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{{Short description|American professor, attorney, author, and political columnist}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- For more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]]. -->
{{Infobox writer
| name = Seth Abramson
| image = SethAbramsonWUNH.jpg
| name = Seth Abramson
| imagesize = 250px
| image = SethAbramsonWUNH.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Abramson in 2016
| caption = Abramson at [[WUNH]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|10|31}}
| birth_place = [[Concord, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| pseudonym =
| birth_name =
| death_date =
| birth_date = {{bda|1976|10|31}}
| death_place =
| occupation = Attorney, professor, author
| birth_place = [[Concord, Massachusetts]]
| education = [[Dartmouth College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[Harvard University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])<br />[[University of Iowa]] ([[Master of Fine Arts|MFA]])<br />[[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]], [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|Year|Month|Day|Year|Month|Day}} -->
| movement = [[Metamodernism]]
| death_place =
| genre = Curatorial journalism, metajournalism, poetry
| resting_place =
| website = {{URL|https://www.sethabramson.net/}}
| occupation = Poet, editor, attorney, freelance journalist, professor
| language =
| nationality = American
| ethnicity =
| citizenship =
| education = Master of Fine Arts, Juris Doctor, Doctor of Philosophy
| alma_mater =
| period =
| genre =
| subject =
| movement = [[Metamodernism]]
| notableworks =
| spouse =
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'''Seth Abramson''' (born October 31, 1976) is an American [[professor]], attorney, [[author]], political columnist, and [[poet]]. He is the editor of the ''Best American Experimental Writing'' series and wrote a trilogy of nonfiction works detailing the foreign policy agenda and political scandals of former president [[Donald Trump]].
'''Seth Abramson''' (born October 31, 1976) is an American poet, editor, attorney, freelance journalist, and professor.<ref name="unh.edu">"Acclaimed Author and Poet Seth Abramson Joins UNH Manchester English Program", [[University of New Hampshire]] (April 16, 2015). [http://manchester.unh.edu/blog/about-our-faculty/acclaimed-author-and-poet-seth-abramson-joins-unh-manchester-english-program]</ref><ref name="dallasnews.com">"Listen up, progressives: We need to be smart in the digital age", [[Dallas Morning News]] (February 8, 2017) [https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/02/08/listen-progressives-need-smart-digital-age]</ref>


==Early life and education==
==Life==
Abramson was born to a Jewish family and raised in [[Acton, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seth Abramson via X |url=https://x.com/SethAbramson/status/1774312268622082225}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Seth Abramson via Threads |url=https://www.threads.net/@seth.abramson/post/C2VYywgxndR}}</ref> He is a graduate of [[Dartmouth College]] (1998), [[Harvard Law School]] (2001), the [[Iowa Writers' Workshop]] (2009), and the doctoral program in [[English studies|English]] at [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] (2010; 2016).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://manchester.unh.edu/blog/about-our-faculty/acclaimed-author-and-poet-seth-abramson-joins-unh-manchester-english-program|title=Acclaimed Author and Poet Seth Abramson joins UNH Manchester English Program|last=Plenda|first=Melanie|date=2015-03-24|work=[[University of New Hampshire at Manchester]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525011357/https://manchester.unh.edu/blog/about-our-faculty/acclaimed-author-and-poet-seth-abramson-joins-unh-manchester-english-program|archive-date=2018-05-25|language=en}}</ref>
Currently an Assistant Professor of English at the [[University of New Hampshire at Manchester]], Abramson is a graduate of [[Dartmouth College]] (1998), [[Harvard Law School]] (2001), the [[Iowa Writers' Workshop]] (2009), and the doctoral program in [[English studies|English]] at [[University of Wisconsin-Madison]] (2010; 2016).<ref name="unh.edu"/> He writes a blog on contemporary poetry for ''[[The Huffington Post]]'' and is a regular columnist for ''[[Indiewire]]''.<ref>[http://media.www.hlrecord.org/media/storage/paper609/news/2005/09/22/News/Living.On.Lipp-996018.shtml?norewrite200611151509&sourcedomain=www.hlrecord.org&&&xmlsyn=1 "Living on LIPP," ''The Harvard Law Record'' (September 22, 2005)]</ref><ref>"On American Metamodernism," ''[[The Huffington Post]]'' (February 7, 2014). [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-abramson/on-american-metamodernism_b_4743903.html]</ref><ref>"A New ''Press Play'' Column: Seth Abramson's 'Metamericana'", [[Indiewire]] (January 31, 2014). [http://blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/a-new-press-play-column-seth-abramsons-metamericana-is-martin-scorseses-latest-offering-unbelievable-on-purpose]</ref> Abramson's ''Indiewire'' column focuses on films, television programs, and video games informed by [[metamodernism]].<ref>"Metamericana: Paolo Sorrentino's ''[[The Great Beauty]]'' Is Exactly That," ''[[Indiewire]]'' (February 28, 2014). [http://blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/metamericana-paolo-sorrentinos-the-great-beauty-is-exactly-that]</ref><ref>"Talks on Metamodernism with Seth Abramson," As It Ought to Be (March 12, 2014). [http://asitoughttobe.com/2014/03/12/talks-on-metamodernism-with-seth-abramson-part-3-of-3/]</ref> ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' notes that Abramson has "picked up a very large following as a blogger and commentator, covering poetry, politics, and higher education, and generating a controversial, ''U.S. News''-style ranking of graduate programs in writing."<ref>Review of ''Northerners,'' ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' (May 2011). [http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-930974-96-4]</ref> Before entering academia, Abramson was an [[lawyer|attorney]] for the New Hampshire Public Defender and a commentator for [[Air America Radio]].


==Career==
===Creative writing===
Abramson was a [[lawyer|trial attorney]] for the New Hampshire Public Defender from 2001 to 2007. Abramson became an assistant professor of communication arts and sciences at [[University of New Hampshire]] in 2015, and was made affiliate faculty at the [[New Hampshire Institute of Art]] in 2018.<ref name="New Hampshire Institute of Art">{{Cite news|url=http://www.nhia.edu/about/news-and-events/news/seth-abramson-joins-nhia-mfa-writing-faculty|title=Seth Abramson Joins NHIA MFA Faculty|last=New Hampshire Institute of Art|author-link=New Hampshire Institute of Art|date=2018-06-05|access-date=2018-06-23|language=en-US}}</ref> His teaching areas include digital journalism, post-internet cultural theory, post-internet writing, and legal advocacy.
Abramson has published a number of books and anthologies. ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' describes Abramson as "serious and ambitious...uncommonly interested in general statements, in hard questions, and harder answers, about how to live."<ref>''Northerners'', [[Publishers Weekly]] (Review). [http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-930974-96-8]</ref>


Abramson has written for publications like ''[[The Washington Post]]'', ''[[Dallas Morning News]]'', ''[[The Seattle Times]]'', ''[[Newsweek]]'', ''[[Indiewire]]'', and ''[[The Guardian]]''. In 2011, ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' wrote that he had "picked up a very large following as a blogger and commentator, covering poetry, politics, and higher education, and generating a controversial, ''U.S. News''–style ranking of graduate programs in writing."<ref>[https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781930974968 Review of ''Northerners,'' ''Publishers Weekly'' (May 2011)]</ref> During the Trump administration, Abramson was a [[CNN]] legal analyst.<ref>Review of ''Proof of Collusion,'' ''Publishers Weekly'' (November 2018). [https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-9821-1608-8]</ref>
''[[Colorado Review]]'' called ''Northerners'', Abramson's second collection of poetry, "alternately expansive and deeply personal...of crystalline beauty and complexity," terming Abramson "a major American voice."<ref>''Northerners'' (review), ''[[Colorado Review]]''. [http://coloradoreview.colostate.edu/reviews/northerners/]</ref> ''[[Notre Dame Review]]'' echoed the sentiment, calling Abramson "a powerful voice."<ref>"From Ruin to Rebirth," ''[[Notre Dame Review]]''. [http://ndreview.nd.edu/assets/60036/ripatrazone_review.pdf]</ref>


