Danielle (Danne Smith) Mathis, a graduate of the University of Southern California’s (USC) prestigious Master of Professional Writing (MPW) program, began her writing career at the early age of nine when she kept a poetic journal of her memorable experiences during the 1968 Newark riots. At the age of 17, the native New Jerseyan went on to attend Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA) as a Creative Writing major with a minor in Pre-Law. ###
