Cynsational News - Cynthia Leitich Smith

By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole, Mitu Malhotra, and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations

Spotlight Image: Stories Are the Heart of the World by Laurel Goodluck, illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2026).

Author/Illustrator Insights

Graphic Novelist Offers Representation for ADHD Kids by Alisa M. Libby from Simmons University. Peek: [Damian Alexander:] “In a work of fiction, even though there are elements from my own experience, I can play with it more to tell a good story. With a memoir, the content is there, but putting it together is difficult. You have puzzle pieces and have to figure out how they fit. With fiction, you can create your own puzzle pieces.”

Five Questions for Chanel Miller from The Horn Book. Peek: “I was always struck by how words on a page could create an enduring emotional blow. To me books are valuable because they’re confirmation that someone out there has gone through something similar. They’re the closest thing we have to stepping into someone else’s consciousness, collecting clues on how to get through life.”

Four Questions for Channelle Desamours by Patricia J. Murphy from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “[C]rafting teenaged characters [is] challenging, but in a good way, because they’re on the border between childhood and adulthood….[P]art of writing authentic teens is trying to create characters who think they’re a whole lot more grown up than they really are, yet are far less childlike than the adults in their lives believe them to be.”

Creator Interview: Jenna Elysa Johnson on Highlighting Disability Joy and Breaking Through Acquisitions Red Tape from Christine Alemshah, Kidlit Author. Peek: “Keep reading! Take the class. Apply for the mentorship. Listen to the podcast. Go for the grant. Do the thing! You are already in it to win it so believe in yourself. Sometimes the biggest battle is belief. You’ve got to root for yourself and be your own biggest fan….[I]f you keep at it…[y]ou will grow.”

Equity & Inclusion

Author Brian Lee Young…Shares Experiences as a Writer and Filmmaker by Sienna Kim from The Hotchkiss Record. Peek: “She [Brian’s maternal grandmother] took the sheep out. The sheep returned; she didn’t. Five years later, she returned and said that she had survived a boarding school…Not everyone knows about the era of ‘Kill the Indian, Save the Man.’ For me, growing up, it was always in the background conversations…like everyone vaguely knew, but not what really happened.”

Anna Sortino on Why She Writes About Disabled Characters Living Their Lives and Falling in Love by Anna Sortino from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “I was inspired to write based on my own life, in which disability has always been a throughline….[T]here’s so much self-exploration to be done in the context of disability—especially at that formative time when you’re trying to define who you are and who you might be in connection with other people.”

We Discuss Bing’s Cherries With Julia Kuo and Livia Blackburne by Betsy Bird from School Library Journal. Peek: [Julia Kuo:] “As an Asian American growing up in the 90s, everything felt very binary, either white or Asian but rarely a mix of both….Young me would have loved to have an Asian American folk hero to proclaim: not only do we belong, but we have always been here, making a difference.”

For AANHPI Heritage Month, Representation Is Just the First Step by Kristina Wong, with Theodore Chao, Jenessa Joffe and Anna Michelle Wang from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “We’re…happy that the AANHPI children’s book market has exploded in the past few years, with so many books featuring Asian American stories. We love reading these…But we know that kids want more than just seeing themselves. They want to know how to make a difference, how to fight for justice, and how to build thriving communities.”

A Home on the Page: An Interview With Author Kao Kalia Yang from Lerner Books. Peek: “Writing has been a lifelong tool for me to hold on to hope. Born a stateless child in a refugee camp, as a member of the Hmong minority, I’ve never had the benefit of a homeland. A guest, a newcomer, sometimes…an interloper—I’ve been writing in search of home for as long as I can remember.”

Five Questions for Lesa Cline-Ransome About the Greater Roxbury Book Fair from The Horn Book. Peek: “I love telling the untold…stories from history. History was never my favorite subject growing up…because I didn’t see myself or anyone who looked like me in historical accounts. But Black people have always been here—inventing, creating, solving, building, fighting for liberty, and the stories that reveal the fullness of our history deserve to be told.”

We Need Diverse Books is accepting applications from traditionally published authors and illustrators to serve as mentors for their 2027 Mentorship Program. Mentors work one-on-one with their mentee to further develop their manuscripts over the course of a calendar year, offering advice to improve their craft and insight to better understand the publishing industry.

Writing Craft

Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow: Write That Story That Is Hard To Write by Robert Lee Brewer from Writers Digest. Peek: “My task was to take some complex ideas…and make that all make sense in a story for little kids. Whenever I’m struggling with a WIP, I switch up writing methods and tools. I can’t tell you how many times I went from notebook, to computer, to scrapbooking, and back again…trying to simplify it all and find coherence.”

