I had the pleasure of interviewing Katia Raina and Sofiya Pasternack, two authors who each have a 2019 debut novel that takes place in Russia and deals with anti-Semitism. Although Katia wrote a realistic young adult novel and Sofiya wrote a middle grade fantasy, these two debut authors each chose this very specific setting because of their own personal or family history.
Kim Rogers joins the Cynsations team as a reporter covering children’s-YA writing, illustration, publishing and other book news from Indigenous authors and illustrators.
Welcome to Cynsations! Could you tell us about your vision for Native voices coverage here at the blog? Why did you decide to take on this role in the conversation of books?
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Author/Illustrator Insights
We Are Writing Against Our Own Erasure by Jacqueline Woodson from Electric Lit. Peek: “I wanted the people I loved to have names. And as a child standing in front of that mirror,
By Traci Sorell
Getting a sneak peek at a beautiful picture book before it’s printed always brings me joy. When the book combines poetry and breathtaking images, my joy increases and my heart sings.
That’s what happened when I saw Evan Turk’s You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks (Atheneum,
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabukukk, Stephani Eaton and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Author/Illustrator Insights
Q & A with Kekla Magoon by Sally Lodge from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “If you recognize the power of your own voice and your good qualities, you will be able to discover and stand up for what you believe in….
Charlotte Nicole Davis is the debut author of The Good Luck Girls (Tor Teen, Oct. 1, 2019).
How would you describe your writing apprenticeship and transition to an actively publishing author? What were the surprises, challenges and strategies that have defined your experience along the way?
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabukukk, Stephani Eaton and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Author/Illustrator Insights
Illustrator Spotlight: Marlena Myles from KidLit 411. Peek: “Saturated colors is one of the trademarks of my work; I wasn’t intentionally trying to illustrate for children, but…became aware of how attracted kids were to my art organically on their own.
By Gail Vannelli
Long ago, a four-wheeler that started to swirl hit a car with a mother and four-year-old girl. And that girl, in a hospital, smelly and white, lay confused and alone, with her leg wrapped up tight in a cast in a sling pulled up high in the air, where it linked to all kinds of weird gadgets up there.
Continue Reading Cynsations Intern: Gail Vannelli on Loving Literature »
As a poet and children’s author as well as clinical social worker, I’m particularly interested in the emotional resilience that I believe is foundational to a writing life. I’m interested in what I consider the many facets of emotional resilience, the behaviors that fuel and flow from it—positive emotions such as hope and joy,
Continue Reading Heart and Spirit: Interview with Author K.A. Holt »
Thank you, Cynsational readers, contributors, reporters, webmaster, and most of all, Cynterns, for your support, generosity and enthusiasm for our ongoing conversations!
Thsi blog is now officially on summer hiatus. We will return in the fall with more inspiration, insights and information on children’s-YA writing,