Mark Baumgartner

Mark D. Baumgartner is a fiction writer based in East Tennessee who teaches creative writing and American literature at East Tennessee State University. His stories have appeared in many literary journals, including The Southern Review and Confrontation. He won the 2014 Fugue prize in short fiction and the 2024 Bill Hallberg prize. His debut story collection, Last Chance for a Slow Dance, is forthcoming from JackLeg Press, with publication listed for November 16, 2026. The eleven stories focus on people at the edges of their lives in mid-sized American towns and cities.