Continuing the important work in fiction.

So much is afforded by the guise of fiction—by the privilege of being sometimes fictional. We work tirelessly in our negotiations, broadening the grey between what is real, and what is not interested in being so. It takes a special finess, to maneuver correctly. We take nothing for granted, as should you.

It is said that in deviating from fact, it is difficult to keep one's stories straight. But the shapes narratives can fold into are infinite, and origami is within our broad sphere of inquiry.

on being fake:

"Vaughn accused me of being fake, and I suppose he's right. I never quite feel real. Often the emotions I perform are just that, performance."
-F. Mayfield

on deviating from reality:

"We interrogate reality because it often feels foreign to us."
-M. Starfield

on immitation:

"Immitation is rarely trickery. Usually it's just the act of working through deepening layers of understanding"
-V. Knee

on the essence of reality:

"Meh. Things are what they are."
-S. Ruggenbaum

on whether or not we mean fake:

"We're the Fictional Institute of Narrative, not the Fake Institute of Narrative. So no, we do not mean fake."
-M. Schofield

the literary theory

What if we were just characters in a novel? We are... but what if we were only that? This isn't about reflecting on the overdone: "What if we are all a simulation?" question. It's a different sort of question, a transformative and creative approach to selfhood—although, to be fair, we might first have to figure out if there is indeed a selfhood to redefine.

Someone we love once said, "immitation is [...] the act of working through deepening layers of understanding." We like to think of understanding both as a process and as a sensation. In both cases, the concept of layers helps to illustrate the sometimes wintry, enmeshed, and labourious journey we've embarked on, and invite you to join us in.