Rita Lorraine Hubbard is a former teacher of over 20 years who now writes historical children’s books about people who overcome odds with heart and courage. She is the author of The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read, which won the 2022 Texas Bluebonnet award; Hammering for Freedom, which won the 2012 Lee and Low New Voices award; and African Americans of Chattanooga: A History of Unsung Heroes, which won the 2014 East Tennessee Preservation Award. Rita Lorraine Hubbard recently received the 2024 Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Award and is a long-standing member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).