=== Writing about American politics ===
Abramson won the 2008 J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Prize from ''[[Poetry magazine|Poetry]]''. Editor [[Don Share]] said of Abramson's "What I Have," "The poem absorbs certain details but doesn't fasten upon them the way poets are tempted to do; it's not adjectival, it's not descriptive, it's not painting a kind of canvas with scenery on it, and yet those details are really fascinating."<ref>"You're Always Moving Toward Silence," ''[[Poetry magazine|Poetry]]'' (March 2009 Poetry Foundation Podcast). [http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/audioitem.html?id=727]</ref>
{{Further|Mueller special counsel investigation}}
During the [[Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016|2016 Democratic primary race]] between [[Hillary Clinton]] and [[Bernie Sanders]], Abramson supported Sanders.<ref>"Sanders backers worry that Clinton will clinch nomination before California's polls close," ''The Washington Post'', [[David Weigel]] (May 31, 2016). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/05/31/sanders-backers-worry-that-clinton-will-clinch-nomination-before-californias-polls-close/]</ref> He authored what [[Jonathan Chait]] of ''[[New York Magazine]]'' called "a cult-favorite series of Bernie [Sanders] delegate-math fan fiction."<ref>"''Wall Street Journal'' Editorial Page Feels the Bern," ''New York Magazine'', Jonathan Chait (May 12, 2016). [http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/05/wall-street-journal-editorial-feels-the-bern.html]</ref> Philip Bump of ''The Washington Post'' took issue with Abramson's analyses, calling them "empty theory, unproven...but innovative."<ref>"Sorry, Bernie supporters. Your candidate is not 'currently winning the Democratic primary race,'" ''The Washington Post'', Philip Bump (March 23, 2016). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/23/sorry-bernie-supporters-your-candidate-is-not-currently-winning-the-democratic-primary-race/]</ref> Writing in ''[[The Chicago Tribune]]'', Stephen Stromberg called Abramson a "Sanders zealot...[in] reality-denial."<ref>"Bernie Sanders, enough with your 'political revolution,'" ''The Chicago Tribune'', Stephen Stromberg (June 1, 2016). [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-bernie-sanders-delusional-stubborn-20160601-story.html]</ref> ''The Atlantic'', citing an article by Abramson in which he referred to his writing on the Democratic primary as "experimental journalism," attributed Abramson's articles not to his political leanings but his self-identification as a "metamodernist creative writer."<ref>"This Is How a Revolution Ends," ''The Atlantic'', Molly Ball (May 26, 2016). [http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/bernie-sanders-clinton/484439/]</ref><ref>"On Bernie Sanders and Experimental Journalism," ''The Huffington Post'', Seth Abramson (May 23, 2016) [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-abramson/on-bernie-sanders-and-exp_b_10077684.html]</ref> ''Politico'' concurred, referring to Abramson's political commentary as "verses from the abstract."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/tipsheets/the-2016-blast/2016/03/establishment-agonizingly-accepts-cruz-jeb-backs-ted-sanders-sees-path-kasichs-great-poll-213374|title=Establishment grudgingly accepts Cruz|first=Henry C.|last=Jackson|date=23 March 2016|website=POLITICO|accessdate=3 February 2024}}</ref>


After the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 U.S. presidential election]], Abramson received widespread attention for his [[Conversation threading|Twitter threads]] alleging collusion between the [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|Trump campaign]] and foreign governments, especially Russia, but also [[Saudi Arabia]], the [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]], and [[Israel]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/09/05/twitter-thread-social-media-trend-215539|title=The Rise of the Twitter Thread|last=Heffernan|first=Virginia|website=POLITICO Magazine|language=en|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> According to ''The Washington Post'':
===''Best American Experimental Writing''===
{{blockquote
Abramson, with the poet Jesse Damiani, has been Series Co-Editor of the annual anthology of innovative verse, ''Best American Experimental Writing'', since its inception with Omnidawn in 2012.<ref>"Best American Experimental Writing Anthology Announced," [[The Poetry Foundation]] (November 12, 2012). [http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2012/11/best-american-experimental-writing-anthology-announced/]</ref><ref>"Announcing Omnidawn's New Annual Anthology, ''Best American Experimental Writing''," [[Rusty Morrison|Omnidawn]] (November 7, 2012). [http://www.omni-verse.net/announcing-omnidawns-new-annual-anthology-best-american-experimental-writing/]</ref>
|"After trying for many years to expand his business empire into Russia, Abramson asserts, Trump visited Moscow in 2013 to personally meet agents of Russian President Vladmir Putin, using his beauty pageant as cover. There, Abramson writes, a secret deal was struck: Putin agreed to open up his country's rich real estate market to Trump, and Trump agreed to campaign for president while promoting pro-Russian policies."<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/12/06/people-cant-stop-reading-a-professors-theory-of-a-trump-russia-conspiracy-true-or-not/|title=People can't stop reading a professor's theory of a Trump-Russia conspiracy — true or not|last=Selk|first=Avi|date=December 6, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 25, 2018}}</ref>
The series was picked up by [[Wesleyan University Press]] in 2014.<ref>"Best American Experimental Writing: Guidelines for Submitting," [[Wesleyan University Press]] (April 17, 2014). [http://www.wesleyan.edu/wespress/bax/]</ref>
}}

In November 2018, Abramson published the ''New York Times'' bestselling book ''Proof of Collusion'' (Simon & Schuster), which sought to establish "proof of collusion in the Trump-Russia case."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2018/12/02/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/?action=click&contentCollection=Books&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&region=Body&module=CompleteListLink&version=Nonfiction&pgtype=Reference|title=Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction NYT Bestsellers for December 2, 2018.|work=The New York Times |access-date=27 November 2018}}</ref> ''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' called the book "spirited, thorough, and thunderously foreboding."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/seth-abramson/proof-of-collusion/|title=Review: Proof of Collusion: How Trump Betrayed America, by Seth Abramson|website=Kirkus Reviews|language=en|access-date=2021-05-17}}</ref> A contrary view appeared in the ''Herald'' (Scotland), noting that "suggestive juxtapositions notwithstanding, we end up with something closer to the Scottish 'not proven' verdict with its unique mix of moral conviction of guilt and inability to conclusively prove the case."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_ents/17318965.review-proof-of-collusion-how-trump-betrayed-america-by-seth-abramson/|title=Review: Proof of Collusion: How Trump Betrayed America, by Seth Abramson|website=HeraldScotland|date=30 December 2018 |language=en|access-date=2019-04-07}}</ref>

A sequel to ''Proof of Collusion'', ''Proof of Conspiracy'', was published by [[St. Martin's Press]] in September 2019, and was also a ''New York Times'' bestseller.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2019/09/22/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/|title=Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction NYT Bestsellers for September 21, 2019.|work=The New York Times |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> The final book in the Proof trilogy, ''Proof of Corruption,'' was published by St. Martin's Press in September 2020 and was named a ''USA Today'' bestseller.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/06/21/proof-of-corruption/2444877/isbn/9781250272997/|title=USA Today Bestsellers for September 17, 2020.|website=www.usatoday.com|access-date=3 October 2020}}</ref> ''Kirkus Reviews'' called ''Proof of Corruption'' "careful and exhaustive," concluding that it makes a "strong case for Trump's outsized, boundless corruption."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/seth-abramson/proof-of-corruption/|title=Review: Proof of Corruption: Bribery, Impeachment, and Pandemic in the Age of Trump, by Seth Abramson|website=KirkusReviews|language=en|access-date=2020-10-03}}</ref>

