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Award-winning author and poet Courtney Kampa unexpectedly passed away this weekend. On Tuesday, November 15, her husband Will Anderson confirmed the news.
Kampa was living in Nashville with her husband and two dogs Eddie and Georgie. She worked as a writing and poetry teacher in Nashville.
There were unverified reports of her passing away in a car accident, but it wasn't until Anderson confirmed the reports that the world found out.
"Always will be my dream girl": Courtney Kampa's death confirmed by husband
Musician Wil Anderson took to his Instagram handle @willyj1234 to announce the news of his wife's death, although he did not mention the cause. The post featured a selfie of the couple wearing matching gray hoodies.
In a sweet caption, Anderson broke the news to his 327k followers, remembering Courtney Kampa for being smart, funny, and kind. He ended the short note by proclaiming his love for her.
The cause of Kampa's death is said to have been a gruesome car accident, in which one other fatality occurred. In a Facebook post, fellow author and columnist Elizabeth Foss wrote about the loss of Kampa and Irene Starrs, and how incomprehensible she feels.
She wrote:
"Grief upon grief. And grief still unspoken. An incoherent post because I cannot make sense of it all. Please pray for the repose of the souls of Irene Starrs and Courtney Kampa. And please, please pray for the consolation of the people who love them."
Although reports of the death have been confirmed, the details are yet to be revealed.
Kampa's life as a writer
Courtney Kampa was born and raised in Virginia. She received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and her MFA from Columbia University. She also served as a fellow for the Wallace Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University from 2017-2019. Growing up, she trained as a ballet dancer before moving into writing.
Kampa was a prolific writer, with several publications to her name. She was known to be featured in many celebrated magazines such as the Boston Review, the Journal, the Atlantic, Poets & Writers magazine, and the National Poetry Review. She released her first book, a collection of her poetry under the title Our Lady of Not Asking Why.
Her work won several accolades, including the Rattle Poetry Prize Readers’ Choice Award in 2014, and the author was a finalist in 2016 for the Ruth Lily Prize. Our Lady of Not Asking Why was selected by Mary Szybist for the New Issues Press First Book Award.
