The Collectors

  • Caketrain (May 2009)
  • 2008 Caketrain Fiction Chapbook Contest Runner-Up, judged by Brian Evenson
  • Sold out!
How the Broken Lead the Blind

How They Were Found
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Currently Reading...
  • Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West
    Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West
    by Cormac McCarthy
Anthologies
Awards and Recognitions
  • 2009 Wigleaf Top 50 Very Short Fictions Selection, for "This Showroom Filled With Fabulous Prizes"
  • 2009 Dzanc Best of the Web Notable Story, for "The Folk Singer Dreams of Time Machines"
  • 2008 Caketrain Fiction Chapbook Contest Runner-Up, for The Collectors
  • 2008 Keyhole Fiction Chapbook Contest Finalist, for The Collectors
  • 2008 Million Writers Award Winner, for "Alex Trebek Never Eats Fried Chicken"
  • 2008 Dzanc Best of the Web Notable Story, for "Alex Trebek Never Eats Fried Chicken"
  • 2008 Pushcart Prize Nomination for "The Folk Singer Dreams of Time Machines"
  • 2008 Pushcart Prize Nomination for "Ken Sent Me: Lost in the Land of the Lounge Lizards"
  • 2007 Storyglossia Fiction Prize Finalist, for "Alex Trebek Never Eats Fried Chicken"
  • 2007 Pushcart Prize Nomination for "A Certain Number of Bedrooms, a Certain Number of Baths"
  • 2006 Pushcart Prize Nomination for "The Present"
  • 2006 Pushcart Prize Nomination for "White Lines and Headlights"
  • 2006 Pushcart Prize Nomination for "Rosemary Blooming"
Bio

Matt Bell is the author of two chapbooks, The Collectors and How the Broken Lead the Blind, and a forthcoming fiction collection, How They Were Found, which will be published by Keyhole in the fall of 2010. His fiction has appeared or is upcoming in magazines such as Conjunctions, Meridian, Gulf Coast, Caketrain, Hayden's Ferry Review, Hobart, Barrelhouse, Monkeybicycle, and Keyhole.

He is also the editor of The Collagist and a member of the Dzanc Writer in Residence Program.

He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and can be reached via e-mail at mdbell79@gmail.com.

The Collagist

A new literary magazine coming from Dzanc Books in August 2009, edited by Matt Bell with Poetry Editor Matthew Olzmann. Now open for submissions at www.thecollagist.com.

Upcoming
Published
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Friday
18Jul

"Alex Trebek Never Eats Fried Chicken" Wins 2008 Million Writers Award

Well, the voting's over, and my story "Alex Trebek Never Eats Fried Chicken" has narrowly won the 2008 Million Writers Award.  Once again, I'd like to thank Steven McDermott for publishing the story in Storyglossia, Therese Rudzis for nominating it, and of course everyone who voted for it.  Thank you!

The other finalists are all great stories, and I can't suggest enough that you go and read them.  I'm not going to pretend that I'm not happy I won or that I'm against receiving cash prizes, but the biggest reward has been the amount of people that read the story over the last month and let me know what they thought about it.  Hopefully the other finalists had a similar experience.  I know there was some controversy when the Notable Stories came out this year, and certainly not everything went according to plan, but I really do think that the original goal of the Million Writers Award--to bring a group of stories to a broader readership--is working, and for doing that for me I'm thankful to StorySouth and Jason Sanford.

I'm off to Chicago in the morning for an anniversary weekend (and music festival) with my wife Jessica (four years!).  See you all when I get back!

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Reader Comments (21)

Very well deserved, Matt! Congratulations, and have a fantastic time in Chicago.

July 18, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterDan Wickett

Congratulations, Matt.

July 18, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterRavi Mangla

Congratulations, Matt! It's a terrific story full of great details and perceptions, first-rate craftsmanship. Your creative energy is phenomenal. Happy anniversary!

July 18, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterRichard Lawrence Cohen

congrats!

July 18, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterpeter

Sweet congrats! I know I voted...

July 18, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterAustin Kleon

its a wrap

July 18, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterbarry

Well done, Matt! It's a fabulous story.

July 18, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterKatrina Denza

nice work, man. top notch.

July 18, 2008 | Unregistered Commentermike alber

congrats and happy anniversary, matt! c u when you get back...

July 18, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterelizabeth ellen

congrats matt

July 19, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterryan call

Congratulations Matt! It's a great story.

July 19, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterLarry Menlove

matt on fire :)

July 19, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterblake

congrats, bro.

July 19, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterJosh Maday

Congratulations, Matt! It's a great story.

July 20, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterdave

You're the man!!!!!

July 20, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterSean

Congrats from Italy too (BurĂ n)

July 21, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterFlaviano

Thanks, everyone!

July 21, 2008 | Registered CommenterMatt Bell

That's great, Matt!!

July 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterJoseph Young

A fine, memorable story, Matt. Congratulations.

July 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterS. Garson

Matt, that's fantastic news and well deserved! You wrote an excellent story.

July 23, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterTod Goldberg

It was a heckuva way to be introduced! I look forward to reading more of your work, very much. Congratulations!

July 23, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterLydia

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