Guest Byron Graves with Susan Levy from Native Talk Arizona. Peek: [Writing Advice:] “Reading is big…[F]inding books that are similar to the ones you want to write…can get [you] an idea of how you want to structure them…Find[] books on how to write…Save the Cat is one of my favorite books for looking at the blueprint or template of a book…And just have fun….”

Interview With Tracey Baptiste by Julia Smith from Pine Reads Review. Peek: “[E]arly in my process I tend to use sticky notes, and the ideas are so small that they can very easily be jotted down in a phrase or a simple word…[T]hen I put those up on the wall in my office. And eventually, once I’m looking at them, I start seeing the connections between the things….”

Debut Author To Watch: Kauakanilehua Māhoe Adams by Laura Simeon from Kirkus Reviews. Peek: “Writing poetry comes with built-in safeguards. The form demands careful consideration of each and every word—of the word itself and where it ultimately lands on the page. I used the form to my advantage, focusing only on weaving the most important threads of the story and then trusting the reader to fill in the rest.”

YA Author Stacey Lee on Writing the Stories of America by Shelley M. Diaz from School Library Journal. Peek: [Researching historical novels:] “I’m drawn to moments of transition—times when place, power, and belonging were unsettled…it’s a small detail that draws me in: a teapot uncovered during a construction excavation, or a cemetery inhabited only by Chinese laborers. I always start with a map…From there, I read history books, consult experts, visit museums, and immerse myself in primary materials….”

Agent Interview: Ashlee MacCallum (Howland Literary) by Ryan G. Van Cleave from Only Picture Books. Peek: “[V]oice is critical…in children’s books. For picture books in particular, voice…[is] about how much personality each word carries. When you have a limited number of words to tell a story, every sentence has to do multiple jobs like reveal character, create tone, move the story forward, and of course,…sound fun and engaging when read aloud!”

Libraries

Reading Rainbow Host Mychal Threets Wants Debut Kids Book to Teach People “They Belong in the Library” by Carly Tagen-Dye from People Magazine. Peek: “There’s a kid who’s blind, who’s reading braille. There’s a kid who’s unhoused, there’s kids with two dads, there’s kids who are there with their abuela…We want people to know that they belong in the library…And perhaps once you know that you belong in the library, then you accept that you belong everywhere.”

Movers & Shakers 2026 by Executive Editor Lisa Peet from Library Journal. Peek: “Movers & Shakers…shine a light on the ways—often simple (but not easy), often incremental, nearly always rooted in great care and concern—that library workers are supporting their communities. They are getting kids enthused about reading, safeguarding government data, providing options for justice-impacted individuals, ensuring diversity in collections, standing up to censorship,…and more.”

The 2026 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition takes place June 25 – 29 in Chicago. Featured speakers who write children’s books include Lois Lowry, Melissa Villaseñor and Bill Porter. See the schedule here. Register for the conference here.

Booksellers

The American Booksellers Association Children’s Institute (Ci2026) takes place June 26 – 29 in Schaumburg, IL, near Chicago and O’Hare International Airport. The event offers “four days of educational programming, keynote talks, author receptions, publisher parties, and dedicated time to network with booksellers, authors, and publishers from around the country.” Registration is open.

Applications Open for Macmillan Professional Development Scholarship from Shelf Awareness. Peek: “Applications are open for the Macmillan Booksellers Professional Development Scholarship, a partnership between the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation and Macmillan Publishers that provides eight grants of $750 each to booksellers traditionally underrepresented within the industry to attend their region’s fall trade show. Applications will be accepted until June 1.” Apply here.

Marketing

Five Ways To Make Your Book Relevant to the Media by Sandra Beckwith from Build Book Buzz. Peek: “You don’t have to spend anything to get the kind of media exposure that’s at least 10 times more effective than advertising…1. Plug in to the news…2. Study your target media outlets for format and approach…3. Connect your topic to what’s making news…4. Stay current on your topic…5. Monitor publishing industry developments.”

Publishing

Tokyopop Kids Imprint Launching from Shelf Awareness. Peek: “Tokyopop is launching Tokyopop Kids, an imprint for younger readers that will publish manga, graphic novels, picture books, chapter books, middle-grade novels, and Spanish-language titles aimed at children up to 12 years old. [Publisher Marc Visnick:] ‘Tokyopop Kids…[will offer] inclusive, imaginative, and high-quality titles that appeal to kids, parents, educators, and librarians.’”

