Sarah Kaufman (born 1963) is an American author who was the dance critic for the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

''. She was the recipient of the 2010

Pulitzer Prize for Criticism The Pulitzer Prize for Criticism has been presented since 1970 to a newspaper writer in the United States who has demonstrated 'distinguished criticism'. Recipients of the award are chosen by an independent board and officially administered by C ...

. Her most recent work, ''The Art of Grace'', was published by W.W. Norton and Company in fall of 2015.

Biography

Kaufman was born in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, and was raised in

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. She earned a BA in English from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

, where she studied under

poet laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...

Reed Whittemore Edward Reed Whittemore, Jr. (September 11, 1919 – April 6, 2012) was an American poet, biographer, critic, literary journalist and college professor. He was appointed the sixteenth and later the twenty-eighth Poet Laureate Consultant in P ...

. She graduated in 1988 with a master's degree from the

Medill School of Journalism The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University that offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It frequently ranks as the top school of journalism in the Unite ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. Kaufman studied dance until she gave it up in graduate school. She broke into

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

when she complained to the ''

Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focu ...

'' that they lacked dance reviews and then began writing reviews for that publication. In the 1990s, Kaufman and her husband moved to

Munich, Germany Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, 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 The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

. 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 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

. She was laid off in 2022.

References

External links

Official Website

2010 Pulitzer Prize

at the ''Washington Post'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaufman, Sarah 1963 births Living people American dance critics The Washington Post journalists Pulitzer Prize for Criticism winners University of Maryland, College Park alumni Medill School of Journalism alumni Writers from Austin, Texas Journalists from Washington, D.C. Journalists from Texas American women journalists American women critics 21st-century American women