writing about economic inequality + more
Hi there, I'm Kalena, a freelance writer and researcher living in Pittsburgh. As a journalist, I focus on poverty, inequality, and the wide world of social policy, meaning I write about all sorts of topics related to class, labor, economic policy, and more.
I was previously at The American Prospect, where I wrote about anti-hunger programs, reproductive rights, and other stories about the consequences of inequality.
My work has also appeared in The Progressive, Capital & Main, The New Republic, Mother Jones, Dollars and Sense, Ms. Magazine, The Nation, Smart Cities Dive, In These Times, The Guardian, Bolts, The Week, Quartz, Waging Nonviolence, Newsweek, and more. I'm also interested in how place connects people and influences their lives, so I also write about culture, history, and travel across my adopted home state of Pennsylvania for local outlets.
I have a master's degree in public policy, with a concentration in social policy, from the Ford School at the University of Michigan. And though I now spend a lot of time being cold, I'm originally from a small town in the Deep South, where I grew up writing stories and developing a deep love of tomato mayo sandwiches.
I was previously at The American Prospect, where I wrote about anti-hunger programs, reproductive rights, and other stories about the consequences of inequality.
My work has also appeared in The Progressive, Capital & Main, The New Republic, Mother Jones, Dollars and Sense, Ms. Magazine, The Nation, Smart Cities Dive, In These Times, The Guardian, Bolts, The Week, Quartz, Waging Nonviolence, Newsweek, and more. I'm also interested in how place connects people and influences their lives, so I also write about culture, history, and travel across my adopted home state of Pennsylvania for local outlets.
I have a master's degree in public policy, with a concentration in social policy, from the Ford School at the University of Michigan. And though I now spend a lot of time being cold, I'm originally from a small town in the Deep South, where I grew up writing stories and developing a deep love of tomato mayo sandwiches.