Collected Voices in the Expanded Field

by Andrew J. Wilt (Editor), Mike Corrao (Editor), Kenny Mooney (Contributor)

Collected Voices in the Expanded Field is a collectively written novel composed of 34 unique voices from the expanded field.

Genres: Fiction, Literature, Short Stories

432 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2020

About the author

Andrew is the publisher and founder of 11:11 Press. To learn more, visit 1111press.com

Reviews

[Barry Paul Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an impressive compilation from 11:11 Press featuring a very broad palette of some of the finest experimental fiction writers active today. I was drawn in by the inclusion of some authors who are friends of mine, but found several more writers who I am excited to explore further. Highly recommended for those who want a fertile ground to start from for their dive into experimental literature.

[Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do my multiplication tables in blood. An unpopped kernel of popcorn swells behind my left eye. If the weather seesaws, I will be forced to prep a muscle for extirpation. Looks like someone tossed a stick of dynamite in her bedpan. Sticky bindings pollute the slab.

This book is a total trip, an art exhibition from hell. The intro compares it to a mix-tape you'd make a friend to try to get them into all your favorite bands, which is definitely apt. If anyone has been curious about some of the weirder/more experimental (I guess they're called alt-lit?) books that I frequently read/review, this volume will prove a great sampler of what the scene has to offer. It featured a ton of my favorite writers (Gary Shipley, Sean Kilpatrick, BR Yeager) and introduced me to others who I'll definitely be reading more from in the future (Joshua Young, James Tadd Adcox). Read it and meet a bunch of weirdos!

[Matthew Kinlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A choir of mutating voices all starting from the same place. All exceptional. Some of the ones that stayed with me: Candice Wuehle's hypnotic snake Fati, Joshua Young's footnotes, B.R. Yeager's revolting worlds, Germán Sierra's erotic algorithms, Mike Kleine's pools of blöd, Andrew J. Wilt's folic-acid-fuelled astral projection.

[Alex Khlopenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book feels like returning to a friend's home after a night of partying. This feels like visiting old friends after a long quarantine when you've been deprived of any communal activity or companionship or human touch. This feels like a reprieve from the old dusty path

[Bob Comparda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most interesting anthology I have ever read, and also probably the best. So many good entries from some of the most original and innovative writers today that do more with words then just put them pages and redefine what you can do with a book. Lots of four and five stars. Each writers section begins with the same 11 words and then they have free reign. Should be required reading.

Mike Corrao ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Grant Maierhoffer ⭐⭐⭐⭐
B.R. Yeager ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Elisa Taber ⭐⭐⭐
Garett Strickland ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mónica Belevan ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Germán Sierra ⭐⭐⭐
Judson Hamilton ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rosie Snajdr ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tatiana Ryckman ⭐⭐⭐
Joshua Rothes ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ryan Napier ⭐⭐⭐
Joshua Young ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Benjamin Devos ⭐⭐⭐
A.S. Coomer ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nathan Dragon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
James Tadd Adcox ⭐⭐⭐
Sean Kilpatrick ⭐⭐
Garrett Dennert ⭐⭐⭐
James Nulick ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Christina Tudor-Sideri ⭐⭐
Ali Raz ⭐⭐⭐
Vincent James Perrone ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Evan Isoline ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
David Leo Rice ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kenny Mooney ⭐⭐⭐
Tyler Crumrine ⭐⭐⭐
Arielle Tipa ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gary J. Shipley ⭐⭐⭐
Adam Tedesco ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mike Kleine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jake Reber ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Candice Wuehle ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Andrew J. Wilt ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Patch · Rating 4 out of 5]

hehe I have so many new authors to check out now. forreal, these stories were all absolute bangers, my only criticism is that a few felt sort of underbaked. the last story hit especially hard, a lot of authors play with the formatting just for the hell of it, but this felt intentional. it sort of hinted at reincarnation or eternal recurrence, you end at the same place you begin. there was also something interesting about denying myself the little satisfaction of getting to the end off the book and actually being done reading it, instead going back so it ends somewhere else, getting out of linearity. the part about the roadkill struck a chord. I drive to work at 4am through the country and there are spots the road is just coated with unrecognizable gore, and people just drive over it because it's the norm. one time i kept obsessing over the thought that i had no way of knowing if these mashed up nothings were deer or humans. my coworkers are mostly hunters and have the same attitude as the truck driver in the book, they all say everyone hits a deer someday, but I try really hard not to.

[in8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://5cense.com/22/1017.htm

[Giang Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

knew about this book after falling in love with house of leaves and wanting to find more books that have similar experimental writing that plays around with the layout, not just the language. and it took me so long to finally find a pdf of this book to read.

what's my thought on this one? mmm... it's kinda mixed, to be honest. really love the concept of this book, as a collection of short stories from different authors, all interpreting the same two beginning lines "you see a watering hole. reprieve from the dusty old path." and since it's a collection of stories (with little to no curation I feel, to replicate the way how people find out about their new favourite writers back in the day) from a very wide range of authors (from traditional writers, experimental writers, to video artist, graphic designer, and contemporary fine artists), the stories are more misses than hits. some just straight up feel like word salad, trying to combine all kinds of big words into one chunk of incoherent thoughts and vague existential feelings (either that or I'm just stupid I guess). some, with a little bit more of a concrete plot, succeeded in making me think and wonder about life (alien, human, spiritual), about living (experiences, sensations, dreams, flashbacks), about emotions (nonchalance, guilt, dread).

fun to check it out if you have time to spare (and wanting to see how much authors can push the written english language to its limits)

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very intriguing read, and I'm glad I made it through, but I think I've discovered that abstract literature just isn't for me. The stories generally gripped my attention, even if I couldn't exactly parse what they were trying to say.