water & sword

a storytelling studio

my offerings

At Water & Sword, I currently offer three core communications services that support thoughtful, mission-driven professionals, creatives, and organizations in clarifying and sharing their work online:

Narrative-Driven Website Design— custom Squarespace website design rooted in storytelling, voice, and strategy

Brand Renaissance & Visual Distillation— narrative and visual brand strategy work that helps clients clarify the story, tone, visual language, and overall feeling of their public presence across platforms

Digital Storytelling Systems — ongoing editorial and digital communications support, including thoughtfully structured social media management, messaging strategy, and newsletters designed to help clients maintain a sustainable and cohesive online presence

About Me

Hi, I’m Sojourner Ahebee!

I was born in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa to an African American mother and an Ivoirien father. In 2002, civil war struck Côte d'Ivoire and at seven, I was forced to relocate to Philadelphia, where my first and deepest longing — the longing for homeland — took hold of me, giving birth to my first poem.

As a nearly life-long resident of Philadelphia, I am shaped by this city’s bounty of porches and the sound of my grandmother’s voice calling me home.

I spent the last few years working as a journalist and audio producer for national outlets including WHYY's science podcast, The Pulse, and MSNBC’s politics podcast Into America, telling deeply-reported stories about health and education.

Since then, I wrote a children’s book (forthcoming from Scholastic in 2028) about about my grandmother’s childhood in rural North Carolina, and expanded my writing practice into creative communications.

Today, through my communications and web design studio, Water & Sword, I partner with artists, mission-driven organizations, and creative entrepreneurs to:

  • Design websites that serve as digital homes for creative and mission-driven work

  • Develop brand identity, visual direction, and cohesive design systems that can be used across platforms

  • Create simple communications strategy, digital materials, and systems that help clients show up online consistently

When I’m not working, I’m talking to my ancestors at my altar, watching old Black films, and adding new entries to my digital garden.

Recent Project

Building a Digital Home for an Artist

A year after her New York Theater Festival debut, writer and artist Genara Cristina Necos hired me to design and develop a bold, expressive, and narratively-layered website that documents her recently produced play, bears witness to the Caribbean lineage that binds her, and the many oceans and creations that spill out of her in response.

  • "Sojourner created my website and I cannot thank her enough. She invested time and energy in my project. She researched my purpose and creative objectives and synthesized them into an insightful, lyrical story. She was thorough, patient, and saw the bits and pieces to develop a whole image."

    Genara Cristina Necos, Playwright & Former Client

Recent Project

Narrative Strategy for A Medical Student Scholarship

I developed a narrative-driven scholarship campaign for The Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania, resulting in a 156% increase in applications and stronger engagement through scholar-centered storytelling.

Let’s Work Together !

If you're interested in working with me, complete my client intake form and include a few details about your project. I’ll review your message and get back to you soon!