Lincoln University Professor Daren Dean Releases New Short Story Collection

Lincoln University of Missouri Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing Daren Dean published a collection of short stories, The New Salvation and Other Stories, in January 2025.

Daren Dean, an assistant professor of English and creative writing at Lincoln University of Missouri, has released a new collection of short stories, The New Salvation and Other Stories, published by Cowboy Jamboree Press.

Set across the rural Midwest and the Deep South, The New Salvation and Other Stories explores themes of conflict, resilience and human nature. Through a mix of realism and literary depth, Dean portrays characters at pivotal moments in their lives, grappling with personal and existential crises.

“The New Salvation and Other Stories came about as a result of thinking in terms of apocalyptic stories,” Dean said. “Not all of the stories are overtly religious. They seem to be dealing with characters at a crossroads in their lives.”

The New Salvation and Other Stories, published January 2025. 

Dean, the author of seven books, has received national recognition for his literary work. His Civil War novel, The Black Harvest, was recently nominated for the Pen/Faulkner Award, the WY Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction and the Midlands Author Award. His novel Roads was named one of the Top 25 Indie Books of 2023 by the Independent Fiction Alliance. His writing has appeared in publications such as HuffPost, Kirkus Reviews, Ploughshares online and Columbia Tribune.

Critics have praised The New Salvation and Other Stories for its blend of poetic style and gritty realism. Author Andrew K. Clark describes Dean as “a master at excavating the contradictions inherent in the hearts of men,” while author John Waddy Bullion calls the collection “a captivating performance by a Missouri maestro.”

In addition to his literary achievements, Dean is a frequent presenter at national literary conferences and a recipient of Lincoln University’s Excellence in Scholarship Award.

Looking ahead, Dean’s next novel, Shelter Me, based on the 2016 Louisiana flood, will be released in September 2025 by the University of West Alabama’s Livingston Press.