BANNISTER PRESS

It is a well-known fact in certain circles that the key to controlling elemental sway over the perception of reality is not getting caught. Many will swear the best way to derail one scandal is to shift focus with hearsay, the more salacious the better. And this was never more true than the time Morgan High’s biology teacher ran off with the nanny.

In “Elemental Gossip” by Cass Sims Knight, fantastical rumors swirl around a high school about two married teachers. The students try to piece together the story of infidelity amid gossip, inaccuracy, and potentially magic.

Cass Sims Knight lives in Portland, OR with her pets, who are not pulling their weight on social media. Her fiction has appeared in several magazines, including Penumbric Speculative Fiction, Stupefying Stories, Luna Station Quarterly, and Drunk Monkeys. 

How did you come up with an idea for your story? 

I was reading one of those listicles on Buzzfeed about people’s wildest pieces of gossip. The one that stuck out was about the infidelity of a married couple who taught at the same high school and had a dramatic blow up during the school day. It got me thinking about the biggest piece of gossip from my high school, which was that my science teacher used to come in once a year as an alter ego with a truly terrible British accent and butterfly bowtie. Apparently, my younger brother informed me that after I graduated, he became the alter ego full time and everyone just went with it. So I made him a fairytale creature.

How does your story relate to the theme of “feeling other”? 

By definition, gossip is told from the outside looking in. I wanted to play with the way people internalize a narrative like gossip to make it their own even though it is very much someone else’s story.

How do you keep your creative spark alive?

Reading widely is the best way for me to keep my brain percolating. 

What’s next for you? Do you have any stories coming out in 2025?

Unfortunately, no publications are lined up for 2025 yet, but I am wrapping up the first draft of a novel so I will definitely be working on that.

Thank you, Cass!

Cass Sims Knight can be found at cassandrasimsknight.com.
“Elemental Gossip” is in OTHER: the 2024 speculative fiction anthology, which can be found at Amazon.