Jack Skillingstead (born October 24, 1955) is an American writer living in Seattle, Washington.
In 2001 Stephen King named Skillingstead a winner in King's "On Writing" contest. As of October 2024 Skillingstead has published forty-seven short stories in genre magazines and original anthologies. He has also published three novels and two story collections. His work has appeared in various Year's Best compilations and has been translated internationally. Skillingstead has been a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. On the Science Fiction Encyclopedia website, noted critic John Clute says, "Skillingstead's work so far augurs a major career." John Joseph Adams, editor of Lightspeed Magazine and series editor of Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy said of The Whole Mess and Other Stories that "this collection cements Jack Skillingstead as a master of the short form."
Personal life
Skillingstead was born in 1955 and has lived most of his life in and around Seattle, Washington. He is the youngest of five siblings. In 2011 he married science fiction writer Nancy Kress. He has two children from a previous marriage.