Lee Cataluna was born on Maui to a Part-Hawaiian father and a Portuguese mother. She has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from University of California, Riverside. After college in California, she came home to Hawai'i to start a career in journalism.

Her work for theater includes commissions from La Jolla Playhouse (What the Stars See at Night); Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ipu); Arena Stage (Emma Riot); and San Francisco Playhouse (Sons of Maui). Her script Funeral Attire won the Von Marie Atchley Excellence in Playwriting Award from Native Voices at the Autry. Her play Heart Strings received a ReImagine: New Plays in TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) grant and was developed at Atlantic Theater Company, New York City. Her play Home of the Brave is produced in schools around the country.

Her books include Folks You Meet in Longs and Three Years on Doreen's Sofa, both published by Bamboo Ridge Press, and Ordinary 'Ohana, published by Bess Press. She also has a piece published in the Dramatic Publishing anthology I Have a Story: Plays from an Extraordinary Year.