diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index bce08fd..981fb3b 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ Squib follows [semantic versioning](http://semver.org).
 
 Features:
 * Build groups! Simplify the process of building your deck different ways (e.g. one for color, one for PNP). Can be enabled explicitly or via command line. [See our shiny new docs for how these work](http://squib.readthedocs.org).
+* The `csv` method now supports a `data` option to read CSV data directly. When set, it overrides the `file` option.
 
 Chores:
 * Switched to `require_relative` internally throughout the codebase to be more pry-friendly (#130)
diff --git a/docs/dsl/csv.rst b/docs/dsl/csv.rst
index ce06487..9542ef7 100644
--- a/docs/dsl/csv.rst
+++ b/docs/dsl/csv.rst
@@ -19,7 +19,12 @@ Options
 file
   default: ``'deck.csv'``
 
-  the CSV-formatted file to open. Opens relative to the current directory.
+  the CSV-formatted file to open. Opens relative to the current directory. If ``data`` is set, this option is overridden.
+
+data
+  default: ``nil``
+
+  when set, CSV will parse this data instead of reading the file.
 
 strip
   default: ``true``
diff --git a/lib/squib/api/data.rb b/lib/squib/api/data.rb
index 516435e..42e3a06 100644
--- a/lib/squib/api/data.rb
+++ b/lib/squib/api/data.rb
@@ -70,9 +70,10 @@ module Squib
   # @return [Hash] a hash of arrays based on columns in the table
   # @api public
   def csv(opts = {})
-    file = Args::InputFile.new(file: 'deck.csv').load!(opts).file[0]
     import = Args::Import.new.load!(opts)
-    table = CSV.read(file, headers: true, converters: :numeric)
+    file = Args::InputFile.new(file: 'deck.csv').load!(opts).file[0]
+    data = opts.key?(:data) ? opts[:data] : File.read(file)
+    table = CSV.parse(data, headers: true, converters: :numeric)
     check_duplicate_csv_headers(table)
     hash = Hash.new
     table.headers.each do |header|
diff --git a/samples/csv_import.rb b/samples/csv_import.rb
index df9d7ef..df3ce63 100644
--- a/samples/csv_import.rb
+++ b/samples/csv_import.rb
@@ -24,3 +24,10 @@ Squib::Deck.new(cards: num_cards) do
   text str: data['Name'], font: 'Arial 54'
   save_sheet  prefix: 'sample_csv_qty_', columns: 4
 end
+
+# Additionally, CSV supports inline data specifically
+data = Squib.csv data: <<-EOCSV
+Name,Cost
+Knight,3
+Orc,1
+EOCSV
diff --git a/spec/api/api_data_spec.rb b/spec/api/api_data_spec.rb
index 79b4daf..c6ba017 100644
--- a/spec/api/api_data_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/api/api_data_spec.rb
@@ -50,6 +50,14 @@ describe Squib::Deck do
         })
     end
 
+    it 'loads inline data' do
+      hash = Squib.csv(data: "h1,h2\n1,2\n3,4")
+      expect(hash).to eq({
+        'h1' => [1, 3],
+        'h2' => [2, 4]
+        })
+    end
+
   end
 
   context '#xlsx' do