In October 2020, Abramson, former ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'' contributing editor [[Thomas Morton (journalist)|Thomas Morton]], and Connect3 Media (a division of [[Cineflix]]) published a ten-episode, limited-series pre-election podcast, ''Proof: A Pre-election Podcast Special'', to summarize key aspects of the "Proof" book trilogy. Abramson thereafter launched a [[Substack]] publication entitled ''Proof''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sethabramson.substack.com|title=Proof|website=Substack|language=en|access-date=2021-05-19}}</ref>

===Creative writing and editorship===
Abramson has published a number of poetry books and anthologies. ''[[Colorado Review]]'' called ''Northerners'', Abramson's second collection of poetry, "alternately expansive and deeply personal...of crystalline beauty and complexity," terming Abramson "a major American voice,"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://coloradoreview.colostate.edu/reviews/northerners/|title=Northerners|accessdate=3 February 2024}}</ref> and ''[[Notre Dame Review]]'' echoed the sentiment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ndreview.nd.edu/assets/60036/ripatrazone_review.pdf|title="From Ruin to Rebirth," ''Notre Dame Review''|accessdate=3 February 2024}}</ref>

Abramson and poet [[Jesse Damiani]] have been series co-editor of the annual anthology of innovative verse, ''Best American Experimental Writing'', since its inception with Omnidawn in 2012.<ref>"Best American Experimental Writing Anthology Announced," The Poetry Foundation (November 12, 2012). [http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2012/11/best-american-experimental-writing-anthology-announced/]</ref><ref>"Announcing Omnidawn's New Annual Anthology, ''Best American Experimental Writing''," [[Rusty Morrison|Omnidawn]] (November 7, 2012). {{cite web |url=http://www.omni-verse.net/announcing-omnidawns-new-annual-anthology-best-american-experimental-writing/ |title=Announcing Omnidawn's new annual anthology, Best American Experimental Writing |access-date=2012-11-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130221221456/http://www.omni-verse.net/announcing-omnidawns-new-annual-anthology-best-american-experimental-writing/ |archive-date=2013-02-21 }}</ref> The series was picked up by [[Wesleyan University Press]] in 2014.<ref>"Best American Experimental Writing: Guidelines for Submitting," Wesleyan University Press (April 17, 2014). [http://www.wesleyan.edu/wespress/bax/]</ref> Guest editors for the series have included [[Cole Swensen]] (2014), [[Douglas Kearney]] (2015), [[Charles Bernstein (poet)|Charles Bernstein]] and [[Tracie Morris]] (2016), [[Myung Mi Kim]] (2018), and [[Carmen Maria Machado]] and [[Joyelle McSweeney]] (2019).<ref>"Best American Experimental Writing," Wesleyan University Press (November 20, 2017). [http://www.wesleyan.edu/wespress/bax/]</ref>


===The MFA Research Project===
===The MFA Research Project===
Abramson authors ''The MFA Research Project'' (MRP), a website that publishes indexes of creative writing Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs based on surveys and hard-data research.<ref>[http://mfaresearchproject.wordpress.com/ ''The MFA Research Project'']</ref> Indexes appearing on the MRP include ordered listings of program popularity, funding, selectivity, fellowship placement, job placement, student-faculty ratio, application cost, application response times, application and curriculum requirements, and foundation dates. The MRP also publishes surveys of current MFA applicants, and of various creative writing programs. Writing for ''The Cambridge Companion to American Poetry Since 1945'', [[Hank Lazer]] described Abramson's project as "a daring and data-rich endeavor."<ref>"American Poetry and Its Institutions," ''The Cambridge Companion to American Poetry Since 1945'' (February 8, 2013) [https://books.google.com/books?id=nKMQ5b0VKz0C&pg=PA160&dq=cambridge+companion+lazer+%22daring+and+data-rich%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tilQU4W3DIaKyASZhYLQBQ&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=cambridge%20companion%20lazer%20%22daring%20and%20data-rich%22&f=false]</ref> ''[[The Missouri Review]]'' observed that Abramson, along with novelist [[Tom Kealey]], "had done a tremendous amount of work to peel back the layers of MFA programs and get applicants to make informed decisions."<ref>"The MFA Degree: A Bad Decision?", ''[[The Missouri Review]]'' (August 29, 2011). [http://www.missourireview.com/tmr-blog/2011/08/the-mfa-degree-a-bad-decision/]</ref>
Between 2007 and 2014, Abramson authored ''The MFA Research Project'' (MRP), a website that published indexes of creative writing Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs based on surveys and other data.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mfaresearchproject.wordpress.com/|title=Protected Blog ' Log in|website=mfaresearchproject.wordpress.com|access-date=22 June 2018}}</ref> Indexes appearing on the MRP included ordered listings of program popularity, funding, selectivity, fellowship placement, job placement, student-faculty ratio, application cost, application response times, application and curriculum requirements, and foundation dates. The MRP also published surveys of current MFA applicants and various creative writing programs.


Data from the MRP has been regularly published by ''[[Poets & Writers]]'' since 2009. ''[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]'' has termed the ''Poets & Writers'' national assessment methodology "comprehensive" and "the only MFA ranking regime."<ref>"What Defines a Successful Post-M.F.A. Career?", ''[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]'' (November 3, 2011). [http://chronicle.com/article/What-Defines-a-Successful/129638/]</ref><ref name="chronicle.com">"M.F.A. Application-Season Etiquette," ''[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]''. [http://chronicle.com/blogs/arts/m-f-a-application-season-etiquette/29172]</ref> The data is not without its critics. In September 2011, a critical open letter signed by professors from undergraduate and graduate creative writing programs was published.<ref>"Creative Writing Profs Dispute Their Ranking. No, the Entire Notion of Ranking!", ''[[The New York Observer]]'', Kat Stoeffel (September 8, 2011). [http://www.observer.com/2011/09/creative-writing-profs-dispute-their-ranking-no-the-entire-notion-of-ranking/]</ref> In their response, ''Poets & Writers'' asserted that it adhered to the highest journalistic standards.<ref name="pw.org">{{cite news|url=http://www.pw.org/content/poets_and_writers_responds_to_open_letter|title=Poets & Writers Responds to Open Letter|date=13 September 2011|work=[[Poets & Writers]]|accessdate=13 September 2011}}</ref> The magazine's Editorial Director Mary Gannon said of Abramson, the rankings' primary researcher, that he "has been collecting data about applicants' preferences and about MFA programs for five years, and we stand behind his integrity."<ref name="pw.org"/>
''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' termed the ''Poets & Writers'' national assessment methodology "comprehensive" and "the only MFA ranking regime."<ref>"What Defines a Successful Post-M.F.A. Career?", ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' (November 3, 2011). [http://chronicle.com/article/What-Defines-a-Successful/129638/]</ref><ref name="chronicle.com">"M.F.A. Application-Season Etiquette," ''The Chronicle of Higher Education''. [http://chronicle.com/blogs/arts/m-f-a-application-season-etiquette/29172]</ref> Writing for ''The Cambridge Companion to American Poetry Since 1945'', [[Hank Lazer]] described Abramson's project as "a daring and data-rich endeavor."<ref>"American Poetry and Its Institutions," ''The Cambridge Companion to American Poetry Since 1945'' (February 8, 2013) [https://books.google.com/books?id=nKMQ5b0VKz0C&dq=cambridge+companion+lazer+%22daring+and+data-rich%22&pg=PA160]</ref> ''[[The Missouri Review]]'' observed that Abramson, along with novelist [[Tom Kealey]], "had done a tremendous amount of work to peel back the layers of MFA programs and get applicants to make informed decisions."<ref>"The MFA Degree: A Bad Decision?", ''The Missouri Review'' (August 29, 2011). [http://www.missourireview.com/tmr-blog/2011/08/the-mfa-degree-a-bad-decision/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419012323/http://www.missourireview.com/tmr-blog/2011/08/the-mfa-degree-a-bad-decision/|date=2014-04-19}}</ref>


