His stories and essays have appeared in many literary journals, including The North American Review, The Gettysburg Review, and The Florida Review. His essays have been listed as "Notable" in The Best American Travel Writing, and twice in The Best American Essays. His fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and has been listed as "Notable" in The Best American Nonrequired Reading. "Positioning," a short film taken from his screenplay and directed by Hans Montelius, premiered at the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009. It has since screened at eight other festivals.In 1991, Mark joined the Peace Corps and taught English at a teacher's college in Biala Podlaska, Poland. He also taught creative writing and American Studies as a Fulbright Scholar at Siauliai University in Lithuania. He earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Wichita State University.