Photo by Christy Oaks

Photo by Christy Oaks

They skipped most of high school, studied psychology and theater in college, and obtained a master’s degree in clinical psychology before running away from academia to become a writer. They’ve worked a series of odd jobs including door-to-door knife salesperson, graduate research mentor, and comedy sketch writer for a variety stage show that never got off the ground.

During the pandemic, Shaw learned to code and now puts some of their creative energy into building applications and webpages. Their other creative endeavors involve music and yarn, but writing fiction is what they love best. They are a co-founder of an online writers’ group obsessed with all things weird, dark, and beautiful.

They live in St. Louis where they subsist largely on white tea and Benadryl because they're allergic to everything--including themselves--possibly from that laboratory mouse bite. Currently, they’re busy writing a novel and teaching Java and JavaScript.

About the Author

S.L. Coney’s short story “Abandoned Places” was selected for 2017’s Best American Mystery Stories and their story “Prey” was listed as one of the strongest new works at Gamut Magazine by Ellen Datlow.

They grew up in a family of artists and scientists. Their father, a biologist, had a habit of bringing interesting things home from work: a frog dissection kit—put to use on the kitchen table much to Shaw’s mother’s displeasure—a stunned screech owl that was rehabilitated in the home, and a bucketful of laboratory mice, one of which bit Shaw. Sadly, Shaw did not develop superpowers.

 
Where are you going?

Where are you going?