Lena was born in New York City, grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, and is currently an MFA candidate and writing instructor at UMass Amherst. Lena received a BA in History from Barnard College, where they received the Peter S Prescott Prize in Prose Writing and the Tow Research Fellowship. They are the author of Townie Summer, a feature-length screenplay, and have published work in Tricycle Magazine, Corporeal/Khora, Second Factory, and elsewhere. Lena lives in Florence, MA.