Jared Yates Sexton (born October 7, 1981) is an American author and
political commentator
A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport).
Origins
The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...
from
Linton, Indiana
Linton is a city in Stockton Township, Greene County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,413 at the 2010 census. A coal mining city, it is located southeast of Terre Haute. The current mayor is John Wilkes.
Linton is part of the Bloom ...
. He was an associate professor in the Department of Writing and Linguistics at
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University (GS or Georgia Southern) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia. The flagship campus is in Statesboro, and other locations include the Armstrong Campus in Savannah and the Liberty Campus in Hine ...
.
Early life
Sexton grew up in southern Indiana. He studied English and Creative Writing at
Indiana State University
Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...
, and later received his
MFA in Creative Writing from
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois.
Board of trustees
The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...
in 2008.
Career
Sexton previously taught Creative Writing at
Ball State
Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers and Indianapolis.
On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, industrialists and founders of the Ball Co ...
before accepting a position at Georgia Southern University, where he was a tenured
Associate Professor
Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''.
Overview
In the '' North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is ...
of Creative Writing.
Sexton is the author of three short story collections: ''An End to All Things'' (Atticus Books), ''The Hook and the Haymaker'' (Split Lip Press), and ''I Am the Oil of the Engine of the World'' (Split Lip Press), as well as a
crime novel
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
, ''Bring me the Head of Yorkie Goodman'' (New Pulp Press), written under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
Rowdy Yates.
His work has been published in ''
Time Magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on M ...
,
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
,
The New Republic
''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...
,
Salon
Salon may refer to:
Common meanings
* Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments
* French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home
* Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment
Arts and entertainment
* Salon ...
,
Paste
Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to:
Science and technology
* Adhesive or paste
** Wallpaper paste
** Wheatpaste, A liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water
* Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves a ...
,
Southern Humanities Review
''Southern Humanities Review'' is a quarterly literary journal published by Auburn University. The current masthead consists of Anton DiScalfani and Rose McLarney (Co-Editors), Emma Brousseau (Managing Editor), Justin Gardiner (Nonfiction Editor), ...
, PANK,'' and in ''
Hobart''.
Political journalism
In April 2015, Sexton started covering the
2016 U.S. presidential election, attending multiple rallies for both major candidates and writing regular articles for ''Atticus Review'' in his column ''Atticus on the Trail''. He covered the
Charleston shooting and trail of church burnings in the South. He has written for ''
Time Magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on M ...
'',''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', ''
Salon
Salon may refer to:
Common meanings
* Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments
* French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home
* Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment
Arts and entertainment
* Salon ...
'' and the ''
New Republic New Republic may refer to:
Places
* New Republic, California, former name of Santa Rita, Monterey County, California
* New Republic (Santarem), district in the city of SantarĂ©m, ParĂ¡
Countries
* New Republic (Brazil), the restored civilian gove ...
''.
In the summer of 2016, Sexton went to another Trump rally in South Carolina, and reported on the behavior he observed there. His live tweets of the event soon went viral and garnered him national attention, which included frequent death threats. He later wrote about the experience
and became a regular contributor to ''The New Republic'' and ''The New York Times.''
In December 2016, Sexton was a guest political commentator on ''
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
''The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell'' is an American weeknight news and political commentary program on MSNBC. The program airs live at 10:00 P.M. Eastern Time Monday-Friday, and is hosted by Lawrence O'Donnell from Mondays to Thursdays and r ...
'' on ''
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politic ...
,'' as well as on various radio programs, including
KCRW
KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programm ...
.
Selected works
Books
* ''An End to All Things: Stories'' Atticus Books (December 21, 2012)
* ''Bring Me the Head of Yorkie Goodman'' (as Rowdy Yates) New Pulp Press (February 19, 2015)
* ''The Hook and the Haymaker'' Split Lip Press (January 5, 2015)
* ''I Am the Oil of the Engine of the World'' Split Lip Press (February 23, 2016)
* ''The People Are Going to Rise Like the Waters on Your Shore: A Story of American Rage'' (September 12, 2017) .
* ''The Man They Wanted Me to Be: Toxic Masculinity and a Crisis of Our Own Making'' (May 7, 2019)
*''American Rule: How A Nation Conquered The World But Failed Its People'' Dutton/Penguin-Random House (September 15, 2020)
*''The Midnight Kingdom: A History of Power, Paranoia, and the Coming Crisis'', Penguin-Random House (Jan 17, 2023)
Articles
* "American Horror Story," ''The New Republic,'' June 2016.
* "Is the Trump Campaign Just a Giant Safe Space for the Right?", ''The New York Times,'' July 2016.
* "Donald Trump's Toxic Masculinity," ''The New York Times,'' October 2016.
* "Hillbilly sellout: the politics of J.D. Vance's ''Hillbilly Elegy'' are already being used to gut the working poor," ''Salon'', March 2016.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sexton, Jared Yates
1981 births
Living people
21st-century American non-fiction writers
American male non-fiction writers
American political activists
American political writers
Georgia Southern University faculty
Indiana State University alumni
People from Linton, Indiana
Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumni
Writers from Indiana
21st-century American male writers