By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole, Mitu Malhotra and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Okra Stew: A Gullah Geechee Family Celebration by Natalie Daise (Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2023).
Author/Illustrator Insights
Congratulations to Laurie Goodluck on the publication of Rock Your Mocs, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw) (Heartdrum/HarperCollins, Oct. 10, 2023). From the promotional copy:
We’re stepping out and kicking it up.
Wearing beauty on their feet—as art, as tradition, with style, with pride—kids from different Native Nations know every day is a day to rock your mocs.
Continue Reading Throwback Thursday: Laurie Goodluck Reflects on Influences & Forever Cousins »
By AJ Eversole
I had the pleasure of interviewing former Cynsations reporter Kim Rogers for her debut picture book, Just Like Grandma (Heartdrum, 2023) back in January and am so pleased to interview her for her second picture book, A Letter For Bob, illustrated by Jonathan Nelson (Heartdrum,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Kim Rogers on Career After Debut »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole, Mitu Malhotra and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: My Grandfather’s Song by Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huynh Kim Liên (Make Me a World, 2023).
Congratulations to Dawn Quigley (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe) on the publication of Jo Jo Makoons: Snow Day, illustrated by Tara Audibert (of Wolastoqey and French heritage)(Heartdrum/HarperCollins, Sept. 19, 2023), third in the Jo Jo Makoons chapter book series. From the promotional copy:
Oh, snow day, snow day, what a very fun no-school day!
Continue Reading Throwback Thursday: Dawn Quigley on Her Drive to Write for Young Readers »
By AJ Eversole
I’m thrilled to have Nasugraq Rainey Hopson (Inupiaq) today on Cynsations! Hopson has contributed to three short story anthologies, Rural Voices (Candlewick, 2022), Tasting Light (Miteen Press, 2022) and the forthcoming Boundless (Inkyard Press, 2023). Also an accomplished illustrator, Nasugraq also designed the logo for HarperCollins Heartdrum imprint.
Continue Reading Author Interview: Nasugraq Rainey Hopson is Drawn to Stories Celebrating Unity »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole, Mitu Malhotra and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Rock Your Mocs by Laurel Goodluck, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Heartdrum, 2023).
Author/Illustrator Insights
Spilling the Tea With Author Joanna Ho from We Need Diverse Books.
Congratulations to Carole Lindstrom on the publication of Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior, illustrated by Bridget George (Roaring Brook Press, Sept. 19, 2023)! From the promotional copy:
The seventh generation is creating
A sea of change.
It was a soft voice, at first.
Continue Reading Throwback Thursday: Carole Lindstrom on Writing & Marketing on Two Continents »
There is more than one way to tell the truth. But I didn’t know that when I set out to write a memoir more than twenty years ago. I attempted to capture every bizarre twist and turn of my transient childhood (think The Glass Castle [by Jeannette Walls,
I’m thrilled to welcome Jyoti Gopal to Cynsations today!
You lived in many countries before settling down in the United States. How did that experience inform you as an author?
Living outside one’s culture, learning different languages, straddling different ways of being – these were gifts,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Jyoti Gopal Shares Strategies for Juggling Multiple Projects »