DC Far Sector writer N.K. Jemisin named as MacArthur Fellow

(Image credit: John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)

DC's Far Sector writer N.K. Jemisin has been named as part of the 2020 class of MacArthur Fellows. She is among a group of 21 named in this year's honors.

"Jemisin is broadening the spectrum of participants in speculative fiction's creation and surrounding fandom through her published works as well as her world-building workshops, frequent interviews, and active presence on social media," reads John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's write-up of the author. 

(Image credit: Jamal Campbell (DC))

In addition to Far Sector, Jemisin is the author of the prose novels The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, and the City She Became. She is the first author to have won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in three consecutive years for novels in the same trilogy.

"While engaging readers with grippingly paced narratives, Jemisin demonstrates how the speculative mode enables us to contemplate the ecological crises and social inequalities of our contemporary moment and to consider how societies formed along fault lines might build themselves anew."

Jemisin joins a growing list of comic creators named as MacArthur Fellows. Previous comic creator recipients include Gene Luen Yang, Lynda Barry, and Ben Katchor.

Chosen annually, the MacArthur Fellows program recognizes "people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations." Each fellow receives a $625,000 stipend (spread out over five years) to support themselves as creative individuals.

Jemisin's Far Sector #8 (of 12), drawn by Jamal Campbell, goes on sale October 6. 

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Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)