Kass Fleisher

H. Kassia (Kass) Fleisher (October 21, 1959 – January 6, 2023) was an American writer best known for her fiction and creative nonfiction. Fleisher held degrees in English from Dickinson College (B.A., 1981), the University of North Dakota (M.A., 1989), and Binghamton University (Ph.D., 1993). She spent four years as the administrative manager and stage producer at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. She was the author of five books and numerous essays and reviews, and the editor, with Caitlin M. Alvarez, of a wide-ranging literary anthology. Her screenplays with writing partner Joe Amato reached the semifinal rounds of the Nicholl Fellowship, Austin Film Festival, and Chesterfield competitions, and on eight occasions placed as Second Rounders in the Austin competition. Fleisher founded Steerage Press in 2011, and taught creative writing and literature for many years with the Department of English at Illinois State University.