The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today announced the winners of this year’s “genius grants.” The 23 honorees will each receive a half-million dollars, no strings attached. The winners include a molecular biologist, a marine roboticist, a glass technologist, a Ragtime pianist, and a former barber turned bookseller.
Rueben Martinez’s bookstore is now one of the largest commercial sellers of Spanish-language books. It all began when he started lending books to customers at his barbershop. Now retired from the hair-cutting business, the 64-year-old Martinez has fostered a store that is a cornerstone of Hispanic cultural and educational events in California.
In this radio diary, Rueben Martinez explains how his barbershop grew into a national literary powerhouse and how he became perhaps the most unlikely of this year’s class of MacArthur geniuses.
Guests:
