David Means (born October 17, 1961) is an American short story writer and novelist based in Nyack, New York. His stories have appeared in many publications, including Esquire, The New Yorker, and Harper's. They are frequently set in the Midwest or the Rust Belt, or along the Hudson River in New York. is considered one of the best storytellers of our time. His writings, which often depict the indigence, desolation, and grief of post-industrial America, have appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, Zoetrope, or Harper's. He has been awarded the O. Henry Prize, the Pushcart Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award. In 2013, he received a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation. His first novel, Histopia, has been a finalist for the Man Booker Prize 2016.