A New England native, Zana graduated from Wellesley College in 2005 with a BA in English. She went on to earn her MFA in fiction at the University of California, Irvine, an MFA in poetry at the University of Idaho, and served as the 2014 Emerging Writer-in-Residence at Penn State Altoona. She taught English literature in universities and independent schools across the country, including Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C., The College Preparatory School in Oakland, California, and The Ellis School in Pittsburgh. At Taft, Zana teaches English, directs the Teaching Fellows Program, coaches thirds field hockey, and lives in Mac House with husband, Ryan, and cat, Hastings.