One for the CV: Why I should win a MacArthur Fellowship

Hello. My name is Andrew, I'm a writer, and I believe that I should win a MacArthur Fellowship. I know the Fellowship is intended to encourage people of extraordinary talent to pursue their own creative interest, and acts as an investment in the individual, rather than a lifetime achievement award.

If the remit of the fellowship is to focus on future potential, then this would suggest I'm at the right stage in my career to garner this fellowship; my work has not yet have been published by a mainstream publisher, or a small independent publisher. Nor have I really self-published anything. However, I think my books would be well-suited to being published by Fitzcarraldo editions. I just love their iconic blue covers. Perhaps if I were to get the fellowship, this would help me to get published in Fitzcarraldo? Or I could use the money from the fellowship to help them publish it? They could use some of the money to pay for my book or books to be printed.

I note that the Fellowship is driven by certain values as well. I don't embody these values; no imperfect human can. Nor does my work speak to these values. In fact, much of my writing arguably goes against many of the values the MacArthur Foundation holds dear. However, I think they could do with diversity of opinion, including from those they may find objectionable.

I appreciate this effort may backfire. Perhaps you reckon my candidacy is premature. If this mini-essay frustrates my aim of gaining the fellowship soon, I do hope it will not prejudice my candidacy in future years.

The MacArthur Fellowship would represent a great opportunity for me to develop in my work, to have and hold money, and to promote my blog. The blog would have many more views with the validation of this Fellowship. I could also use my own blog to make more people aware of the MacArthur Fellowship. Please allow me the pleasure of this Fellowship.

Yours with love, Andrew.

https://www.macfound.org/programs/fellows/