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Read the winning piece of our 2025 Nonfiction Contest “Through the Mirror” by Jessie Cato selected by Lucy Ives.

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John Vernon

Nonfiction

Autumn 1982

Reading, Writing, and Eavesdropping: Some Thoughts on the Nature of Realistic Fiction

By John Vernon

The beginnings of novels. “It was late in the evening when K arrived.” “This is the saddest story I have ever heard.” “At about nine o’clock in the morning at […]

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John Vernon

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Nonfiction

Reading, Writing, and Eavesdropping: Some Thoughts on the Nature of Realistic Fiction