Sarah Koenig facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sarah Koenig
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Koenig in 2015
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| Born |
Sarah Augusta Koenig
July 9, 1969 New York City, New York, United States
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| Alma mater | University of Chicago (Bachelor of Arts) |
| Occupation |
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| Known for | Host and executive producer of Serial |
| Spouse(s) | Ben Schreier |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Maria Eckhart Koenig Matthiessen Julian Koenig |
| Family | Peter Matthiessen (step-father) Lester Koenig (uncle) |
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Sarah Koenig (/ˈkeɪnɪɡ/; born July 9, 1969, in New York City) is an American journalist, public radio personality, former producer of the television and radio program This American Life, and the host and executive producer of the podcast Serial.
Early life
Koenig was born July 1969 in New York City to Julian Koenig and his second wife, Maria Eckhart. Sarah is Jewish. Her father was a well-known copywriter. Her mother is from Tanzania. After her parents' divorce, Sarah's mother married writer Peter Matthiessen. Koenig attended Concord Academy in Concord, Massachusetts. Koenig graduated from the University of Chicago in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Political Science. She attended Columbia University for a postgraduate degree in Russian history, but she left after two weeks.
Career
After graduating from college Koenig began working as a reporter at The East Hampton Star. Then she worked in Russia as a reporter for ABC News and later for The New York Times. She covered the State House (politics) for the Concord Monitor and later for the Baltimore Sun.
She began working as a producer for This American Life in January 2004. She co-produced the 2006 Peabody Award-winning episode of This American Life titled "Habeas Schmabeas."
In 2013, she began work on a spinoff podcast of the This American Life radio program titled Serial, which debuted in October 2014. Serial was honored with a Peabody award in April 2015, noting that it took podcasting into the cultural mainstream.
Recognition and honors
TIME magazine named Koenig one of "The 100 Most Influential People" on April 16, 2015. Also in 2015, she was named as one of The Forward 50.
Personal life
Koenig lives in State College, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Ben Schreier, an associate professor of Jewish studies and English at Penn State, and their two children.
