Sarah Kaufman (critic)
Encyclopedia
Sarah Kaufman is the dance critic for the Washington Post. She was the recipient of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
.
Kaufman was born in Austin, Texas
and was raised in Washington DC. She earned a BA in English from the University of Maryland
, where she studied under poet laureate Reed Whittemore
. She graduated in 1988 with a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism
at Northwestern University
.
Kaufman studied dance until she gave it up in graduate school. She broke into journalism when she complained to the Washington City Paper
that they lacked dance reviews and then began writing reviews for that publication. In the 1990s, Kaufman and her husband moved to Munich, Germany, where she worked as a translator and author of freelance English-language cultural and journalism pieces.
Upon their return to the US, Kaufman began freelancing for the Post. When Post dance critic and Pulitzer-winner Alan M. Kriegsman
, whom Kaufman calls "my hero, friend and mentor", retired in 1996, Kaufman took over as dance critic. While writing for the Post, she broke the story that many of the works of Martha Graham
were in the public domain
. She also won a Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Award for Arts and Entertainment Reporting for her report on the decreasing number of ballet offerings at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
.
Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
The Pulitzer Prize for Criticism has been presented since 1970 to a newspaper writer who has demonstrated 'distinguished criticism'. Recipients of the award are chosen by an independent board and officially administered by Columbia University...
.
Kaufman was born in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
and was raised in Washington DC. She earned a BA in English from the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
, where she studied under poet laureate Reed Whittemore
Reed Whittemore
Edward Reed Whittemore, Jr. is an American poet, biographer, critic, literary journalist and college professor. He was appointed the sixteenth and later the twenty-eighth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1964, and in 1984.-Biography:Born in New Haven, Connecticut,...
. She graduated in 1988 with a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism
Medill School of Journalism
The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It has consistently been one of the top-ranked schools in Journalism in the United States...
at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
.
Kaufman studied dance until she gave it up in graduate school. She broke into journalism when she complained to the Washington City Paper
Washington City Paper
The Washington City Paper is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Founded in 1981, and published for its first year under the masthead 1981, taking the City Paper name in volume 2, by Russ Smith, it shared ownership with the Chicago Reader from 1982...
that they lacked dance reviews and then began writing reviews for that publication. In the 1990s, Kaufman and her husband moved to Munich, Germany, where she worked as a translator and author of freelance English-language cultural and journalism pieces.
Upon their return to the US, Kaufman began freelancing for the Post. When Post dance critic and Pulitzer-winner Alan M. Kriegsman
Alan M. Kriegsman
Alan Mortimer Kriegsman is an American dance critic who won the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for his work at The Washington Post, the first to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for reporting as a dance critic....
, whom Kaufman calls "my hero, friend and mentor", retired in 1996, Kaufman took over as dance critic. While writing for the Post, she broke the story that many of the works of Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
were in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
. She also won a Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Award for Arts and Entertainment Reporting for her report on the decreasing number of ballet offerings at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
.
External links
- 2010 Pulitzer Prize
- Sarah Kaufman at the Washington Post