The data was not without its critics. In September 2011, a critical open letter signed by professors from undergraduate and graduate creative writing programs was published.<ref>"Creative Writing Profs Dispute Their Ranking. No, the Entire Notion of Ranking!", ''The New York Observer'', Kat Stoeffel (September 8, 2011). [https://observer.com/2011/09/creative-writing-profs-dispute-their-ranking-no-the-entire-notion-of-ranking/]</ref> Data from the MRP had been regularly published by ''Poets & Writers'' between 2008 and 2013. The magazine's Editorial Director Mary Gannon said of Abramson, the rankings' primary researcher, that he "has been collecting data about applicants' preferences and about MFA programs for five years, and we stand behind his integrity."<ref name="pw.org">{{cite news|url=http://www.pw.org/content/poets_and_writers_responds_to_open_letter|title=Poets & Writers Responds to Open Letter|date=13 September 2011|work=Poets & Writers|access-date=13 September 2011}}</ref>
===Controversy===
In May 2014, Abramson was criticised for his ''Huffington Post'' piece "Last Words for Elliot Rodger", a "remix" of words taken from the final [[YouTube]] video of the perpetrator of the [[2014 Isla Vista killings|Isla Vista killings]], which Abramson published less than two days after they took place.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://coldfrontmag.com/abramson-publisher-distressed-by-his-elliot-rodger-remix/|title=Abramson Publisher "Distressed" by His Elliot Rodger "Remix"|publisher=Coldfront|date=29 May 2014 | accessdate=28 August 2014}}</ref> Both the reuse of Rodger's words and the timing of the poem caused offense.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://marginalia.lareviewofbooks.org/poetics-tragedy/
|first=Christopher|last=Kempf|title=The Poetics of Tragedy|publisher=''[[Los Angeles Review of Books]]''|date=10 June 2014 | accessdate=14 January 2015}}</ref> Although Abramson called the work "a vehicle for amity and compassion", Omnidawn, Abramson's publisher at the time, issued a statement saying that it was "dismayed, disheartened, distressed", adding that "his actions in this matter are not in alignment with our principles."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://flavorwire.com/459354/rap-genius-and-bad-poetry-its-always-too-soon-to-grab-personal-attention-after-a-tragedy/|title=Rap Genius and Bad Poetry: It’s Always Too Soon to Grab Personal Attention After a Tragedy|publisher=''Flavorwire''|date=27 May 2014 | accessdate=14 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2014/05/omnidawn-breaks-the-sound-barrier-for-bax/|title=Omnidawn Breaks the Sound Barrier for BAX|publisher=[[Poetry Foundation]]|date=30 May 2014 | accessdate=28 August 2014}}</ref>


==Reception==
=== Tweets about Donald Trump ===
===Poetry===
After the [[United States presidential election, 2016|2016 U.S. presidential election]], Abramson received widespread attention for his tweets alleging collusion between the [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|Trump campaign]] and the Russian government. Several media publications have described Abramson as a [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theorist]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/142977/new-paranoia-trump-election-turns-democrats-conspiracy-theorists|title=The New Paranoia|last=Dickey|first=Colin|date=8 June 2017|work=New Republic|access-date=2017-07-03|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/why-bogus-stories-persist-because-they-work/533589/|title=Why Bogus News Stories Are So Hard to Stop|last=Graham|first=David A.|date=13 July 2017|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2017-07-23|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|language=en-US}}</ref> a label that Abramson himself rejects, <ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.chronicle.com/article/What-Is-Seth-Abramson-Trying/240071|title=What Is Seth Abramson Trying to Tell Us?|last=Kolowich|first=Steve|date=2017-05-15|work=The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=2017-07-03|language=en-US|issn=0009-5982}}</ref> while Politico had described his "theory-testing" as "urgently important."<ref>https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/09/05/twitter-thread-social-media-trend-215539</> By synthesizing reporting from major news outlets, Abramson has documented repeated contacts between multiple members of the Trump campaign and the political network surrounding Russian President Vladimir Putin.<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=SethAbramson |number=941120497823215616 |date = 13 December 2017 |title=From Russian payments to Trump advisors to failing to register as foreign agents working for Putin allies—from perjury to illegal solicitation of campaign donations from the Kremlin—here's a non-exhaustive summary of known Trump-Russia ties.}}</ref> Based on the timing, publicly known content, and personnel involved in those meetings, Abramson suggests that, through intermediaries, Trump and Putin came to an understanding in 2013 that Trump would run for president and cause disruption in U.S. politics, and that Putin would in return greenlight the multibillion dollar Trump Tower Moscow deal and use Russian intelligence capabilities to aid the Trump campaign.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/12/06/people-cant-stop-reading-a-professors-theory-of-a-trump-russia-conspiracy-true-or-not/|title=People can’t stop reading a professor’s theory of a Trump-Russia conspiracy — true or not|website=Washington Post|access-date=2017-12-07}}</ref> According to the ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]'', Abramson's "evidence isn’t so clear cut. Abramson cites a 2014 tweet from a Russian lifestyle blogger  (“I’m sure @realDonaldTrump will be great president! We’ll support you from Russia!“)  as “proof” that Trump’s companions on the Moscow trip knew he’d run for president long before he announced it. But this ignores that Trump was openly flirting with a presidential run for years."<ref name=":0" /> The ''Washington Post'' notes that facts tend to be "sprinkled into his threads with more fantastic sounding claims," and "Abramson’s tweets link copiously to sources, but they range in quality from investigative news articles to off-the-wall Facebook posts and tweets from Tom Arnold."<ref name=":0" />
''Publishers Weekly'' describes Abramson as "serious and ambitious...uncommonly interested in general statements, in hard questions, and harder answers, about how to live."<ref>[http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-930974-96-8 ''Northerners'', Publishers Weekly (Review)]</ref> Abramson won the 2008 J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Prize from ''[[Poetry magazine|Poetry]]''. Editor [[Don Share]] said of Abramson's "What I Have," "The poem absorbs certain details but doesn't fasten upon them the way poets are tempted to do; it's not adjectival, it's not descriptive, it's not painting a kind of canvas with scenery on it, and yet those details are really fascinating."<ref>"You're Always Moving Toward Silence," ''Poetry'' (March 2009 Poetry Foundation Podcast). [http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/audioitem.html?id=727]</ref>

===Journalism===
In 2019, a ''[[Playboy]]'' interviewer said "Abramson helped pioneer the literary form of the [[Twitter]] 'thread'" and, speaking of his 2018 book ''Proof of Collusion'', credited "the eccentric New Hampshirite" for "his meticulous attention to the evidence of Trumpworld's alleged collusion with the Kremlin."<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.playboy.com/article|title=Playboy Interview: Seth Abramson On Trump, Russia, Collusion|website=www.playboy.com|accessdate=3 February 2024}}</ref> His style of writing was described by ''Playboy'' as "left-brained [[Gonzo journalism|gonzo]]."<ref name=":2"/> Avi Selk of ''The Washington Post'' wrote that Abramson became "virally popular by reframing a complex tangle of public reporting on the Russia scandal into a story so simple it can be laid out in daily tweets", that his analysis has "many leaps", and that his sources "range in quality from investigative news articles to off-the-wall Facebook posts and tweets from Tom Arnold".<ref name=":1" />

