Animal Collection

by Colin Winnette

EXCERPT:

"My FOX and I had pajama-bottoms kind of relationship. We were microwavers. We sucked ice cubes and put tequila in orange soda. My fox would curl into me and become very, very small. Hardly more than a handful. My fox said, I need space, then slid herself into a white cocktail dress and went out. She didn't want to break up, she just wanted a certain kind of freedom: the freedom that was jeopardized by the very idea of discussing it with me."

Genres: Fiction

68 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Colin Winnette is an American novelist, short story writer, and poet. He is the author of several works of fiction: Revelation (Mutable Sound 2011), Animal Collection (Spork Press 2012), Fondly (Atticus Books 2013), Coyote (Les Figues Press 2015), and Haints Stay (Two Dollar Radio 2015). His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Playboy, Lucky Peach, The American Reader, The Believer, Gulf Coast Magazine, and 9th Letter. He was the winner of Les Figues Press's 2013 NOS Book Contest, for his novel Coyote.

Reviews

[TinHouseBooks]

Brandi Dawn Henderson (Editorial Intern, The Open Bar): At this year’s AWP, in panel after panel, I heard presenters mention Spork Press. So, when I came across a few friendly-faced guys behind their booth in the book expo, I stopped to take a look. All of their books are hand-crafted by these same nice folks out of their office in Tucson. To be honest, it was Saturday, the last day of the conference, and my brain was a little (a lot) glazed, so I put zero thought into the book I selected and bought from them. I was delighted, though, when I unpacked all my swag at home and began to flip through the thoughtfully-designed pages; I’d ended up with Colin Winnette’s Animal Collection, a totally quirky and wonderful book of fiction that runs a gamut of experiences all based (both literally and metaphorically) on the theme of animals. Even though I was exhausted after driving home from Seattle following an extraordinarily long few days, I made it through half the collection that first night. The next morning, I couldn’t wait to dive back in and finish. I went back to my favorite chapter, about baby cheetahs, and followed my fiancé around the house, reading it to him out loud. It’s the kind of collection that is surprising, curious, and smile-inducing. It is also weird and made me nod a lot in perplexed agreement. It’s the kind of collection that makes one, as I ended up doing, want to find out what else Colin Winnette has written, and to order it right away while still chuckling about the Naked Mole Rat’s troubles at Cheron’s Dine and Eat.

[Marcus]

Each flash story has an animal at centre. The animals make the story REAL. I loved "starfish." Also "Elephant." "A Hummingbird" really really loved. Ah ok. So. In all honesty every single damn one of these animals are right on the mark. Which means what exactly? They linger. They stick. They make me feel like a full fleshed human which ain't easy methinks. They got craft and wild wild wildness in 'em. The balance of each (raw and cooked blah blah blah) is right on! And and . . the book itself is handmade. I have never ever held such a beautiful handmade book. GET IT! FOR REAL! GET IT!

Hm . . if you like . . Zach Schomburg and James Tate . . no no this is nothing like Zach Schomburg and James Tate . . but it is too. If you like to be moved without feeling manipulated there is room for you in the Animal Collection. It is surreal but not really. It is surreal and not surreal. I am not playing word games I just can't fully pin it cause it can't be fully pinned. The work of one so called Colin Winnette is unique. But nothing comes from nothing. You can make many maps if you want. I just want to say hooray today! Hooray for Animal Collection! and Hooray for SPORK. YES SPORK!

I am currently a "starfish" today!

[Christopher Allen]

I enjoyed this collection on the plane from Seattle to Munich. First of all, it's a boutique book: an interestingly bound work of art that the masses probably will never see (what a loss). Then there's Winnette's art: an A-Z collection of animals and animals' stories, mostly anthropomorphic, overwhelmingly endearing and downright convincing in terms of narrative style.

The only criticism I have of this book is that there are only 26 letters in the English alphabet. I can't wait for the Runic alphabet, the Glagolitic alphabet, the Cyrillic and the Aramaic. Whatever comes next, I'll buy. And you should too.

The shortest chapter: "YOU are here." sums up this collection for me. You--the reader--are also an animal. You are part of this (scary) world with all its sadness, futility, love and crocodiles.

[J.A.]

interview forthcoming at Monkeybicycle

[Megan Rowe]

Check out my review at Heavy Feather Review!

http://heavyfeatherreview.com/2013/03...

[Brooks]

Loved it. "Giant Panda" was my favorite. I put the book down after I read that one and had to think about it for quite a while. There were lots of very good stories here, and a few great ones.

[Liza]

nice one!

[Evan Kingston]

Lots of gems in what be the most handsomely constructed chapbook I've ever owned.

[Deirdre]

A quirky, strangely attractive little book, and a very enjoyable quick read!
*received from Goodreads First Reads

[Caterina]

Best short stories I've come across in a long time.

[Barbara Sibbald]

Inventive and enchanting. all the main characters are animals, and sometimes they're mating with humans. Yikes! fun fun.

[Julie Winnette]

Fascinating!!