She was born on August 27, 1965 in Oberlin, Ohio, but was raised in Seattle. She attended Oberlin College and enrolled in the University of Washington's school of drama. She would later get her her Masters from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. In her 20s, she began her career as an actor and photographer. Inspired by French director Claire Denis, she set her sights on being a filmmaker, but didn't direct her first movie until she was forty years one. Her debut movie was We Go Way Back in 2006. Although that film didn't make her well-known in the industry, she would eventually directed a film in 2009 that would gain attention. That film was Humpday, which starred Joshua Leonard and Alycia Delmore.
Here is a tweet from Amy Talkington (https://twitter.com/amytalkington/status/1261777070612287488), who worked with Lynn Shelton on one of the episodes of Little Fires Everywhere, on the passing of her colleague and friend:
Source material: TheWrap.com