Dan Simmons is a highly acclaimed American author, known for his works in the science fiction, horror, fantasy, and thriller/mystery genres. He is best known for his Hyperion Cantos series. Simmons was born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1948 and grew up in various cities and small towns in the Midwest. He received a B.A. in English from Wabash College in 1970 and a Master's in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. After completing his education, Simmons worked in elementary education for 18 years, spending the last four years of his teaching career creating and coordinating an extensive gifted/talented program serving 19 elementary schools and some 15,000 potential students.
Simmons quickly gained recognition in the literary field with the release of his first novel, Song of Kali, in 1985, which won the World Fantasy Award. Since then, he has published books in the U.S., Canada, and 27 foreign countries, becoming a favorite among readers around the world. His writing is known for its depth and complexity, often spanning multiple genres and exploring profound themes. Simmons' ability to create vivid and memorable characters and worlds has earned him a reputation as one of the most talented and respected authors in the genre.
In addition to his work as a novelist, Simmons is also an advocate for the teaching of writing and has created his own "Writing Well" curriculum, which he used in his own classroom to help his students achieve junior-year high school writing ability by the end of the 6th grade. He has also worked as a national language-arts consultant and enjoys visiting college writing classes and teaching in writing programs for adults. Simmons is currently considering hosting his own Windwalker Writers' Workshop.
Simmons' first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He has been a full-time writer since 1987 and lives along the Front Range of Colorado with his wife, Karen, and daughter, Jane. He does much of his writing at Windwalker, their mountain property and cabin at 8,400 feet of altitude at the base of the Continental Divide. An 8-ft.-tall sculpture of the Shrike, a character from the Hyperion/Endymion novels, stands guard near the isolated cabin, sculpted by an ex-student and friend, Clee Richeson.