Marble Press Acquires CamCat Publishing Assets from B&T by Sam Spratford from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “San Francisco–based publisher Marble Press has acquired the catalog and intellectual property assets of CamCat Books from Baker & Taylor…in an asset purchase….The transaction includes 124 adult and YA titles….Marble plans to publish 10-15 new YA and adult titles under the CamCat banner per year.”

Education/Other Resources/Events

The American Indian Library Association‘s (AILA) 2026 American Indian Youth Literature Awards (AITLA) Celebration and Reception takes place June 28 at the American Indian Center, 3401 W. Ainslie St., Chicago IL, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. pacific. The event is free and open to the public. Organized by AILA, the reception features acceptance speeches from the 2026 winning AIYLA authors and illustrators.

Indigenous Reads Rising (IRR) is a resource by We Need Diverse Books that highlights literature by Native, First Nations, and Indigenous creators. It serves as a centralized hub for educators, librarians and readers to find accurate, authentic and engaging children’s and YA books. The site includes articles about best practices, book lists arranged by age, category and topic, and additional resources. You can request IRR promotional bookmarks here.

The free 26th Annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 22. “At this year’s festival, the Library will feature an expansion of programming to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary and to showcase the Library’s offerings beyond books to include film, music, veterans’ history and American folklife.”

Penguin Random House Spring Book & Author Festival 2026. If you missed attending the festival on Apr. 16—which was a day packed with author panels and interviews, book buzzes, virtual shelf browsing, and more—you can still access the On Demand videos and resources for three months from the event date. Register here.

The 2026 US Book Show will take place June 2 – 3 in New York City. “This annual US Book Show brings 700+ professionals together from across the global book business for candid, forward-thinking conversation, strategic insights, and meaningful connections…[It] is the leading publishing conference in the United States, convening publishers, editors, marketers, agents, booksellers, librarians, media leaders and technology innovators to examine what’s working, what’s shifting, and what’s next.”

Anderson’s Bookshop’s 4th Annual LITapalooza: A Literary Love Fest for Educators & Authors! takes place in Naperville, IL on Jul. 23. “We are bringing K-8 educators & #kidlit creators back together for a day of community, learning, and celebration of all things literacy!”

Awards

Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Awards, in the categories of Picture Books, Young Readers, Young Adults and Overall Winner.

Congratulations to the winners and honorees of the 2026 Green Earth Book Award in six categories: Picture Book Primary, Picture Book Intermediate, Children’s Fiction, Children’s Non-fiction, Young Adult Fiction and Young Adult Non-fiction. “From powerful storytelling to compelling non-fiction that brings environmental issues and information to young people in relatable ways, these books offer a unique and vital perspective to the conversation around our planet’s future.”

Congratulations to the winners and finalists of the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library’s 2026 Minnesota Book Awards, especially in the categories of Children’s Literature, Middle Grade Literature and Young Adult Literature. The year-long awards program connects the world of Minnesota books—writers, artists, illustrators, publishers and editors—to readers throughout the state.

Congratulations to the winners of the 37th Annual Oklahoma Book Awards, especially in the Children/Young Adult category.

Congratulations to Trung Le Nguyen, who won the 2026 LA Times Book Prize in the category of Young Adult Literature, for Angelica and the Bear Prince (Random House Graphic, 2025). “The Times’ Book Prizes recognize outstanding literary achievements and celebrate the highest quality of writing from authors at all stages of their careers.”

Congratulations to the winner and honoree of Hollins University’s 2026 Margaret Wise Brown Prize in Children’s Literature. The prize goes to the author of a distinguished picture book text originally written in English. The winner is Kate Hoefler for The Couch in the Yard, illustrated by Dena Seiferling (Neal Porter Books, 2025). The honor book is Ada and the Goat by Heidi Aubrey (Neal Porter Books, 2025).

Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 British Book Awards, especially in the categories of Children’s Fiction and Children’s Non-fiction & Illustrated. The awards “showcase, connect and uplift the individuals and teams who bring books and stories to the world….The Books of the Year spotlight the titles that have stirred imaginations, started conversations, [and whose] pages have been well-thumbed, well-worn and well-loved….”

Congratulations to the 2026 finalists of the BC and Yukon Book Prizes, and especially for the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize and the Shiela A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize. The prizes celebrate the achievements of British Columbia and Yukon writers, illustrators and publishers.

Congratulations to the Washington Library Association’s 2027 Sasquatch Nominees, who were voted on by 4th through 6th graders in Washington State.

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators who were nominated for the Washington Library Association’s 2027 Towner Award. This award is for the best nonfiction picture books of the year written for second through sixth-grade students.

