danticatThe MacArthur Genius Grants have been awarded, and the west side of Broadway has something to smile about. Edwidge Danticat, BC ’90, was just awarded a Genius Grant for her novels depicting Haitian history and the Haitian immigrant experience. 

In works such as The Farming of Bones (1999), The Dewbreaker (2004), and Brother, I’m Dying (2007), Danticat “provides a nuanced portrait of the intersection between nation and diaspora, home and exile, and reminds us of the power of human resistance, renewal, and endurance against great obstacles.” A sister in Alpha Kappa Alpha, Danticat grew up in Haiti, moving to Brooklyn at the age of 12, before majoring in French literature at Barnard, and since then she has published five books, most recently a memoir entitled Brother, I’m Dying. A lot more on her can be found (and a lot more worthwhile procrastinating can be done) at her New York Times Topics page.