The Things We Fear Most

Penned by the multitalented Gloria Vanderbilt, this collection features stories that are touching, surprising, and told in a beautifully calibrated prose. The tales seize upon brief moments that are resonant with the random static of everyday disaster, illustrating characters who merely step into a room to find that everything in their lives has been inexplicably reversed. Engaging and enigmatic, this collection relates powerful narratives of passionate love as well as compelling defeat.

Gloria Vanderbilt is the author of four memoirs, three novels and one collection of poetry. She has received two honorary Fine Arts degrees, and is a contributor to various publications, including the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Elle. She lives in New York City. The author also sponsors the annual $15,000 Vanderbilt/Exile Short Fiction Competition, open to Canadians only, which awards a $10,000 prize for the best story by an emerging writer, and a $5,000 prize for the best story by a writer at any point of her/his career. The CVC Short Fiction Anthology is an annual publication that features the 12 finalists’ stories. Each year’s volume can be found for purchase on our site.