Shannon J. Effinger holds a B.A. in English & American Literature from the College of Arts & Science at New York University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) from Sarah Lawrence College. She has worked with author/playwright, Clifford Mason, on The African-American Bookshelf: 50 Must-reads from Before the Civil War Through Today. She is the former literary editor of Brownstone magazine, an NYU student-run publication that is dedicated to issues facing people of color. Her work has appeared in several online and print publications including All About Jazz, Hang Proud, and Short & Sweet NYC. Currently she is an arts & music writer living in Brooklyn, New York.