Writers at ''[[The New Republic]]'' and ''[[The Atlantic]]'' have described Abramson as a conspiracy theorist.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/142977/new-paranoia-trump-election-turns-democrats-conspiracy-theorists|title=The New Paranoia|last=Dickey|first=Colin|date=8 June 2017|magazine=The New Republic|access-date=2017-07-03|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/liberal-fever-swamps/530736/|title=How the Left Lost Its Mind|last=McKay Coppins|author-link=McKay Coppins|date=2017-07-02|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2018-05-25|language=en-US}}</ref> [[Ben Mathis-Lilley]] of ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' argues that Abramson is "not making things up" but "recycling information you could find on any news site and adding sinister what-if hypotheticals to create conclusions that he refers to...as 'investigatory analyses.'"<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/12/sharing-seth-abramson-not-once-not-ever.html|title=Democrats: Please, Please Stop Sharing Seth Abramson's Very Bad Tweets|last=Ben Mathis-Lilley|author-link=Ben Mathis-Lilley|date=2017-12-05|work=Slate|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525010716/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/12/sharing-seth-abramson-not-once-not-ever.html|archive-date=2018-05-25|language=en}}</ref> An article in ''[[Columbia Journalism Review]]'' similarly critiqued Abramson's method of "curatorial journalism."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lenz |first1=Lyz |title=Thread Man |url=https://www.cjr.org/special_report/seth-abramson-twitter.php |access-date=21 February 2021 |work=Columbia Journalism Review |date=February 11, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

Other media outlets have supported Abramson's analyses. ''[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]'' notes that Abramson often "feuds with anti-Trump conspiracy theorists whom he sees linking to dubious sources and making claims without evidence."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.chronicle.com/article/What-Is-Seth-Abramson-Trying/240071|title=What Is Seth Abramson Trying to Tell Us?|last=Kolowich|first=Steve|date=2017-05-15|work=The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=2017-07-03|language=en-US|issn=0009-5982}}</ref> [[Virginia Heffernan]] writes in ''[[Politico]]'' that Abramson's "theory-testing" is "urgently important."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/09/05/twitter-thread-social-media-trend-215539|title=The Rise of the Twitter Thread|last=Virginia Heffernan|author-link=Virginia Heffernan|date=September–October 2017|work=Politico|access-date=2018-05-25|language=en}}</ref> ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' calls Abramson "a quintessential American figure: an underdog who became an involuntary hero."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/hobby-detectives-join-mueller-in-investigating-trump-a-1210567.html
|title=Army of Investigators Has Trump in Its Sights|last=Christoph Scheuermann|date=June 4, 2018|work=Der Spiegel|access-date=2018-06-22|language=en}}</ref> ''[[The New York Observer]]'' writes that "events like Trump's 2013 trip to Russia for Miss Universe were covered extensively on Abramson's feed prior to the mainstream media catching on, a fact that has given him a reputation for being early to connect events within the broader Russia story."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://observer.com/2018/06/seth-abramson-is-combating-trump-and-the-media-on-twitter/|title=Seth Abramson Is Combating Trump and the Media on Twitter|last=Mike Albanese|date=June 21, 2018|work=New York Observer|access-date=2018-06-22|language=en}}</ref>

===Music===
Since July 2023, Abramson has been releasing ten-track [[electronic music]] albums on [[Substack]] under the pseudonym "Hounds."<ref name="Hounds">{{citation|title=''Transpecific'' (Hounds album)|url=
https://retrostack.substack.com/p/retro-exclusive-the-first-hounds|work=Retro|date=
14 July 2023|access-date=August 26, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Hounds2">{{citation|title=''Fliers'' (Hounds album)|url=
https://retrostack.substack.com/p/retro-exclusive-the-second-hounds|work=Retro|date=
16 July 2023|access-date=August 26, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Hounds3">{{citation|title=''Midnight'' (Hounds album)|url=
https://retrostack.substack.com/p/retro-exclusive-the-third-hounds|work=Retro|date=
23 July 2023|access-date=August 26, 2023}}</ref>


==Awards==
==Awards==
* 2008, [[Poetry magazine|J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Prize]]<ref name="poetry_foundation">{{citation|title=Poetry Foundation of Chicago Prizes|url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/prizes#wood|work=Poetry Foundation of Chicago|access-date=May 17, 2021}}</ref>
* 2012, [[Akron Poetry Prize]]
* 2010, [[New Issues Press|Green Rose Prize]]<ref name="academy_of_american_poets">{{citation|title=Seth Abramson|url=
* 2012, [[August Derleth|August Derleth Fiction Prize]]
https://poets.org/poet/seth-abramson|work=Academy of American Poets|access-date=May 17, 2021}}</ref>
* 2010, [[New Issues Press|Green Rose Prize]]
* 2012, [[Akron Poetry Prize]]<ref name="akron_poetry_prize">{{citation|title=Akron Poetry Prize Winners|url=https://blogs.uakron.edu/uapress/product-category/books/series/akron-series-in-poetry/akron-poetry-prize-winners/|work=University of Akron|access-date=May 17, 2021}}</ref>
* 2008, [[Poetry magazine|J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Prize]]
* 2018, [[National Council for the Training of Journalists]] Honoree<ref name="nctj_mosttrusted_2018">{{citation|title=NCJT list of 238 most respected journalists|date=October 11, 2018|url=http://www.nctj.com/downloadlibrary/A%20list%20of%20the%20most%20respected%20journalists%20as%20voted%20for%20by%20journalists.pdf|work=NCTJ|access-date=October 11, 2018}}</ref>


==Selected works==
==Selected works==
===Publications===
* ''Hounds'' ([[Substack]], 2024–)<ref>[http://houndsmusic.substack.com Hounds]</ref>
* ''Proof'' ([[Substack]], 2021–)<ref>[http://sethabramson.substack.com Proof]</ref>
* ''Retro'' ([[Substack]], 2021–)<ref>[http://retrostack.substack.com Retro]</ref>
* ''Seth Abramson'' ([[HuffPost]], 2011–17)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.huffpost.com/author/seth-abramson | title=Seth Abramson &#124; HuffPost }}</ref>
* ''Metamericana'' ([[IndieWire]], 2013–15)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/tag/seth-abramson | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826003417/http://blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/tag/seth-abramson | archive-date=2014-08-26 | title=Seth Abramson &#124; Press Play }}</ref>
* ''The New Hampshire Review'' ([[Writer's Market]], 2005–6)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://newhampshirereview.com/current_issue.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206010809/http://newhampshirereview.com/current_issue.htm | archive-date=2006-12-06 | title=The New Hampshire Review - Issue No. 2 - Winter 2006 }}</ref>
* ''The Nashua Advocate'' ([[Google|Blogspot]], 2004–6)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://nashuaadvocate.blogspot.com/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918105832/http://nashuaadvocate.blogspot.com/ | archive-date=2008-09-18 | title=The Nashua Advocate }}</ref>

