Emily Nemens

Emily Nemens is a writer, illustrator, educator, and editor. Her second novel, Clutch, was published by Tin House/Zando in February 2026 to praise in the New York Times Book Review and the LA Times. Her debut novel, The Cactus League (FSG), was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and named one of NPR’s and Lit Hub’s favorite books of 2020. Her stories have appeared in BOMB, The Gettysburg Review, n+1, and elsewhere; her illustrations have appeared in The New Yorker and in collaboration with Harvey Pekar. Nemens spent over a decade editing literary quarterlies, including leading The Paris Review and serving as co-editor and prose editor of The Southern Review. She held the 2022–23 Picador Professorship (University of Leipzig) and teaches in the MFA program at Bennington College. She lives in central New Jersey with her husband and dog.