[1][2] His works have been shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

[7][3] This was followed by a second novel, Preston Falls (1998),[8] and two short story collections, The Wonders of the Invisible World (1999)[9][10] and A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me (2015).

[11] Gates has published short stories in The New Yorker, Tin House, Newsweek, The New York Times Book Review, Bookforum, Rolling Stone, H.O.W, The Oxford American, The Journal of Country Music, Esquire, Ploughshares,[12] GQ, Grand Street, TriQuarterly, and The Paris Review.

[14] Until 2008, Gates was a senior writer and editor in the Arts section at Newsweek magazine, specializing in articles on books and music.

He is a member of the Dog House Band, performing on the guitar, pedal steel, and vocals.