Anna Katherine (Clemmons) Clay is a freelance writer and an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Media Studies at the University of Virginia. She is a 17-year veteran writer, reporter and producer for ESPN, where she wrote everything from 5,000-word features for Outside the Lines to technical breakdowns for ESPN the Magazine. She has produced video features for ESPN's 'Monday Night Countdown,' 'SportsCenter,' ESPN the Magazine's 'Body Issue,' and more. Her reporting adventures have included riding on a combine harvester with former NFL wide receiver Jordy Nelson on his Kansas farm and watching a backyard game of H-O-R-S-E between former NBA great Dell Curry and his older son, three-time NBA MVP Steph Curry (she won’t reveal who won).
In addition to her continued ESPN work, Anna Katherine has written stories for numerous publications, including: The New York Times, Glamour Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Afar media, Bloomberg Businessweek, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Hemispheres, Longreads, SB Nation, GQ Sports, Men’s Journal, Men’s Health, Bleacher Report, Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine and more. She assisted in editing the first draft of Keith Hernandez’s memoir, ‘I’m Keith Hernandez;’ the feature film rights to her longform feature on a Houston high school men’s soccer team were optioned in January of 2019 by a production arm of FOX films.
A 2001 graduate of Davidson College, Anna Katherine obtained her B.A. in English. She is an official member of the American Society of Journalists & Authors (ASJA), the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the Association of Women in Sports Media (AWSM).
An Assistant Professor of Practice in the Media Studies department at the University of Virginia, Anna Katherine has enjoyed guest speaking in various places, including: serving as a keynote panelist at Davidson College’s 50 Years of CoEducation Celebration in the fall of 2023; ASJA’s 2022 annual conference, where she was a highlighted speaker; the Association of Women in Sports Media’s 2022 Convention; New York University; UNC Chapel Hill; Georgetown University; and her graduate school alma mater, Boston University, where she obtained a Master’s of Science in Journalism in 2005. She lives in Charlottesville with her husband, Matt, and their sons, Connor (10) and Sam (8).
