Once again, genius time

Congratulations to writers Yiyun Li, Annette Gordon-Reed and David Simon on being among the 23 recipients of this year's MacArthur Foundation grants. The Chinese-born Li, author of four novels (most famously THE VAGRANTS) teaches at UC-Davis; Gordon-Reed won the Pulitzer Prize last year in nonfiction for her book THE HEMINGSES OF MONTICELLO. And David Simon, of course, is most famous now as a TV director thanks to "The Wire" and his new show "Treme" set in pre-New Orleans Katrina, but put in years in the trenches as a reporter enabling him to write THE CORNER and HOMICIDE. According to the Washington Post he thought he was getting sued when he found out about his genius grant. Double congrats, you're not in legal trouble!

(This blog must also mention grant awardee David Cromer, who directed and acted in the incredibly moving "Our Town" adaptation which just closed this month and who is bringing "Sweet Bird of Youth" to Broadway. "Sweet Bird of Youth" is bonkers Tennessee Williams. This is going to be super.)