Fiction Collective Two
An author-run American nonprofit publisher specializing in innovative and experimental fiction.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Fiction Collective Two, commonly known as FC2, is an American author-run publisher devoted to avant-garde, experimental, and formally unconventional fiction. It was established in 1989 as the successor to the Fiction Collective, a pioneering not-for-profit publishing cooperative founded in 1974 by writers including Jonathan Baumbach, Peter Spielberg, B. H. Friedman, Mark Jay Mirsky, Steve Katz, and Ronald Sukenick. The original collective was created to give innovative American writers an alternative to the commercial publishing system, which its members believed was often unwilling to take on books with unusual structures, difficult subject matter, or limited mass-market appeal. The collective's publishing model emphasized author participation, simultaneous hardcover and quality-paper editions, and the intention of keeping books available over long periods. Although its members were geographically dispersed, the early organization maintained offices at Brooklyn College and established distribution through George Braziller. During the late 1970s and much of the 1980s, it generally issued approximately six books annually and received support from organizations including the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Financial and governance difficulties intensified during the 1980s. Reductions in public arts funding during the Reagan administration contributed to the denial of a Fiction Collective grant application in 1986, while internal management and decision-making problems also affected the organization. In 1989, a group of writers led by Curtis White and including several founders reorganized the press under the name Fiction Collective Two. The new entity retained the original collective's commitment to ambitious, noncommercial fiction while developing a more durable institutional structure. FC2 later became associated with the Avant-Pop and Black Ice Books publishing programs. Its list has included works by writers such as Samuel R. Delany, Mark Amerika, Cris Mazza, Gerald Vizenor, Clarence Major, Diane Glancy, Mark Leyner, Curtis White, and Ricardo Cortez Cruz. The press has published more than 200 books across the Fiction Collective, FC2, and Black Ice Books histories, and its authors and titles have received attention from major literary publications and anthologies. FC2's publishing program has also been connected with awards and nominations from organizations including the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Book Awards, the National Endowment for the Arts, and other literary institutions. In the 1990s, FC2 resumed receiving National Endowment for the Arts support, but that funding became the subject of a 1996 Congressional Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing after legislators objected to material in some FC2 books. Writers including Mark Strand, William H. Gass, and Toni Morrison publicly supported the press during the controversy. FC2 continued publishing, treating the episode as consistent with the cultural and artistic risks at the center of its mission. The organization is now an imprint of the University of Alabama Press. The Alabama press handles production, marketing, and distribution, while FC2's editorial and administrative functions have been distributed among partner universities. Illinois State University has supported design and layout, Central Michigan University has hosted editorial offices, and the University of Utah and Wake Forest University have supported business or general operations at different times. FC2 also operates two annual manuscript competitions: the Ronald Sukenick American Book Review Innovative Fiction Prize for emerging writers and the Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize for established authors. Through its books, contests, and author-led structure, FC2 occupies a distinctive position in American independent literary publishing.
History
Fiction Collective Two emerged from the Fiction Collective, which was founded in 1974 by a group of American writers seeking an alternative to mainstream publishing. Jonathan Baumbach, Peter Spielberg, B. H. Friedman, Mark Jay Mirsky, Steve Katz, and Ronald Sukenick were among the founding figures. The collective was designed as a nonprofit, author-run organization that could publish ambitious fiction overlooked by commercial houses. Its early objectives included issuing serious novels and story collections in both durable hardback and paperback forms and keeping them available rather than allowing them to disappear quickly from print. The members were distributed across several parts of the United States, but the organization's offices were located at Brooklyn College. In 1974 it arranged distribution through George Braziller, a publisher and distributor with experience in European fiction. The collective published at a steady pace during the late 1970s and 1980s, generally producing about six books a year. Its activities were supported by grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1979, Carol Sturm Smith took over the presidency and co-director role from Jonathan Baumbach, while Raymond Federman succeeded Peter Spielberg in the collective's leadership. The organization encountered pressure during the 1980s. Public arts funding reductions associated with the Reagan administration contributed to the rejection of an NEA grant application in 1986. The collective also experienced management and decision-making difficulties. In response, Curtis White, Ronald Sukenick, Mark Leyner, Jonathan Baumbach, B. H. Friedman, and Peter Spielberg reorganized the press in 1989 as Fiction Collective Two. FC2 continued the original project's focus on literary experimentation while developing new editorial and institutional arrangements. It received NEA support again during the middle of the 1990s. That support became controversial in 1996, when a Congressional Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations questioned funding because of content in FC2 books that some members regarded as offensive. Authors Mark Strand, William H. Gass, and Toni Morrison were among those who expressed support for the press. FC2 continued operating and publishing during and after the hearings. During the 1990s, FC2 also became associated with the Avant-Pop and Black Ice Books programs. Its list included work by writers such as Mark Amerika, Cris Mazza, and Samuel R. Delany, alongside books by many other experimental and postmodern authors. From 1999 to 2002, the press underwent further organizational changes: Curtis White left the managing editor position, R. M. Berry and Jeffrey DeShell temporarily served as acting publishers, and Lance Olsen became chair of the board. A board of advisors was also created. The press increasingly operated through partnerships with universities. In 2006, marketing and distribution moved to the University of Alabama Press, while layout and design continued at Illinois State University's Publications Center. FC2 moved its business offices from Florida State University to the University of Houston–Victoria in 2007, then closed those offices in 2011 as operations were overseen from the University of Utah. In 2018, business and general operations moved to Wake Forest University. At that time, Joanna Ruocco was identified as chair of the board, with directors and representatives connected to Central Michigan University, the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Utah, and the University of Alabama Press. FC2 has published more than 200 books across the histories of the Fiction Collective, FC2, and Black Ice Books. Its authors have appeared in major anthologies, and the press's books have been recognized or discussed by publications including The Nation, Publishers Weekly, The Village Voice, and The New York Times Book Review. FC2 also sponsors two manuscript competitions. The Ronald Sukenick American Book Review Innovative Fiction Prize, established in 2006, is aimed at emerging writers who have not previously published with FC2. The Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize, launched in 2008, is intended for established fiction writers. Both contests reinforce FC2's role as a discovery mechanism for literary work that falls outside conventional commercial categories.
