Chukfi Rabbit’s Big, Bad Bellyache: A Trickster Tale by Greg Rodgers (Choctaw)(Cinco Puntos, 2013) won the children’s division of the Oklahoma Book Award. Note: Finders Keepers by Roy Deering (RoadRunner) won the YA division. See more information about the Oklahoma Book Awards. See also A Remembrance of Choctaw Writer Greg Rodgers by Debbie Reese from American Indians in Children’s Literature.
Nikki Garcia, Assistant Editor at Little, Brown: How I Got Into Publishing from CBC Diversity. Peek: “…deciding to be an editor was much easier than actually convincing someone to let me be one. Once I was finished with my classes, I hit the pavement and had an informational interview with anyone who’d meet with me.”
Talents & Skills Thesaurus Entry: Musicality by Becca Puglisi from Writers Helping Writers. Peek: “…having an ear for pitch; being able to hear parts, as opposed to only melodies; being able to recreate a piece of music once it has been heard; having a basic understanding of music theory.”
Be A More Productive Writer While Also Achieving Balance by Jordan Rosenfeld from Jane Friedman. Peek: “Intentions are daily motivators in small, manageable pieces; they spur you into action and carry out your tasks on the way to your goals.”
The Top 20 Middle Grade Agents by Darcy Pattison from Fiction Notes. Note: Not all agents report all of their sales to Publishers Marketplace. See also Darcy on the Top 20 YA Agents.
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| Autism on the Page series |
Happy Endings and Overcoming Autism by Corrine Duyvis from Disability in Kidlit. Peek: “In this trope, autism is the bad guy, the obstacle to be overcome. It’s not seen as just a difference, but as something to be fixed and mitigated in a way that other, supposedly ‘normal’ character traits aren’t.”
Native American Representation in Children’s Literature: Challenging the “People of the Past” Narrative by Julie Stivers from Debbie Reese at American Indians in Children’s Literature. Peek: “No books by non-Native authors were set after 1950, whereas 75% of books by Native authors were, with 2/3 of books written by Native authors set in present day.”
Caitlyn Dlouhy Gets Imprint at Atheneum by Natasha Gilmore from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing will launch a new imprint under Atheneum Books, called Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, helmed by the editor of the same name who has worked with such authors as Laurie Halse Anderson, Ashley Bryan, David Small, and Sharon Draper in her 16 years with the company. Dlouhy was previously v-p and editorial director at Atheneum.”
Survey Reveals Demographic of SLJ Reviewers by Kathy Ishizuka from School Library Journal. Peek: “The vast majority of reviewers for School Library Journal (SLJ) are white (88.8 percent) and female (95 percent), according to a recent survey by the magazine.”
10 Books by Asian-American Authors by Audrey from Rich In Color. Peek: “…with Asian-Pacific American Month around the corner…”
What Is Día de los niños/Día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day)? 5 Questions for Pat Mora by Hannah Ehrlich from Lee & Low. Peek: “Día strengthens communities because it brings diverse children and families together to celebrate all our children and to connect them to bookjoy. Día is a year-long commitment to share literacy creatively with culminating celebrations held in April on or near April 30th.”
Green Earth Book Awards
2015 Green Earth Book Award Winners Announced from The Nature Generation:
Picture Book: The Promise, by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin (Candlewick).
Children’s Fiction: Deep Blue, written by Jennifer Donnelly (Hyperion).
Young Adult Fiction: Threatened, written by Eliot Schrefer (Scholastic).
Children’s Nonfiction: Plastic, Ahoy!: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by Patricia Newman and illustrated by Annie Crawley (Millbrook).
Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlines by Paul Fleischman (Candlewick).
See honor books and more information, including synopsis of each book.
Cynsational Giveaways
- Anywhere But Paradise by Anne Bustard (Egmont/Lerner, 2015)
- Valiant by Sarah McGuire (Egmont/Lerner, 2015)
This Week at Cynsations
- Mary Amato on Behind the Scenes of the Art in Good Crooks
- New Voice Sarah McGuire on the Highlights Foundation Workshops and Worldbuilding in Valiant
- Tara Altebrando on Story Building & My Life in Dioramas
More Personally
It’s a short week at Cynsations, as I’m off to Saratoga Springs today!
Congratulations to Debbi Michiko Florence for signing with Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary Agency, and congratulations to Tricia on signing Debbi!
Highlights of my week included finally meeting in person this gorgeous, brilliant & inspiring author-actress-singer-filmmaker, who I first met online back in 2007 on MySpace–lucky me!
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| Florida YA author Shayne Leighton at 24 Diner in Austin. |
Personal Links
- Quest for Queena
- Haiku Hoedown: Typewriter Rodeo
- Austin SCBWI Member Interview: Jo Whittemore
- What Men Can Expect in a Relationship with a Strong Woman
- ALA’s Top 10 Most Frequently Challenged Books & A Story About Banning that Backfired
Cynsational Events
Join Cynthia from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. May 2 at Saratoga Springs Public Library for a celebration in conjunction with Saratoga Reads! at Saratoga Springs, New York. Note: Cynthia will be presenting Jingle Dancer (2000), Rain Is Not My Indian Name (2001) and Indian Shoes (2002)(all published by HarperColllins).
We Need Diverse Books YA Author Panel, moderated by Cynthia, will take place at 1 p.m. May 17 at BookPeople in Austin. Peek: “After the public event, the authors will host a writing workshop at BookPeople. Space for the workshop is limited.” RSVP ASAP.
Join Cynthia at 11 a.m. May 30 in conjunction with the YA Book Club at Cedar Park Public Library in Cedar Park, Texas.
Cynthia will serve as the master class faculty member from June 19 to June 21 at the VCFA Alumni Mini-Residency in Montpelier, Vermont.
Cynthia will speak from June 25 to June 30 on a We Need Diverse Books panel at the 2015 Annual Conference of the American Library Association in San Francisco.
Join Cynthia from July 30 to Aug. 2 at GeekyCon in Orlando, Florida. See more information.
Cynthia Leitich Smith will lead a YA Writing Retreat for A Room of Her Own Foundation from Aug. 10 to Aug. 16 at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico.
Cynthia will lead a breakout session on “Diversity in Children’s and YA
Literature” Aug. 22 at East Texas Book Fest at the Harvey Hall
Convention Center in Tyler, Texas.
Cynthia will appear Sept. 19 at the Mansfield, Texas Book Festival.
Always love your juicy and informative posts! Thank you for the sweet shout out! Enjoy Saratoga Springs! xo
You got to meet Shayne!! She looks gorgeous. I actually recognized her before I saw the caption on the picture. And strawberry waffles – the perfect breakfast choice. A girl after my own heart. 🙂