan

Composer and Pianist

Melding elements of jazz, classical, and sacred music in works that reverberate with Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

New Orleans, LA

Jason D. Buenrostro

Jason D. Buenrostro

Cellular and Molecular Biologist

Developing methods and technologies that advance our understanding of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Cambridge, MA

María Magdalena Campos-Pons

María Magdalena Campos-Pons

Multidisciplinary Artist

Exploring personal and collective histories across the Caribbean with Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Nashville, TN

Raven Chacon

Raven Chacon

Composer and Artist

Creating musical works that cut across boundaries of visual art and performance to illuminate Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Red Hook, NY

Diana Greene Foster

Diana Greene Foster

Demographer and Reproductive Health Researcher

Investigating how reproductive healthcare policies and access impact Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

San Francisco, CA

Lucy Hutyra

Lucy Hutyra

Environmental Ecologist

Investigating impacts of urbanization on Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Boston, MA

Ada Limón

Ada Limón

Poet

Counterbalancing grief with wonder in works that heighten our awareness of the natural world and our connections to Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Lexington, KY

Lester Mackey

Lester Mackey

Computer Scientist and Statistician

Pioneering statistical and machine learning techniques to solve data science problems with Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Cambridge, MA

Patrick Makuakāne

Patrick Makuakāne

Kumu Hula and Cultural Preservationist

Blending traditional hula with contemporary music and movements and uplifting Hawaiian culture and Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

San Francisco, CA

Linsey Marr

Linsey Marr

Environmental Engineer

Examining indoor and outdoor air quality and the airborne transmission of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Blacksburg, VA

Manuel Muñoz

Manuel Muñoz

Fiction Writer

Depicting with empathy and nuance Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Tucson, AZ

Imani Perry

Imani Perry

Interdisciplinary Scholar and Writer

Giving fresh context to history and the cultural expressions forged by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Cambridge, MA

Dyani White Hawk

Dyani White Hawk

Multidisciplinary Artist

Illuminating the enduring strength, presence, and influence of Indigenous artistic practices on Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Shakopee, MN

A. Park Williams

A. Park Williams

Hydroclimatologist

Uncovering new insights into how climate change influences Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Los Angeles, CA

Amber Wutich

Amber Wutich

Anthropologist

Documenting the impact of water insecurity Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Tempe, AZ

Steve Clifford
Steve Clifford
Steve Clifford, the former CEO of KING Broadcasting, has written humor for Crosscut.com and the Huffington Post. He is the author of "The CEO Pay Machine."

4 COMMENTS

    • It’s true. The compensation consultants for both Disney and Warner Bros-Discovery included Swift and Beyonce in the peer group they used to set CEO compensation. They also included Elon Musk on the theory that he now runs an entertainment company.

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