Randy Cohen
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2009) |
Randy Cohen | |
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Born | Emmy Awards |
Website | columns |
Randy Cohen is an American writer and humorist known as the author of The Ethicist column in The New York Times Magazine between 1999 and 2011. The column was syndicated throughout the U.S. and Canada. Cohen is also known as the author of several books, a playwright, and the host of the public radio show Person Place Thing.
Career
Cohen graduated from the University at Albany, SUNY in 1971, with a Bachelor of Arts in music.[1] He received an MFA in music composition from the California Institute of the Arts. During this time there he and Rich Gold created the Serge synthesizer. In 2011, Cohen received the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters from the University at Albany.
From 1973 to 1977 he played Serge synthesizer and drums with the proto no wave band Jack Ruby. Boris Policeband and George Scott III were also members of the group.[2]
He spent several years "writing humor pieces, essays, and stories for leading newspapers and magazines," including The New Yorker, Harper's, and The Atlantic; his first paid, published piece was in 1976 for The Village Voice.[1] In 1981, his book of satiric letters, Modest Proposals, was published by St. Martin's Press.[1] In 1989, his collection of humor pieces, Diary of a Flying Man, was published by Knopf. In 2002 The Good, the Bad, & the Difference: How to Tell Right from Wrong in Everyday Situations was published by Doubleday. His book Be Good: How to Navigate the Ethics of Everything was released by Chronicle Books in August 2012.
Cohen was a writer on
Cohen wrote for
Cohen wrote for Slate starting in 1996. At Slate, he became known for "News Quiz", a satiric reader-participation feature which began in February 1998 and ended in November 2000. He also co-wrote a first-season episode of Ed, first broadcast on February 14, 2001.
Cohen wrote The Ethicist column in
Cohen donated $585 to
Cohen wrote a play about the eighteenth century boxing champion Daniel Mendoza. The Punishing Blow debuted in 2009[9] at the Woodstock Fringe Festival[10] and ran in 2010 at Manhattan's Clurman Theater.
In winter 2012, public radio station
Bibliography
- Modest Proposals (1981, ISBN 0-312-54365-4), a book of satiric letters
- Diary of a Flying Man (1989, ISBN 978-0-394-56124-0), a collection of stories and humor pieces
- The Good, the Bad & the Difference: How to Tell Right from Wrong in Everyday Situations (2002, ISBN 0-385-50273-7), a collection of his columns[12]
- Be Good: How to Navigate the Ethics of Everything (2012, Chronicle Books ISBN 978-1452107905), a guide, in Q&A format, to facing everyday moral challenges.
Personal life
Cohen was born in Charleston, South Carolina and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania,[10] in what he has called a "suburban reform Jewish household."[13]
He was formerly married to the writer and activist Katha Pollitt, with whom he has a daughter, Sophie Pollitt-Cohen.
References
Specific references:
- ^ a b c d e "Randy Cohen '71: New York Times "The Ethicist" Columnist". University at Albany, SUNY. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
- ^ "Real Vinyl History: Jack Ruby". February 29, 2016.
- ^ "Randy Cohen". International Speakers Bureau. Archived from the original on December 26, 2010.
- ^ Cohen, Randy (October 12, 2009). "Who Is Letterman Hurting?". The Ethicist. The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
- ^ "Piers Morgan Show, transcript". CNN.
- ^ "Author Spotlight: Randy Cohan". Random House.
- ^ "Columnist Randy Cohen Tackles NPR Listeners' Ethical Dilemmas". All Things Considered. NPR. May 15, 2005. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
- ^ "Journalists dole out campaign cash". NBC News. June 2007.
- The Jewish Week. Archived from the originalon April 28, 2009.
- ^ a b "New York Times "Ethicist" Randy Cohen's Provocative First Play The Punishing Blow to be Performed at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust" (PDF). Press release. Museum of Jewish Heritage. February 26, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2010. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
- ^ "Person Place Thing with Randy Cohen". May 13, 2023.
- ^ "The Good, the Bad & the Difference". Random House.
- ^ "Q&A with Randy Cohen". bookreporter.com. 2002.
General references:
- October 2004 interview with Cohen from Gothamist.com
- December 1999: The Ethicist Who Isn't, a critique of the column from Reason magazine
External links
- Randy Cohen at IMDb
- The Ethicist Archives at The New York Times website
- Person Place Thing with Randy Cohen
- Cohen, Randy (November 2000). "No. 500: End of an Error". News Quiz. Slate. Cohen's 500th (and last) News Quiz.