Williams grew up in San Jose and Fremont, California and graduated from Washington High School in Fremont. She later attended Ohlone College, then moved to Santa Rosa, California, and attended, then taught graphic design and typography at, Santa Rosa Junior College. In 2011, she received an MA degree from Brunel University, London, in Shakespeare Authorship studies, and in 2014 she completed a doctoral dissertation for the same university; her doctorate is on the history (and future) of reading Shakespeare—out loud and in community, with an emphasis on editorial practice.