Mark Mayer

Mark Mayer is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and Co-Director of The Pinch Presents at the University of Memphis, Department of English. Holding a B.A. from Brown University (2006), an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers' Workshop (2012), and a Ph.D. from the University of Denver (2019), his work bridges creative writing and literary scholarship. His award-winning short story collection AERIALISTS (2019) won the Michener-Copernicus Prize and was shortlisted for the William Saroyan Prize. His academic writings appear in Twentieth-Century Literature and LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory.

Research interests include experimental narrative forms, the intersection of philosophy and fiction, and contemporary short fiction. His recent work About, Above, Around: 50 Prepositions (2023), winner of the George Garrett Fiction Prize, explores linguistic structures through innovative prose. He teaches in the MFA program and has held fellowships at Cornell College and Colby College.

Notable recognitions include features in The Paris Review, BOMB Magazine, and critical acclaim for his 'humorous, wistful elegance' in storytelling. His creative works blend existential themes with vivid character studies, often drawing from regional and modernist traditions.