Aleyna Rentz is a writer and photographer based in Baltimore.

She grew up in rural Southwest Georgia with her six brothers and sisters, a background that inspired much of the writing she finished at Johns Hopkins University, where she completed an MFA in creative writing. Her short story collection, The Land of Uz, was a finalist for the 2021 St. Lawrence Book Award from Black Lawrence Press. She has also won a 2023 Pushcart Prize, first place in Pleiades‘ 2019 R.M. Kinder Realistic Fiction contest, and third place in Glimmer Train‘s Jan/Feb 2018 Short Story Award for New Writers. She currently serves as senior fiction reader for Salamander Magazine. 

In addition to writing, Aleyna is currently available for booking as a photographer in Baltimore and the larger DMV area. She was recently featured in F-Stop Magazine’s group exhibition “The Portrait 2022,” and her travel photography has been used widely in various publications and projects.