Annie Hawkins grew up in rural Oxford, North Carolina. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in English and began her professional career as a high school English teacher. She went on to earn a doctorate in Special Education from the University of Cincinnati. She is a retired college professor whose passions have always been teaching and writing. She has written poetry and short stories since she was a teenager. Coming to kNOw Why the Rhino Charges, is her first attempt at fiction.

Annie lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, Franklin. They have three adult children and eight grandchildren.