Emily Nemens, Writer, Editor, Illustrator, & Educator
In residence, March 6-26
Bloedel Reserve is thrilled to welcome Emily Nemens as a Creative Resident. Writers often speak of finding their voice. For Emily Nemens, voice has never belonged to just one medium. It lives in prose and paint, in editorial vision and classroom dialogue, in the quiet discipline of craft and the expansive collaboration of literary community. Her career reflects a rare synthesis, one that moves fluidly between writing, editing, illustrating, and teaching, while remaining rooted in a lifelong devotion to storytelling.
Emily’s debut novel, The Cactus League, a Los Angeles Times Bestseller and a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, introduced readers to her distinctive narrative sensibility. Named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR and Lit Hub, The Cactus League is set against the sunlit backdrop of spring training baseball, the novel explores ambition, identity, and the fragile moments that shape us. With its layered structure and emotional clarity, the book established Emily as a novelist attuned to both the intimate and the expansive.
Her second novel, Clutch, released in February 2026, marks an exciting new chapter in her creative journey. Like much of her work, it reflects her ongoing fascination with pressure, performance, and the human stories unfolding beneath public surfaces.
Learn more about Emily here. Join Emily for ‘Writing in the Garden‘ on March 24th at Bloedel Reserve.
