Nala Washington

Biography

Best of the Net Nominee Nala Washington (she/her) is a poet, writer, and educator completing her MFA at Texas State University. You can find her words currently/forthcoming in Remington Review, South Florida Poetry Journal, Midnight & Indigo Lit, The Hemlock Journal, Mouthful of Salt, The Santa Clara Review, Livina Press, Essay Magazine, among others. 

Born and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Washington earned her BA in Creative Writing from Susquehanna University. She currently teaches Expository Writing to undergraduates at Texas State University. As a Spoken Word Artist, she competed with the D.C. team at the 2020 Brave New Voices Festival, performed at the Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America Series in 2020, and has opened for acclaimed poets including Ebony Stewart and Christopher Michael. 

Her honors include the 2023 BIPOC Scholarship from the Fine Arts Work Center, placement on the Poetry Longlist for the 2025 and 2026 DISQUIET Literary Prize, and fourth place in The Hemlock Journal Writing Contest (Volume 2). Washington is an active participant in Austin Poetry Slam and Every Word Poetry. 

She loves pasta, multicolored roses, and laughing for absolutely no reason at all. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook at @that.poetgirl to keep up with her publications and performances as well as read her CanvasRebel Interview here: Meet Nala Washington – CanvasRebel Magazine