A couple of years back, Robert Stapleton of the literary journal Booth (published out of Butler University‘s MFA writing program) approached me about editing an anthology of comics. I had never edited a significant project before—and although I was flattered to be asked, I didn’t want to just put another anthology out there. I wanted my first editing project to be “special.”
That’s when we hit on the idea of Sari Wilson and I editing a book together—an anthology of linked stories in comics and prose, the two forms working together, hand-in-hand. Maybe even somehow embodying the nuances of our own creative relationship, the way we have edited, collaborated, and influenced each other’s work over the years.
Why flash fiction? As a cartoonist, I work almost exclusively in nonfiction; Sari’s fiction is in longer forms, with lengthy short stories under her belt, and her novel Girl Through Glass set to debut next year. But we are both fans of flash fiction—stories with the heft of a trinket but the narrative punch of a sledgehammer. And the flash fiction form is perfect for a project that’s all about pushing boundaries and cross-fertilizing creative communities.
So FLASHed is a collection of flash fiction stories in comics and prose, pressed up against one another. In dialogue. In concert. In conversation. As a result, FLASHed is more than an anthology; it’s a conversation—among some of today’s most exciting prose writers and cartoonists—and between the forms of prose and comics. As contributor Myla Goldberg put it: “This is like a Telephone/Exquisite Corpse mash-up, which would make it an Exquisite Telephone Corpse.” Exactly!
Our 45 contributors are an amazing, accomplished lot: they include Junot Díaz, Lynda Barry, Aimee Bender, John Porcellino, Steve Almond, and Gabrielle Bell, to name a few. Flashed features original comics from the likes of Nick Bertozzi, Box Brown, Brian Biggs, Andrea Tsurumi, Jason Little, and Matt Madden; and amazing new flash pieces from writers like Ben Greenman, Kellie Wells, Jedediah Berry, Tara L. Masih, Gina Frangello, and Pamela Painter. And some pieces that defy categorization, like Rachel Cantor‘s comics script, complete with panels arranged on the page, or Carol Lay‘s illustrated text story, or dw’s intricate narrative sketchbook.
The experience of co-shepherding FLASHed through its generative, production, and distribution process has been equal parts exciting and exhausting. I’ll never begrudge the suggestion of an editor again! Working closely with Sari (and our publisher Robert Stapleton) was a profound experience, but for me the most rewarding part was getting to work closely with so many cartoonists I admire.
FLASHed is coming out February from Pressgang (Butler U.’s press). In the coming days and weeks we’ll be releasing much more information, sample pieces, and plans for the release, including bookstore events, readings, and panels. Stay tuned!
And here’s a complete list of our amazing contributors:
CARTOONISTS
- Jessica Abel
- Lynda Barry
- Gabrielle Bell
- Nick Bertozzi
- Brian Biggs
- Eli Bishop
- Box Brown
- Jennifer Camper
- dw
- Dean Haspiel
- Tom Kaczynski
- David Lasky
- Carol Lay
- Brendan Leach
- Jon Lewis
- Jason Little
- Matt Madden
- Ken Nash
- John Porcellino
- Joan Reilly
- Andrea Tsurumi
WRITERS
- Steve Almond
- Matthew Baker
- Aimee Bender
- Jedediah Berry
- Rachel Cantor
- Junot Díaz
- Julia Fierro
- Sherrie Flick
- Gina Frangello
- V.V. Ganeshananthan
- Alan Gilbert
- Myla Goldberg
- Ben Greenman
- Sheila Heti
- Michael Hinken
- Travis Holland
- Joy Katz
- Tara L. Masih
- Anna North
- Pamela Painter
- Anthony Tognazzini
- Rob Walker
- Kellie Wells
- Zoe Zolbrod