Kathy Acker Anthologies books in order

Complete list of anthologies featuring Kathy Acker's work, from Art After Modernism (1984) to Lost and Found (2015).

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Art After Modernism 1984 Kathy Acker Buy
2 Wordplays Five 1986 Kathy Acker Buy
3 High Risk 1991 Kathy Acker Buy
4 Storming the Reality Studio 1991 Kathy Acker Buy
5 Fiction International 22 1992 Kathy Acker Buy
6 Avant-Pop: Fiction for a Daydream Nation 1993 Kathy Acker Buy
7 The Mammoth Book of Erotica 1994 Kathy Acker Buy
8 The Artist in Society 1995 Kathy Acker Buy
9 Dust 1996 Kathy Acker Buy
10 Rapid Eye 1996 Kathy Acker Buy
11 Spectacular Optical 1998 Kathy Acker Buy
12 The Review Of Contemporary Fiction 1999 Kathy Acker Buy
13 The Good Parts 2000 Kathy Acker Buy
14 Artspace Is/Artspace Was 2001 Kathy Acker Buy
15 Essential Acker: The Selected Writings 2002 Kathy Acker Buy
16 Frozen Tears II 2004 Kathy Acker Buy
17 Against Expression 2010 Kathy Acker Buy
18 The Penguin Book of Erotic Stories By Women 2012 Kathy Acker Buy
19 Lost & Found 2015 Kathy Acker Buy

Kathy Acker’s writing appeared in anthologies throughout her career and continued to be collected after her death. These range from art criticism (Art After Modernism, 1984) and experimental theater (Wordplays Five, 1986) to cyberpunk fiction (Storming the Reality Studio, 1991) and erotica (The Mammoth Book of Erotica, 1994).

The most useful single-volume anthology for new readers is Essential Acker: The Selected Writings (2002), edited by Amy Scholder and Dennis Cooper, which pulls together excerpts and complete shorter works from across her career. Against Expression (2010), edited by Craig Dworkin and Kenneth Goldsmith, places Acker in the context of conceptual writing. Several of these anthologies are out of print but remain available secondhand, and they offer a way to encounter Acker’s work alongside the writers and artists she was in conversation with during her lifetime.

Frequently Asked Questions

What anthologies include Kathy Acker's writing?

Acker’s work appears in numerous anthologies spanning art criticism, avant-garde fiction, erotica, and literary studies. Key collections include Storming the Reality Studio (1991), Avant-Pop (1993), and Essential Acker: The Selected Writings (2002).

What is Essential Acker?

Essential Acker: The Selected Writings (2002) is a posthumous anthology edited by Amy Scholder and Dennis Cooper. It draws from across Acker’s career and is often recommended as a single-volume introduction to her work.

What is Storming the Reality Studio?

Storming the Reality Studio (1991) is an anthology of postmodern fiction and science fiction edited by Larry McCaffery. It includes work by Acker alongside writers like William Gibson, J.G. Ballard, and Thomas Pynchon.

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