Affiliated Writers Program

2007-08 Recipients

Lori Ann Laster is a New York City-based theatre and dance writer who is on the staff of The Arts Cure magazine. She holds an MFA from Brooklyn College.

Justin Boyd is a Brooklyn-based playwright who holds degrees in journalism and music history as well as an MFA in playwriting from Ohio University. He was recently appointed co-editor of The Brooklyn Rail, and has worked as an actor and director.

Christy DeSmith is assistant editor of The Rake in Minneapolis. She has written widely for Twin Cities publications, and freelances frequently for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press as a theatre critic.

2006-07 Recipients

David Ng is a journalist based in New York City who has written about the arts for the Village Voice, the Los Angeles Times, City Pages (Minneapolis, MN), Salon, The Believer and other publications. He received his M.A. from the Cultural Reporting and Criticism program at New York University.



Mark Blankenship is a freelance critic and reporter who writes regularly for Variety and Back Stage. His work has also appeared in The Advocate, the New York Times and American Theatre. (To read Mark's pop music criticism, please visit his blog, I Totally Hear That.




Sarah Lemanczyk is a freelance reporter and producer for Public Radio International, with an extensive broadcast history as well as publishing and performance credits. She earned her B.A. in English literature from the University of Minnesota in 1996.

2005-06 Recipients

Kerri Allen, a graduate of Rutgers University, is an arts writer based in New York City. She has written for Latino Leaders, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education and OffOffOnline.com.

Laura Butchy is a dramaturg and arts writer living in New York. She received her MFA in dramaturgy and script development from Columbia University and her B.A. from Westminster College.

David Kornhaber is a Ph.D. candidate in theatre history and dramatic literature at Columbia University with a B.A. from Harvard University. He has written for the Village Voice and Disability Studies Quarterly, among other publications.