CASSANDRA POWERS
WRITER - VIDEOGRAPHER
WRITING
My writing explores our perennial quest for connection and meaning; the fallout of failed relationships and dreams; and the murky territory of self-deception.
Rustica Issue 2
"Side Hustle"
Bellevue Literary Review
"Tiny Yellow Moon"
Clockhouse Volume 12
"Day Four of a National Heat Wave"
Meridian
"Plenty Pretty"
(Originally published as “Silent Moon”)
The Gettysburg Review
"Inviolate"
VIDEOS
In addition to writing, I also love to work on short film projects. Feel free to check out my work below!
ABOUT
My short fiction has been published in The Gettysburg Review, Rustica, and others. “Tiny Yellow Moon”, which appeared in Bellevue Literary Review in 2017, was nominated for a Pushcart.
My short plays have been selected as semi-finalists for the Maine Playwrights Festival and long-listed for the British Theatre Challenge. Resident Poet, a full-length play, won the Valley Players Playwright Prize in 2025.
I received my MFA from the University of Oregon. When not writing, I work as a psychiatric nurse practitioner in community mental health in Portland, Maine.
FEATURED IN
WHAT I’M ENJOYING
ENDNOTES
Things I'm enjoying that I'd like to share, please know that I don't receive any commissions.
WHAT I’M READING
Ben Markovits, The Rest of Our Lives
Booker finalist and quietly unnerving but also full of vulnerability and astute observations about the mid-life realization that life is not going to be what you thought or hoped.
WHAT I’M WATCHING
Four Seasons on Netflix
Lighthearted, maybe a bit lightweight? But still a nice antidote to dark times. Everyone is stylish! If nothing makes you laugh anymore, I bet the one scene where Tina Fey has to get into a locked public bathroom will.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO
The Memory Hole Podcast, Jena Martin
Jena thoughtfully unpacks the history of the recovered memory movement and its accompanying falsehoods. I found this riveting in the style of true crime, and enlightening about a movement that should be long-dead but continues to reverberate in our culture today. Seasons 1 and 2 are my favorite, but all three are worth a listen.
WHAT I’M EATING
Sliced watermelon in the fridge
Will be a brief reprieve during a heat wave! But slice it into thick match sticks, not wedges -- life changing.