Sakena is a writer and storyteller based in Pittsburgh, PA.

Sakena Jwan Washington (she/her) is a Pittsburgh boomeranger, writer, and communications strategist. She was recently named the 2024-25 Emerging Black Writer-in-Residence at Chatham University where she taught MFA in Creative Writing students while developing a limited-edition chapbook titled, Self-Conscious. This collection of personal essays was published in February 2026 by The Fourth River. As a resident at Chatham, she guest edited for Tributaries, the weekly online publication for The Fourth River. Her work has appeared in Bellevue Literary Review, Huffington Post, Jellyfish Review, and others. In 2021, her flash essay, "The Blood Remains" was nominated for the 2021 Best of the Net anthology. She is also one of five Pittsburgh-based storytellers who documented the public art project, "Art in Parks" in the city's Allegheny Regional Asset District parks. She studied English at Clark Atlanta University and earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University, Los Angeles.

In addition to her creative work, Sakena is a trusted collaborator for mission-driven organizations. She specializes in editorial storytelling, op-ed writing, speechwriting, and translating complex topics into human-centered narratives. As a long-time writer for the Gates Foundation, she’s helped shape storytelling initiatives for Goalkeepers and the Ideas platform.