===Books===
===Books===
'''Nonfiction'''
*''Best American Experimental Writing 2018'' [Series Co-Editor] ([[Wesleyan University Press]], 2018)
*''An Insider's Guide to Graduate Creative Writing Degrees'' ([[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]], 2018)
* ''Proof of Collusion: How Trump Betrayed America'' ([[Simon & Schuster]], 2018)
* ''Proof of Conspiracy: How Trump's International Collusion Is Threatening American Democracy'' ([[St. Martin's Press]]/[[Simon & Schuster|Simon & Schuster UK]], 2019)
*''Golden Age'' ([[BlazeVOX Books]], 2017)
* ''Proof of Corruption: Bribery, Impeachment, and Pandemic in the Age of Trump'' ([[St. Martin's Press]], 2020)
*''Best American Experimental Writing 2016'' [Series Co-Editor] ([[Wesleyan University Press]], 2016)
* ''Proof of Coup: How the Pentagon Shaped An Insurrection'' ([[Substack]], 2022)
*''DATA'' ([[BlazeVOX Books]], 2016)
* ''Proof of Cruelty: Donald Trump's Decades of Violence'' ([[Substack]], 2024)
*''Metamericana'' ([[BlazeVOX Books]], 2015)

*''Best American Experimental Writing 2015'' [Series Co-Editor] ([[Wesleyan University Press]], 2015)
'''Reference'''
*''Best American Experimental Writing 2014'' [Series Co-Editor] ([[Rusty Morrison|Omnidawn]], 2014)
* ''The Creative Writing MFA Handbook'' [Contributing Author] ([[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum Publishing]], 2008)
*''Thievery'' ([[The University of Akron Press|University of Akron Press]], 2013)
* ''The Poets & Writers Guide to MFA Programs'' [Contributing Author] ([[Poets & Writers]], 2011)
*''Northerners'' ([[New Issues Press|New Issues/Western Michigan University Press]], 2011)
* ''An Insider's Guide to Graduate Creative Writing Degrees'' ([[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]], 2018)
*''The Poets & Writers Guide to MFA Programs'' [Contributing Author] ([[Poets & Writers]], 2011)

*''The Suburban Ecstasies'' (Ghost Road Press, 2009)
'''Poetry'''
*''The Creative Writing MFA Handbook'' [Contributing Author] ([[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum Publishing]], 2008)
* ''The Suburban Ecstasies'' (Ghost Road Press, 2009)
* ''Northerners'' ([[New Issues Press|New Issues/Western Michigan University Press]], 2011)
* ''Thievery'' ([[The University of Akron Press|University of Akron Press]], 2013)
* ''Metamericana'' ([[BlazeVOX Books]], 2015)
* ''DATA'' ([[BlazeVOX Books]], 2016)
* ''Golden Age'' ([[BlazeVOX Books]], 2017)

'''Anthology'''
* ''Best American Experimental Writing 2014'' [Series Co-Editor] ([[University of Chicago Press]])
* ''Best American Experimental Writing 2015'' [Series Co-Editor] ([[Wesleyan University Press]])
* ''Best American Experimental Writing 2016'' [Series Co-Editor] ([[Wesleyan University Press]])
* ''Best American Experimental Writing 2018'' [Series Co-Editor] ([[Wesleyan University Press]])
* ''Best American Experimental Writing 2020'' [Series Co-Editor] ([[Wesleyan University Press]])

===Podcasts===
* ''Proof: A Pre-Election Special'' [Co-Host] ([[Cineflix]], 2020)

===Discography===
'''Lyric Albums (as Hounds)'''
* ''Dogfight'' (2024)
* ''Nagog Woods'' (2024)

'''Lyric Compilations (as Hounds)'''
* ''Sixty'' (2024)

'''Instrumental Albums (as Hounds)'''
* ''Transpecific'' (2023)
* ''Fliers'' (2023)
* ''Midnight'' (2023)
* ''Spacewalk'' (2023)
* ''Piracy'' (2023)
* ''Network'' (2023)
* ''Spycraft'' (2024)
* ''Gamer'' (2024)

'''Instrumental Compilations (as Hounds)'''
* ''Conversion'' (2023)
* ''Second Conversion'' (2024)
* ''Third Conversion'' (2024)


===Anthologies===
===Anthologies===
'''Academic'''
*''After the Program Era: The Past, Present, and Future of Creative Writing in the University'' ([[University of Iowa Press]], 2017)
* ''After the Program Era: The Past, Present, and Future of Creative Writing in the University'' ([[University of Iowa Press]], 2017)
*''The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry'' ([[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]], 2013)
*''Poetry of the Law'' ([[University of Iowa Press]], 2010)
*''[[Best New Poets|Best New Poets 2008]]'' ([[University of Virginia Press]], 2008)
*''Lawyers and Poetry'' ([[West Virginia University Press]], 2001)
*''Xconnect'' ([[University of Pennsylvania Press]], 2000)


'''Prose'''
==References==
* ''Dear America'' ([[Trinity University Press]], 2020)
{{reflist}}


'''Poetry'''
{{Authority control}}
* ''Xconnect'' ([[University of Pennsylvania Press]], 2000)
* ''Lawyers and Poetry'' ([[West Virginia University Press]], 2001)
* ''[[Best New Poets|Best New Poets 2008]]'' ([[University of Virginia Press]], 2008)
* ''Poetry of the Law'' ([[University of Iowa Press]], 2010)
* ''The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry'' ([[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]], 2013)


==External links==
==References==
{{Reflist}}


{{Authority control}}
===Interviews===
* ''The Conversant'' (March 7, 2015) [http://theconversant.org/?p=9033]
* ''As It Ought to Be'' (March 12, 2014) [http://asitoughttobe.com/2014/03/12/talks-on-metamodernism-with-seth-abramson-part-3-of-3/]
* ''Poem of the Week'' (January 29, 2014) [http://www.poemoftheweek.org/seth_abramson_id589.html]
* ''Full Stop'' (November 8, 2012) [http://www.full-stop.net/2012/11/08/features/the-editors/teaching-in-the-margins-seth-abramson/]
* ''LitBridge'' (September 14, 2012) [http://www.litbridge.com/2012/09/14/is-writing-a-learned-skill-or-a-natural-talent/]
* ''[[Poetry Society of America]]'' (March 12, 2010) [http://www.poetrysociety.org/psa/poetry/crossroads/qa_american_poetry/page_20/]


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[[Category:American male bloggers]]
[[Category:American male bloggers]]
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Latest revision as of 00:54, 3 December 2024

Seth Abramson
Abramson in 2016
Abramson in 2016
Born (1976-10-31) October 31, 1976 (age 48)
Concord, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationAttorney, professor, author
EducationDartmouth College (BA)
Harvard University (JD)
University of Iowa (MFA)
University of Wisconsin–Madison (MA, PhD)
GenreCuratorial journalism, metajournalism, poetry
Literary movementMetamodernism
Website
www.sethabramson.net

Seth Abramson (born October 31, 1976) is an American professor, attorney, author, political columnist, and poet. He is the editor of the Best American Experimental Writing series and wrote a trilogy of nonfiction works detailing the foreign policy agenda and political scandals of former president Donald Trump.

Early life and education

[edit]

Abramson was born to a Jewish family and raised in Acton, Massachusetts.[1][2] He is a graduate of Dartmouth College (1998), Harvard Law School (2001), the Iowa Writers' Workshop (2009), and the doctoral program in English at University of Wisconsin–Madison (2010; 2016).[3]

Career

[edit]

Abramson was a trial attorney for the New Hampshire Public Defender from 2001 to 2007. Abramson became an assistant professor of communication arts and sciences at University of New Hampshire in 2015, and was made affiliate faculty at the New Hampshire Institute of Art in 2018.[4] His teaching areas include digital journalism, post-internet cultural theory, post-internet writing, and legal advocacy.

