Shit Cassandra Saw

Shit Cassandra Saw tells the story of Cassandra, who may have glimpsed the future but remains unruly and unwilling to disclose all she knows to the Trojans. In this lively collection, virgins evade sacrifice, witches resist being burned, and whores feel no shame. Every woman gets the chance to become a radioactive cockroach warrior, standing up to catcallers.

Gwen E. Kirby experiments with unconventional formats such as Yelp reviews and WikiHow articles. Her fierce, irreverent narrators challenge these structures, demonstrating how creativity within confines can both undermine and dismantle the constraints themselves. When these women narrate their stories, encompassing both triumphs and pain, they emerge as funny, angry, loud, horny, lonely, strong protagonists who refuse to remain secondary characters any longer.

From “The Best and Only Whore of Cym Hyfryd, 1886” to the “Midwestern Girl Who Is Tired of Appearing in Your Short Stories,” Kirby engages with and revels in the stories of women who have come before her, acknowledging that they have always been strong. The key was simply knowing where to look.

"Kirby has mastered the art of short fiction... A stunning collection from a writer whose talent and creativity seem boundless." – NPR

"Kirby takes joy in subverting the reader's expectations at every turn. Her characters might be naive, even reckless, but they aren't about to be victims. They're strong, and brave, and nearly always capable of rescuing themselves." – New York Times Book Review

Margaret Atwood meets Buffy in these funny, warm, and furious stories of women at their breaking points, spanning from Hellenic times to today.