- 2018
Operations moved to Wake Forest University
[1]Business and general operations moved from the University of Utah to Wake Forest University.
- 2008
Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize launched
[1]FC2 added a contest designed for established writers with multiple published fiction books.
- 2006
University of Alabama Press partnership
[1]Marketing and distribution responsibilities moved to the University of Alabama Press.
- 2006
Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Prize established
[1]FC2 began sponsoring an annual contest for emerging writers of innovative fiction.
- 1996
Congressional funding controversy
[1]Congressional investigators challenged NEA support associated with FC2 because of content in certain books.
- 1989
Fiction Collective Two established
[1]The press was reorganized under its current name by a group of authors associated with the original collective.
- 1986
NEA grant application denied
[1]The Fiction Collective's grant application was denied during a period of reduced public arts funding and organizational strain.
- 1979
Leadership changes at the Fiction Collective
[1]Carol Sturm Smith succeeded Jonathan Baumbach as co-director and president, while Raymond Federman succeeded Peter Spielberg.
- 1974
Fiction Collective founded
[1]Jonathan Baumbach, Peter Spielberg, B. H. Friedman, Mark Jay Mirsky, Steve Katz, Ronald Sukenick, and other writers established the author-run nonprofit predecessor to FC2.
Products and positioning
An author-centered, nonprofit literary press for ambitious fiction that challenges conventional narrative forms, commercial publishing expectations, and established literary categories.
Experimental fiction · 1989
FC2 fiction list
FC2 publishes novels, story collections, and hybrid works whose structures, language, subject matter, or presentation depart from conventional commercial fiction. The list is author-centered and emphasizes literary ambition, formal risk, and work that larger publishers may consider difficult to categorize or market.
Avant-garde fiction imprint
Black Ice Books
Black Ice Books is an imprint associated with FC2's experimental and Avant-Pop publishing activity. Its list has included formally adventurous fiction and books by writers working across postmodern, speculative, and otherwise unconventional literary modes.
Literary contest · 2006
Ronald Sukenick American Book Review Innovative Fiction Prize
Established in 2006, this annual prize seeks innovative fiction by United States writers writing in English who have not previously published with FC2. The winner receives publication by FC2 and a cash award, with the contest intended to identify emerging authors whose work aligns with the press's experimental mission.
Literary contest · 2008
Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize
Launched in 2008, this contest is aimed at established United States fiction writers with at least three published fiction books. The winning manuscript receives FC2 publication and a cash award, giving the press a formal route for recruiting experienced writers of unconventional fiction.
Controversies
1996
Congressional challenge to arts funding
A Congressional Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations questioned National Endowment for the Arts funding connected with FC2 after objecting to material in some of the press's books. Writers including Mark Strand, William H. Gass, and Toni Morrison publicly supported FC2, which continued its publishing program.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize
United States
FC2 introduced a second annual fiction contest intended for established writers with at least three previously published fiction books.
Outcome. The winner receives publication by FC2 and a cash prize. Michelle Richmond won the 2012 competition.
- 2006Ronald Sukenick American Book Review Innovative Fiction Prize
United States
FC2 created an annual manuscript competition for emerging American writers working in innovative fiction. The prize is open to eligible writers in English who have not previously published with FC2.
Outcome. The winning manuscript is published by FC2. Luke B. Goebel won in 2012, and Marc Anthony Richardson won in 2015; Richardson's book later received the 2017 American Book Award.
Brand decisions
2018
Move business and general operations to Wake Forest UniversityStrategyBackground
FC2's operating responsibilities had previously been overseen from the University of Utah.
Action taken
Business and general operations moved to Wake Forest University, extending FC2's university-supported operating model.
Aftermath
FC2 continued functioning through partnerships among universities and the University of Alabama Press.
2007
Move business offices to the University of Houston–VictoriaStrategyBackground
FC2 continued to use academic institutions to support its administrative and publishing infrastructure.
Action taken
The press moved its business offices from Florida State University to the University of Houston–Victoria.
Aftermath
The arrangement ended in 2011, when the University of Houston–Victoria offices were closed.
2006
Transfer marketing and distribution to the University of Alabama PressStrategyBackground
FC2 operated through a distributed network of university partners for production, editorial work, and administration.
Action taken
The University of Alabama Press took responsibility for FC2 marketing and distribution, while Illinois State University continued to support layout and design.
Aftermath
FC2 became an imprint of the University of Alabama Press for production, marketing, and distribution.
1989
Reorganize the Fiction Collective as FC2StrategyBackground
The predecessor organization faced funding reductions and management difficulties during the 1980s.
Action taken
A group of associated authors established Fiction Collective Two while retaining the original mission of publishing ambitious, noncommercial fiction.
Aftermath
FC2 continued publishing experimental fiction and later developed university partnerships and contest programs.
Sources2 sources
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