Abramson has written for publications like The Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, The Seattle Times, Newsweek, Indiewire, and The Guardian. In 2011, Publishers Weekly wrote that he had "picked up a very large following as a blogger and commentator, covering poetry, politics, and higher education, and generating a controversial, U.S. News–style ranking of graduate programs in writing."[5] During the Trump administration, Abramson was a CNN legal analyst.[6]

Writing about American politics

[edit]
Further information: Mueller special counsel investigation

During the 2016 Democratic primary race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, Abramson supported Sanders.[7] He authored what Jonathan Chait of New York Magazine called "a cult-favorite series of Bernie [Sanders] delegate-math fan fiction."[8] Philip Bump of The Washington Post took issue with Abramson's analyses, calling them "empty theory, unproven...but innovative."[9] Writing in The Chicago Tribune, Stephen Stromberg called Abramson a "Sanders zealot...[in] reality-denial."[10] The Atlantic, citing an article by Abramson in which he referred to his writing on the Democratic primary as "experimental journalism," attributed Abramson's articles not to his political leanings but his self-identification as a "metamodernist creative writer."[11][12] Politico concurred, referring to Abramson's political commentary as "verses from the abstract."[13]

After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Abramson received widespread attention for his Twitter threads alleging collusion between the Trump campaign and foreign governments, especially Russia, but also Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel.[14] According to The Washington Post:

"After trying for many years to expand his business empire into Russia, Abramson asserts, Trump visited Moscow in 2013 to personally meet agents of Russian President Vladmir Putin, using his beauty pageant as cover. There, Abramson writes, a secret deal was struck: Putin agreed to open up his country's rich real estate market to Trump, and Trump agreed to campaign for president while promoting pro-Russian policies."[15]

In November 2018, Abramson published the New York Times bestselling book Proof of Collusion (Simon & Schuster), which sought to establish "proof of collusion in the Trump-Russia case."[16] Kirkus Reviews called the book "spirited, thorough, and thunderously foreboding."[17] A contrary view appeared in the Herald (Scotland), noting that "suggestive juxtapositions notwithstanding, we end up with something closer to the Scottish 'not proven' verdict with its unique mix of moral conviction of guilt and inability to conclusively prove the case."[18]

A sequel to Proof of Collusion, Proof of Conspiracy, was published by St. Martin's Press in September 2019, and was also a New York Times bestseller.[19] The final book in the Proof trilogy, Proof of Corruption, was published by St. Martin's Press in September 2020 and was named a USA Today bestseller.[20] Kirkus Reviews called Proof of Corruption "careful and exhaustive," concluding that it makes a "strong case for Trump's outsized, boundless corruption."[21]

In October 2020, Abramson, former Vice contributing editor Thomas Morton, and Connect3 Media (a division of Cineflix) published a ten-episode, limited-series pre-election podcast, Proof: A Pre-election Podcast Special, to summarize key aspects of the "Proof" book trilogy. Abramson thereafter launched a Substack publication entitled Proof.[22]

Creative writing and editorship

[edit]

Abramson has published a number of poetry books and anthologies. Colorado Review called Northerners, Abramson's second collection of poetry, "alternately expansive and deeply personal...of crystalline beauty and complexity," terming Abramson "a major American voice,"[23] and Notre Dame Review echoed the sentiment.[24]

Abramson and poet Jesse Damiani have been series co-editor of the annual anthology of innovative verse, Best American Experimental Writing, since its inception with Omnidawn in 2012.[25][26] The series was picked up by Wesleyan University Press in 2014.[27] Guest editors for the series have included Cole Swensen (2014), Douglas Kearney (2015), Charles Bernstein and Tracie Morris (2016), Myung Mi Kim (2018), and Carmen Maria Machado and Joyelle McSweeney (2019).[28]

The MFA Research Project

[edit]

Between 2007 and 2014, Abramson authored The MFA Research Project (MRP), a website that published indexes of creative writing Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs based on surveys and other data.[29] Indexes appearing on the MRP included ordered listings of program popularity, funding, selectivity, fellowship placement, job placement, student-faculty ratio, application cost, application response times, application and curriculum requirements, and foundation dates. The MRP also published surveys of current MFA applicants and various creative writing programs.

The Chronicle of Higher Education termed the Poets & Writers national assessment methodology "comprehensive" and "the only MFA ranking regime."[30][31] Writing for The Cambridge Companion to American Poetry Since 1945, Hank Lazer described Abramson's project as "a daring and data-rich endeavor."[32] The Missouri Review observed that Abramson, along with novelist Tom Kealey, "had done a tremendous amount of work to peel back the layers of MFA programs and get applicants to make informed decisions."[33]

The data was not without its critics. In September 2011, a critical open letter signed by professors from undergraduate and graduate creative writing programs was published.[34] Data from the MRP had been regularly published by Poets & Writers between 2008 and 2013. The magazine's Editorial Director Mary Gannon said of Abramson, the rankings' primary researcher, that he "has been collecting data about applicants' preferences and about MFA programs for five years, and we stand behind his integrity."[35]

Reception

[edit]

Poetry

[edit]

Publishers Weekly describes Abramson as "serious and ambitious...uncommonly interested in general statements, in hard questions, and harder answers, about how to live."[36] Abramson won the 2008 J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Prize from Poetry. Editor Don Share said of Abramson's "What I Have," "The poem absorbs certain details but doesn't fasten upon them the way poets are tempted to do; it's not adjectival, it's not descriptive, it's not painting a kind of canvas with scenery on it, and yet those details are really fascinating."[37]

Journalism

[edit]

In 2019, a Playboy interviewer said "Abramson helped pioneer the literary form of the Twitter 'thread'" and, speaking of his 2018 book Proof of Collusion, credited "the eccentric New Hampshirite" for "his meticulous attention to the evidence of Trumpworld's alleged collusion with the Kremlin."[38] His style of writing was described by Playboy as "left-brained gonzo."[38] Avi Selk of The Washington Post wrote that Abramson became "virally popular by reframing a complex tangle of public reporting on the Russia scandal into a story so simple it can be laid out in daily tweets", that his analysis has "many leaps", and that his sources "range in quality from investigative news articles to off-the-wall Facebook posts and tweets from Tom Arnold".[15]

Writers at The New Republic and The Atlantic have described Abramson as a conspiracy theorist.[39][40] Ben Mathis-Lilley of Slate argues that Abramson is "not making things up" but "recycling information you could find on any news site and adding sinister what-if hypotheticals to create conclusions that he refers to...as 'investigatory analyses.'"[41] An article in Columbia Journalism Review similarly critiqued Abramson's method of "curatorial journalism."[42]

Other media outlets have supported Abramson's analyses. The Chronicle of Higher Education notes that Abramson often "feuds with anti-Trump conspiracy theorists whom he sees linking to dubious sources and making claims without evidence."[43] Virginia Heffernan writes in Politico that Abramson's "theory-testing" is "urgently important."[44] Der Spiegel calls Abramson "a quintessential American figure: an underdog who became an involuntary hero."[45] The New York Observer writes that "events like Trump's 2013 trip to Russia for Miss Universe were covered extensively on Abramson's feed prior to the mainstream media catching on, a fact that has given him a reputation for being early to connect events within the broader Russia story."[46]

Music

[edit]

Since July 2023, Abramson has been releasing ten-track electronic music albums on Substack under the pseudonym "Hounds."[47][48][49]

Awards

[edit]

Selected works

[edit]

Publications

[edit]

Books

[edit]

Nonfiction

  • Proof of Collusion: How Trump Betrayed America (Simon & Schuster, 2018)
  • Proof of Conspiracy: How Trump's International Collusion Is Threatening American Democracy (St. Martin's Press/Simon & Schuster UK, 2019)
  • Proof of Corruption: Bribery, Impeachment, and Pandemic in the Age of Trump (St. Martin's Press, 2020)
  • Proof of Coup: How the Pentagon Shaped An Insurrection (Substack, 2022)
  • Proof of Cruelty: Donald Trump's Decades of Violence (Substack, 2024)

