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

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Summer 2024 • Vol. XLVI No. 3 • Extinction |

Doomscrolling

My mother’s ceramic hands collected anything that breaks 
laced as a condor’s egg
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In the article, barrels of DDT tumor the floor between my coast and Catalina :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In the article
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
a million years of human bone are proof
of Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules, how the body’s shape retains or dispels
its own heat
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Someday, I will be nothing but limbs
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I used to be girl enough
I braided dry clasps of conifer for wood nymph crowns
I was careless of shelved fragility
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
broke my mother’s livid blue figurines, how I learned the seizing air delivered :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
in my father’s fist
Between my diaphragm and the dislocated world
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I’ve placed a girl inside the room with swollen-shut doors
She knew bracing makes everything worse
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
and braced anyway
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In the article, earth is warming faster than thought
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In the article
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
melt might start a new ice age

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Photo of Leah Tieger

A recipient of support from the Vermont Studio Center and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Leah Tieger (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in the University of Southern California’s literature and creative writing program. While Tieger was a 2023 Wrigley Institute fellow, her ecopoetic practice led her to a qualitative study of communities surrounding the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. Related work by Tieger appears in Poetry Northwest, Waxwing, Blackbird, and Tupelo Quarterly.

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