Sala Elise Patterson is a writer interested in stories that reveal untold truths, highlight unsung heroes and celebrate hidden beauty.

She began her career as an editor at Condé Nast Traveler Magazine and has since written about art, culture, and design for The Atlantic, The New York Times, KINFOLK, Vogue Italia, British Journal of Photography, and Harvard Design Magazine, where she is a contributing writer. A serial expatriate (eight countries on five continents) and linguist (five languages), Sala brings a cross-cultural perspective to every story she writes.

Sala holds degrees from Columbia University (BA) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (MSc). She is the founding director of The Songhai Group, a boutique strategy firm, and she is a Trustee of The Phillips Collection, a modern and contemporary art museum in Washington, DC.