About

Cass Morris works as a writer and educator in central Virginia and occasionally moonlights as a bookseller in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Her debut series, the Aven Cycle (FROM UNSEEN FIRE, 2018; GIVE WAY TO NIGHT, 2020; third title and pub date TBD), is historical fantasy set in an alternate ancient Rome, published by DAW Books.

From 2010 to 2017, she worked as Academic Resources Manager at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA. During her time there, she composed over 20 full-length teaching guides for Shakespeare’s plays, as well as developing and leading workshops for students of all ages and experience levels, assisting with leadership programming and other professional training, and facilitating the biennial Blackfriars Conference. She has presented at conferences including Shakespeare Association of America conferences, the Halved Heart conference at Shakespeare’s Globe, the Shakespeare Theatre Association teaching practicum, and Blackfriars Conferences. She also contributed essays to SHAPING SHAKESPEARE FOR PERFORMANCE and SHAKESPEARE EXPRESSED, anthologies exploring early modern theatre and pedagogy.

She completed her Master of Letters at Mary Baldwin University in 2010 and earned her undergraduate degree, a BA in English with a minor in history, from the College of William and Mary in 2007. She reads voraciously, wears corsets voluntarily, and will beat you at Mario Kart.

Other Works

  • From Unseen Fire

    2018

Awards and Recognition

  • 2020 Webster Award for outstanding genre fiction by a Virginia writer: FROM UNSEEN FIRE