(mherald) Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat hopes her "genius grant" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation will bring attention to the wealth of talent struggling to be heard in her impoverished Caribbean homeland. The 40-year-old novelist and short story writer, who has won previous prizes for her depiction of the travails of Haitian migrants, was one of 24 artists, scientists, journalists and others named Tuesday as fellows by the Chicago-based organization. Each receives a 0,000 grant over the next five years. "My experience or whatever talent I have is not unique: there are probably thousands of others like me in Haiti or here," Danticat in a phone interview from Miami. "The only difference is I've had some opportunity." The foundation's online biography cites her "graceful, deceptively simple prose" and "moving and insightful depictions of Haiti's complex history" that "reminds us of the power of human resistance, renewal, and endurance against great obstacles." Danticat's 2007 memoir, "Brother, I'm Dying," told the stories of her father and uncle's struggles in Haiti and the United States,

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