Award-Winning Poet Courtney Kampa Has Died Unexpectedly

Award-winning author and poet Courtney Kampa was recently confirmed to have died this past weekend. The news was announced on Nov. 15 by Courtney's husband, musician Will Anderson, with whom she lived in Nashville. Previously, there were rumors of her death, but they were unconfirmed until her husband's announcement.

What was Courtney Kampa's cause of death? Keep reading for everything we know so far.

Courtney was best known as an award-winning poet. Per her website bio, she worked as a poetry and writing teacher in Nashville. She contributed to several magazines, including Boston Review, TriQuarterly, the Journal, The National Poetry Review, New England Review, and more, according to her bio on Stanford University's creative writing program website. (Courtney was a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford from 2017 to 2019.)

Courtney — whose first poetry collection, Our Lady of Not Asking Why, was published in 2017 — won several awards, including the Rattle Poetry Prize Readers’ Choice Award in 2014.

In her husband's Instagram post, he did not give a cause of death, but Sportskeeda reports that Courtney was rumored to have been involved in a fatal car accident.

Will wrote a tribute to his wife on Nov. 15, posting a short statement alongside a photo of them in matching gray sweatshirts. He said, "There are no words but I have to try. My sweet Courtney passed away this weekend. She was my best friend, the smartest, funniest and kindest person I’ve ever known. And was and always will be my dream girl. I love you forever, baby doll."

Similarly, fellow columnist Elizabeth Foss wrote a lengthy Facebook post dedicated to her friend, which concluded, "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."

Fans and well-wishers hope for the best for Will and his family. Those wishing to honor Courtney's memory might want to pick up a copy of her poetry collection, available now wherever books are sold.