“John Vercher writes like a fighter, a dancer, an athlete...[he] leaves it all in the ring. Here is a novelist at the height of his power.” —Wiley Cash
John Vercher is an author and essayist. His debut novel, Three-Fifths, was named one of the best books of 2019 by the Chicago Tribune. In 2022, John signed a two-book deal with Celadon Books (a Macmillan division). The first, Devil is Fine, released in 2024, was named both a Best New Book of the Summer and one of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2024 by TIME Magazine, as well as a Best Novel of 2024 by Electric Lit, Jezebel, and The Chicago Public Library.
In the U.K., Three-Fifths was named a Book of the Year by The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, and The Guardian. John’s second novel, After the Lights Go Out, has been called “simply brilliant” by Publishers Weekly in a starred review and “shrewd and explosive” by The New York Times. His non-fiction work has appeared in Entropy Magazine, CrimeReads, Booklist, and LitHub, and he has also appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air with Dave Davies. John has also written for Cognoscenti, the thoughts and opinions page of WBUR Boston. Two of his essays published on race, identity, and parenting were featured by NPR, and he has appeared on WBUR’s Weekend Edition.
He holds a Bachelor’s in English from the University of Pittsburgh and an MFA in Creative Writing from the Mountainview Master of Fine Arts program and served as an adjunct faculty member at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia. He currently serves as visiting faculty at Randolph College’s low-residency MFA program in Lynchburg, Virginia, Chatham University’s low-residency MFA program in Pittsburgh, and Drexel University’s low-residency MFA program in Philadelphia.
He lives in the Philadelphia area with his wife and two sons.
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