Cynsational News - Cynthia Leitich Smith

I Wasn’t Dreaming of a White Christmas: Representation in YA Holiday Books by Tirzah Price. Peek: “…this year I noticed something that does bother me: The authors of my favorites are predominantly white. In fact, the authors of most of the available YA holiday reads are white.”

Rushing Through Revision by Mary Kole from Kidlit.com. Peek: “I’ve been discussing submission strategies with several clients and I’m recommending that they fire work off to agents and editors in mid-January at the very earliest.”

Sibert Children’s-YA Nonfiction Smackdown by Melissa Stewart from Celebrate Science.

Recommendation: The Wool of Jonesy by Jonathan Nelson from Debbie Reese at American Indians in Children’s Literature. Peek: “…a wordless comic. Readers use the images to create the story, themselves.”

Six Editors Remember Their First YA Manuscript Acquisitions by Sarah Hannah Gomez from Barnes & Noble. Peek: “YA editors play a pivotal role in making manuscripts into amazing books we all get to read, so I decided to ask some of the most interesting, successful people I know (or follow on Twitter) about their memories from their days as baby editors.”

National Latino Children’s Literature Conference: Connecting Cultures & Celebrating Cuentos: “co-sponsored by The University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies and The University of Texas at San Antonio. The next conference will take place in San Antonio, Texas on March 23rd-25th, 2017. If you are interested in sponsoring authors or events….”

Give Your Book a Second Life: Get It Into Foreign Markets by Marleen Seegers from Writers Helping Writers. Peek: “…in Poland a smashing 46% of books published are works in translation, in Germany over 12%, in Spain around 24%, and in France about 15%.”

19 books to help children find hope and strength in stressful times: A librarian’s list by Karen MacPherson from The Washington Post. Peek: “My idea was to choose books for younger readers that focus on kindness, peace and feeling good — and proud — about who you are. For older readers, I looked for books about diverse people, including kids who have overcome sometimes overwhelming odds to make a difference in the world.”

Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award: “The award will be given to the entrant who submits the most accomplished picture book submission in the form of a mock-up. One prize is available and consists of American Express® gift cards totaling $2,500, round trip travel to New York City, and the honor of a one-day mentorship with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers’ professional children’s book design and editorial team, and distinguished Artist Mentor Jerry Pinkney.”

How to Make Readers Deeply Connect to Your Characters by Jeff Gerke from Jane Friedman. Peek: “The Greek philosopher Aristotle said the definition of a friend is a single soul dwelling in two bodies. When it comes to fiction, we’re shooting for that sort of relationship between the reader and the hero.”

An Author’s Survival Kit for Tough Times by Broadside PR at LitHub. Peek: “…we suggest flipping the question to ask: How can I support literature, reading, and authors universally?”

Educators’ Roundtable, compiled by Allie Jane Bruce from We Need Diverse Books. See also part 2. Peek from Kara Stewart: “I have not met a single teacher who is hostile or disagrees with my intent. They are enthusiastic and genuinely want to do the right thing. So why had they taught into the tsunami of harmful stereotypes?”

Link of the Week

Finding Yourself in a Book: Why I Wrote Blind Spot by Laura Ellen from Disability in Kidlit. Peek:

“…with an acquired disability will tell you, you go through a process similar to the grieving process …experience denial and anger and depression long before you ever reach self-awareness and are able to accept yourself…push away the right people while clinging to the wrong ones…. In a nutshell, having a disability can mess you up emotionally – so where were all the books about that?”

This Week at Cynsations

More Personally

Many blessings of the season!

I’ve finished critiquing for fall 2016 and sent in the end-of-semester materials to the VCFA office.

This weekend, I begin translating my editorial letter into revision notes and preparing for the January residency.

What else? Look for me and Rain Is Not My Indian Name in the We Need Diverse Books insert of this month’s Scholastic Reading Fair!

See also Rain Is Not My Indian Name recommended among 6 Indigenous YA Novels by Women Authors, compiled and annotated by Casey Stepanuik from Book Riot.

Reminder! Feral Nights (Book One in the Feral Trilogy) is on sale for $1.99 from Evolt.

Check out NPR’s Book Concierge Best Books of 2016, including my recommendation for Thunder Boy, Jr., by Sherman Alexie & Yuyi Morales (Little, Brown), and congratulations to the NAACP Children’s-YA Literature Awards nominees!

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