By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole, and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Thank you to everyone who joined us over the 2022-2023 academic year!
We dearly appreciate the authors, illustrators, gatekeepers, and industry professionals who shared their insights and inspirations.
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Hello, Mister Blue by Daria Peoples (Greenwillow Books, 2023).
Author/Illustrator Insights
By AJ Eversole
I’m excited to share an interview with picture book author-illustrator, S.D. Nelson. He is the author of many picture books featuring his Native heritage, his newest release, Grandma’s Tipi (Abrams, 2023) released in early May.
What is at the heart of your new non-fiction picture book Grandma’s Tipi: A Present-Day Lakota Story?
I’m thrilled to welcome Kidlit Caravan members, Carrie Tillotson, Harshita Jerath, and Rebecca Gardyn Levington to Cynsations today!
Why did you write this picture book?
Carrie: The short answer is that my editor asked me to! The long answer is a bit more involved.
I’m thrilled to welcome Srividhya Venkat to Cynsations today!
What do you love most about the creative life/being an author? Why?
I consider my creative life to be a privilege and I’m grateful that I get to do this every day. I like that I can decide what projects to work on and do them at my own pace (with the exception of contracted projects).
Thirteen and In Between
The year I was 13, I grew from five-foot-seven to five-ten and three quarters. One day, a seventh grader gazed up at me and snapped, “Move, you big palooka.” You could say that moment I felt pretty small.
That year I also ran our school carnival.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Lyn Fairchild Hawks Advocates for Thirteen-Year-Old YA Protagonists »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: The ABCs of Asian American History by Renee Macalino Rutledge, illustrated by Lauren Akazawa Mendez (Bloom Books for Young Readers,
Congratulations to Bethany Hegedus on the upcoming publication of You, Me, We: A Celebration of Peace and Community, co-written with Arun Gandhi, illustrated by Andrés Landazábal (Candlewick Press, June 2023). From the promotional copy:
Peace is you. Peace is me.
Peace is the great big We of community.
At the recent Texas Library Association Conference, authors Angeline Boulley, interviewed by Cynthia Leitich Smith, headlined the closing keynote. The authors appeared in conversation, discussing books, writing, and their shared love of libraries. I’m thrilled to share highlights from their conversation with our Cynsations readers.
Continue Reading Author Conversation: Angeline Boulley talks with Cynthia Leitich Smith »
By Gail Vannelli and Gayleen Rabakukk
Spotlight image: Doan Phuong Nguyen celebrates the release of her new book.
Today Cynsations is excited to share the publishing journeys of two children’s authors, Doan Phuong Nguyen and Patricia Tanumihardja. Doan Phuong is the author of Mèo and Bé (Tu Books,