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators who made the 36th Annual Reading the West Awards Shortlists, especially in the categories of Picture Books, Young Readers and Young Adults. The awards honor the best fiction, non-fiction, and illustrated books for adults and children set in one of the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association member states, or created by an author or artist living in the region. Voting is open until May 31; winners will be announced June 11.

Congratulations to Tundra Books, which has been named the winner of the 2026 Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year for North America. “The prize is given by the publishers themselves who are asked to nominate those publishing houses that have stood out in terms of their creativity, innovation and the quality of their editorial choices.”

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators who made the American Library Association’s Booklist’s 2026 Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth list. “Unique aspects of WWII abound in this list of exemplary historical fiction, drawn from books reviewed in Booklist between February 2025 and January 2026, but romance, adventure, and 1920s Hollywood are also magnificently on offer.”

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators whose books made The Children’s Book Council’s 2026 Kids Favorites lists, which include the Teen Favorites, Teacher Favorites, Middle-Grade Favorites, Librarians Favorites, K-2nd Grade Favorites, and 3rd-5th Grade Favorites.

Congratulations to the winners and honorees of Asian Pacific American Librarians Association’s 2026 Asian Pacific American Awards for Literature, especially those in the picture book, children’s and young adult categories. APALA’s Literature Award Committee is currently accepting submissions published between Sept. 1, 2025 and Aug. 31, 2026 for its 2027 awards.

First round voting takes place June 1 – 23 for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ 2026 Crystal Kite Awards. This peer-given award recognizes great books published in 2025 from fifteen SCBWI regional divisions around the world.

SCBWI Launching New Golden Kite Award for Translation from Shelf Awareness. Peek: “The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is launching the Golden Kite Award for Translation, recognizing ‘the skilled translators who bring diverse stories to young readers in languages around the world.’ It will be presented…in 2027 to honor books originally published in 2026, with the winner receiving $2,500 and the honor recipient $500.”

Submissions for the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Emerging Artist Award are open through June 15. Unpublished picture book creators in the U.S., who are not represented by an agent are eligible to apply. See more details here.

Scholarships & Grants

SCBWI’S Volemos Grant Expands To Include Illustrators from Shelf Awareness. Peek: “The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators announced that Angela Dominguez has joined Meg Medina as a co-sponsor of the Volemos Grant, and the program is expanding to include Latine illustrators. Every year, one early-career author and one illustrator will…receive $500, along with a year-long SCBWI membership and promotion of their work to agents and editors.”

From This Cynsations Series

More Personally—Gayleen

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve completed my Library Science Master’s (my name is on page 35 of the commencement program), so I can now officially say I’m a librarian.

I recently helped promote our summer reading program at a local outdoor event, and have been busy creating library scavenger hunts for middle school patrons. And, of course, talking about books! Nothing beats connecting a young reader with a great story, then having them come back to say they enjoyed the book – and ask for another one. Fortunately, a decade of Cynsations work has prepared me well for librarianship.

More Personally—Suma

It’s been a little quiet on my end. I’m taking things slow this summer and giving myself time to read and draft new projects at an unhurried pace.

In the meantime, I recently completed my coursework in Creative Writing Teaching Pedagogy at the University of San Francisco. With cross‑cultural teaching experience in India and years of mentoring writers in the U.S., I’ve long hoped to deepen my artistic training. The wonderful David Macinnis Gill and my small, brilliant cohort (Karen Krossing, Rhonda DeChambeau, Anne‑Marie Strohman, and Sarah Pitcher‑Hoffman) helped me step more fully into inclusive teaching practices and continue growing a community of writers. I’m now offering editorial services for writers. Details are on my website and in my bio: https://sumasubramaniam.com/editorial-services/

More Personally—A.J.

My summer is a full one! Never Whistle at Night Part II: Back for Blood drops August 8th from Penguin, and my story “Civilized” is in it. I couldn’t be more excited for readers to get their hands on this anthology. I’m also faculty at Boyds Mills (previously the Highlights Foundation) and Chautauqua Institute this season, which is a new adventure for me as a writer.

On the writing side, I’m up to my elbows in revisions on different projects. Hopefully all things that will get announced soon!

More Personally—Mitu

In early May I was a retreat assistant at Boyds Mills, PA (previously Highlights)—for the Asian and Asian American Voices Community Retreat led by Grace Lin and Debbi Michiko Florence—in the fifth year of this retreat it was an absolute joy to gather with these creators and share our writing-illustrating journey. This spring I revamped the illustration page of my website with new art and am hoping summer affords me the time to play with visual forms of storytelling.

On another note I signed with my agent Rachel Letofsky at Transatlantic and I look forward to this partnership as I continue my writing journey. Here is the KidLitArt postcard I designed for May 2026.