Cassandra is a speculative fiction author and editor with a keen interest in history and religion. She has an MA in Religious Studies from Lancaster University in England, which she earned with the support of a US-UK Fulbright scholarship, and a BA in Religious Studies and English from Willamette University in Oregon.

A Shin Buddhist, Cassandra is a longtime student of Japanese culture who studied interfaith dialogue with the support of a Lilly Foundation grant at Yale Divinity School and Japanese history & religion at Tokyo International University. She also taught English in Shizuoka, Japan, and worked in varying capacities for Tokyo International University of America.

Cassandra’s passion for greater interfaith and intercultural understanding led her to work for many years with Westar Institute, dedicated to advancing religious literacy, and with the Elizabeth Bowers Zambia Education Fund, empowering women, children, and their community to break the cycle of poverty through education.

Since returning to the States from years of international travel, she has adopted children with her twin sister Rebecca, gone on many adventures, and circled back to her hometown in Idaho, where she writes and (still) studies religion & culture. As the adoptive parent of Marshallese American children (and as a thinking, feeling human being), Cassandra is a vocal advocate for greater intercultural understanding and is committed to making the publishing industry more welcoming to marginalized creators.