Reference

  • The Creative Writing MFA Handbook [Contributing Author] (Continuum Publishing, 2008)
  • The Poets & Writers Guide to MFA Programs [Contributing Author] (Poets & Writers, 2011)
  • An Insider's Guide to Graduate Creative Writing Degrees (Bloomsbury, 2018)

Poetry

Anthology

Podcasts

[edit]
  • Proof: A Pre-Election Special [Co-Host] (Cineflix, 2020)

Discography

[edit]

Lyric Albums (as Hounds)

  • Dogfight (2024)
  • Nagog Woods (2024)

Lyric Compilations (as Hounds)

  • Sixty (2024)

Instrumental Albums (as Hounds)

  • Transpecific (2023)
  • Fliers (2023)
  • Midnight (2023)
  • Spacewalk (2023)
  • Piracy (2023)
  • Network (2023)
  • Spycraft (2024)
  • Gamer (2024)

Instrumental Compilations (as Hounds)

  • Conversion (2023)
  • Second Conversion (2024)
  • Third Conversion (2024)

Anthologies

[edit]

Academic

  • After the Program Era: The Past, Present, and Future of Creative Writing in the University (University of Iowa Press, 2017)

Prose

Poetry

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Seth Abramson via X".
  2. ^ "Seth Abramson via Threads".
  3. ^ Plenda, Melanie (2015-03-24). "Acclaimed Author and Poet Seth Abramson joins UNH Manchester English Program". University of New Hampshire at Manchester. Archived from the original on 2018-05-25.
  4. ^ New Hampshire Institute of Art (2018-06-05). "Seth Abramson Joins NHIA MFA Faculty". Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  5. ^ Review of Northerners, Publishers Weekly (May 2011)
  6. ^ Review of Proof of Collusion, Publishers Weekly (November 2018). [1]
  7. ^ "Sanders backers worry that Clinton will clinch nomination before California's polls close," The Washington Post, David Weigel (May 31, 2016). [2]
  8. ^ "Wall Street Journal Editorial Page Feels the Bern," New York Magazine, Jonathan Chait (May 12, 2016). [3]
  9. ^ "Sorry, Bernie supporters. Your candidate is not 'currently winning the Democratic primary race,'" The Washington Post, Philip Bump (March 23, 2016). [4]
  10. ^ "Bernie Sanders, enough with your 'political revolution,'" The Chicago Tribune, Stephen Stromberg (June 1, 2016). [5]
  11. ^ "This Is How a Revolution Ends," The Atlantic, Molly Ball (May 26, 2016). [6]
  12. ^ "On Bernie Sanders and Experimental Journalism," The Huffington Post, Seth Abramson (May 23, 2016) [7]
  13. ^ Jackson, Henry C. (23 March 2016). "Establishment grudgingly accepts Cruz". POLITICO. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  14. ^ Heffernan, Virginia. "The Rise of the Twitter Thread". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  15. ^ a b Selk, Avi (December 6, 2017). "People can't stop reading a professor's theory of a Trump-Russia conspiracy — true or not". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  16. ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction NYT Bestsellers for December 2, 2018". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  17. ^ "Review: Proof of Collusion: How Trump Betrayed America, by Seth Abramson". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  18. ^ "Review: Proof of Collusion: How Trump Betrayed America, by Seth Abramson". HeraldScotland. 30 December 2018. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  19. ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction NYT Bestsellers for September 21, 2019". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  20. ^ "USA Today Bestsellers for September 17, 2020". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Review: Proof of Corruption: Bribery, Impeachment, and Pandemic in the Age of Trump, by Seth Abramson". KirkusReviews. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  22. ^ "Proof". Substack. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  23. ^ "Northerners". Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  24. ^ ""From Ruin to Rebirth," Notre Dame Review" (PDF). Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Best American Experimental Writing Anthology Announced," The Poetry Foundation (November 12, 2012). [8]
  26. ^ "Announcing Omnidawn's New Annual Anthology, Best American Experimental Writing," Omnidawn (November 7, 2012). "Announcing Omnidawn's new annual anthology, Best American Experimental Writing". Archived from the original on 2013-02-21. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  27. ^ "Best American Experimental Writing: Guidelines for Submitting," Wesleyan University Press (April 17, 2014). [9]
  28. ^ "Best American Experimental Writing," Wesleyan University Press (November 20, 2017). [10]
  29. ^ "Protected Blog ' Log in". mfaresearchproject.wordpress.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  30. ^ "What Defines a Successful Post-M.F.A. Career?", The Chronicle of Higher Education (November 3, 2011). [11]
  31. ^ "M.F.A. Application-Season Etiquette," The Chronicle of Higher Education. [12]
  32. ^ "American Poetry and Its Institutions," The Cambridge Companion to American Poetry Since 1945 (February 8, 2013) [13]
  33. ^ "The MFA Degree: A Bad Decision?", The Missouri Review (August 29, 2011). [14] Archived 2014-04-19 at the Wayback Machine
  34. ^ "Creative Writing Profs Dispute Their Ranking. No, the Entire Notion of Ranking!", The New York Observer, Kat Stoeffel (September 8, 2011). [15]
  35. ^ "Poets & Writers Responds to Open Letter". Poets & Writers. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  36. ^ Northerners, Publishers Weekly (Review)
  37. ^ "You're Always Moving Toward Silence," Poetry (March 2009 Poetry Foundation Podcast). [16]
  38. ^ a b "Playboy Interview: Seth Abramson On Trump, Russia, Collusion". www.playboy.com. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  39. ^ Dickey, Colin (8 June 2017). "The New Paranoia". The New Republic. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  40. ^ McKay Coppins (2017-07-02). "How the Left Lost Its Mind". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  41. ^ Ben Mathis-Lilley (2017-12-05). "Democrats: Please, Please Stop Sharing Seth Abramson's Very Bad Tweets". Slate. Archived from the original on 2018-05-25.
  42. ^ Lenz, Lyz (February 11, 2021). "Thread Man". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  43. ^ Kolowich, Steve (2017-05-15). "What Is Seth Abramson Trying to Tell Us?". The Chronicle of Higher Education. ISSN 0009-5982. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  44. ^ Virginia Heffernan (September–October 2017). "The Rise of the Twitter Thread". Politico. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  45. ^ Christoph Scheuermann (June 4, 2018). "Army of Investigators Has Trump in Its Sights". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
  46. ^ Mike Albanese (June 21, 2018). "Seth Abramson Is Combating Trump and the Media on Twitter". New York Observer. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
  47. ^ "Transpecific (Hounds album)", Retro, 14 July 2023, retrieved August 26, 2023
  48. ^ "Fliers (Hounds album)", Retro, 16 July 2023, retrieved August 26, 2023
  49. ^ "Midnight (Hounds album)", Retro, 23 July 2023, retrieved August 26, 2023
  50. ^ "Poetry Foundation of Chicago Prizes", Poetry Foundation of Chicago, retrieved May 17, 2021
  51. ^ "Seth Abramson", Academy of American Poets, retrieved May 17, 2021
  52. ^ "Akron Poetry Prize Winners", University of Akron, retrieved May 17, 2021
  53. ^ "NCJT list of 238 most respected journalists" (PDF), NCTJ, October 11, 2018, retrieved October 11, 2018
  54. ^ Hounds
  55. ^ Proof
  56. ^ Retro
  57. ^ "Seth Abramson | HuffPost".
  58. ^ "Seth Abramson | Press Play". Archived from the original on 2014-08-26.
  59. ^ "The New Hampshire Review - Issue No. 2 - Winter 2006". Archived from the original on 2006-12-06.
  60. ^ "The Nashua Advocate". Archived from the original on 2008-09-18.
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