In 2021, Brittany Menjivar was hit by two semi trucks in a car accident that left her inches from death. The first time she ever hung out with Erin Satterthwaite, she told her this story... and minutes later, Erin's car was totaled in a collision involving an Uber driver at a Hollywood intersection. Forever bonded by their trauma—and, of course, their love of literature—they founded Car Crash Collective, a late-night poetry and prose reading series based in Los Angeles.

The Car Crash Collective Anthology is a collection of writing by authors who have presented their work at Car Crash Collective, plus other authors whose work we admire. We encouraged writers to take inspiration from the destructive and generative potential of the car crash, with the following quotes in mind:

“These wounds formed the key to a new sexuality, born from a perverse technology.” -Crash, J.G. Ballard “The car crash is a fertilizing rather than a destructive event.” -Crash, dir. David Cronenberg