Cai Emmons
Caroline “Cai” Eddy Emmons | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 15, 1951 |
| Died | January 2, 2023 |
| Occupation | novelist, dramatist/playwright, screenwriter, teacher |
| Education | Yale University, BA New York University Tisch School of the Arts, MFA film (Thesis film won Student Academy Award) University of Oregon, MFA fiction |
| Spouse | married |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | |
| caiemmonsauthor | |
Cai Emmons (1951 – 2023) was an award-winning American author. Emmons died on January 2, 2023, at the age of 71 years old. The cause of death was ruled ALS.[1][2][3]
Books
- His Mother’s Son[4] (Harcourt, 2003) Oregon Book Award: Ken Kesey Award for the Novel, Booksense and Literary Guild selection
- The Stylist[5] (HarperCollins, 2007)
- Weather Woman[6] (Red Hen Press, 2018) Nautilus Book Award, shortlisted for the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize
- Vanishing: Five Stories[7] (Leapfrog Press, 2020) Winner of the 2019 Leapfrog Global Fiction Prize
- Sinking Islands[8] (Red Hen Press, 2021) May Sarton Award, Montaigne Award Finalist, [sequel to Weather Woman]
- Unleashed[9] (Dutton, 2022)
- Livid (Red Hen Press, 2022)
Plays
“Mergatroid” and “When Petulia Comes,” teleplays for the CBS series The Trials of Rosie O’Neill.
Personal life
In 2021, Emmons received a diagnosis that explained troubling physical symptoms she had been experiencing: Bulbar-onset ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease). Bulbar ALS, a neuromuscular disease, first attacks muscles of the head and neck, including vocal cords.[10]
She continued to write, sending her final manuscript for a novel to the publisher just before her death. It is scheduled for release in October 2025.[11]
When her condition deteriorated significantly, she determined to pursue the option allowed under Oregon law known as Death with Dignity.
Legacy
Cai Emmons Fiction Award, Red Hen Press. To honor the life and legacy of novelist Cai Emmons
Vanishing: A Love Story, Documentary feature-length film, Ojeda Films, 2025. Sandra Luckow, Director; Sandra Luckow, Kat Vecchio, Producers; Sheila Nevins and Paul Calandrino, Executive Producers; Quentin Chiappetta, Composer.
References
- ^ Turnquist, Kristi (January 6, 2023). "Eugene-based author Cai Emmons, who wrote about living with a fatal ALS diagnosis, dies at 71". oregonlive.
- ^ Berry, Lorraine (January 3, 2023). "What novelist Cai Emmons taught us about how to die". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Berry, Lorraine (August 31, 2022). "'A roaring from my body': Novelist Cai Emmons on writing while running out of time". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "HIS MOTHER'S SON by Cai Emmons". Publishers Weekly.
- ^ "The Stylist by Cai Emmons". Publishers Weekly.
- ^ "A TV meteorologist takes the elements by storm in 'Weather Woman,' Eugene author's latest novel". oregonlive. December 13, 2018.
- ^ "Identity is the thread running through Oregon author Cai Emmons' new short story collection, 'Vanishing'". oregonlive. May 10, 2020.
- ^ "A Conversation With Cai Emmons About Her Novel, Sinking Islands". Writer's Digest. September 13, 2021.
- ^ "Unleashed by Cai Emmons". Publishers Weekly.
- ^ Hillel, A. D.; Miller, R. (1989). "Bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: patterns of progression and clinical management". Head & Neck. 11 (1): 51–59. doi:10.1002/hed.2880110110. ISSN 1043-3074. PMID 2921111.
- ^ "The Bells: A Novel by Cai Emmons, Paperback". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 25 June 2025.