Cas Taylor is a disabled, Iñupiaq, and LGBTQ+ writer who brings a background in filmmaking to their poetry, essays, and fiction. Their experience with cinematic and sensory storytelling influences a writing style that seeks to ground language in visual imagery and scene, paying careful attention to rhythm and cadence. They are a graduate of the UCLA Extension Creative Writing program.
Rooted in their Iñupiaq and Scottish heritage, Cas’s work often explores the in-between spaces of life in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Their poetry focuses on the intersection of trauma, grief, and the natural world, examining themes of otherness, mental/physical health, and identity. The writing is a practice in addressing the necessary complexities of being LGBTQ+ and disabled, and finding resilience in the body’s ongoing process of survival and repair.
Cas’s poetry and other work has appeared in various publications, including Kaaterskill Basin Literary Journal, Anti Heroin Chic, Three Crows Magazine, Typehouse Literary Magazine, and Antioch’s Lunch Ticket. They have also contributed non-fiction and critical essays to publications such as Celluloid Junkie and UK Film News.
Their short story, The Hunger of Forgotten Memories, was recently adapted into the audio drama, The Forgotten, featuring an original score by Princess Ugly and the author.
They’ve been a panel guest at various literary conferences on the importance of authentically representing the marginalized voices of the indigenous, nonbinary, and disabled communities.
Their chapbook, Was It Because I Wore Sweatpants, is a creative nonfiction collection divided into three parts: “Sick Love,” “Sick,” and “Healing,” with poems like “In the After” and “timestamp” having previously appeared in Anti Heroin Chic.
Cas resides in Washington state’s Creative District with their two rescue dogs, Doug and Jax, finding inspiration in the intersection of nature and the Pacific Northwest’s vibrant artistic community.
