Extenuating Circumstances is an experimental book. Written in the same format as Jean Toomer, "Cane," Extenuating Circumstances combines short fiction pieces with poetry. However, the stories range in genre from contemporary and science fiction to futuristic. The stories and poems are written to reflect how the extenuating circumstances we encounter mark us and change us in ways that are unanticipated and, often, terrifying. They alter our values and lives, sometimes, in ways which empower us. Although, often, the changes force us onto a path we may not otherwise have chosen to pursue. The concept for Extenuating Circumstance was conceived with the idea that, while readers want a central theme to the stories they read, not all of the stories need follow the same genre.