The MacArthurs: Money Can Buy You Some Things, Such As Mental Health Care

One other thing about the MacArthur “Genius” Grants (apart from the David Simon thing, which, who cares), awarded to some individuals working in some fields to which you may not necessarily be paying attention-oceanic acoustic engineering! Jellyfish propulsion!-to some that you may be-the poor honeybees!-is that getting $500,000 dropped on you over five years does not necessarily make you happy or successful. That being said, their track record on visual artists and writers over the decades has been nearly impeccable. (Ada Louise Huxtable in 1981! Thom Gunn in 1993! Meredith Monk in 1995! David Foster Wallace in 1997! Anne Carson in 2000! Lydia Davis in 2003! Tara Donovan in 2008!) So maybe, for once in its history, this’ll cheer up one of this year’s awardees, that poor sour David Cromer. Maybe he’ll use it to pay for some therapy! Email me, David: I know the best short-term head-shrinker on the Upper West Side. It’s time, honey.