Thank you for being a Cynsations reader!
Effective immediately, the Cynsations blog is on hiatus for the week. We’ll return the week of Nov. 28 with more inspiration, insights and information on children’s-YA writing, illustration, literature and publishing.
In the meantime, keep up on all those topics with Cynthia Leitich Smith on Facebook,
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters by Duncan Tonatiuh (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2022).
Author/Illustrator Insights
Congratulations to Michaela Goade (Tlingit) on Berry Song (Little, Brown Young Readers, 2022)! It’s the first book Michaela has authored as well as illustrated, and it received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, The Horn Book, and School Library Journal.
Take a look back at Michaela’s 2020 Cynsations interview discussing the creation of her Caldecott-award winning We Are Water Protectors,
Continue Reading Throwback Thursday: Michaela Goade Shares Her Illustration Process »
By: AJ Eversole
Today we address the topic of Thanksgiving from a Native perspective. The holiday—while still a time of family gathering for many Natives—is often misrepresented and used as an opportunity for teachers to create lessons that, more often than not, lead to false narratives about the Indigenous Peoples of North America. This problem is something that co-authors Danielle Hill Greendeer,
Today I’m talking with Chaz Hayden, the author of The First Thing About You (Candlewick, 2022). Chaz’s debut young adult novel is a deeply personal novel about a high school student, Harris, who just wants to fit in, find love, and be a “normal” teenager despite having spinal muscular atrophy and being confined to a wheelchair.
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: You Matter to Me by Doyin Richards, illustrated by Robert Paul Jr. (Feiwel & Friends, 2022).
Author/Illustrator Insights
Wally the World’s Greatest Piano-Playing Wombat—Interview With Author Ratha Tep by Andrea Wang from Picture Book Builders.
Congratulations to Traci Sorell on Wilma Mankiller, part of the She Persisted chapter book series from Chelsea Clinton, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger and Gillian Flint (Philomel, 2022).
Take a look back at Traci’s first Cynsations guest post from 2016.
Traci Sorell on Signing with a Literary Agent
By Traci Sorell
I had no idea how beneficial an agent could be when I attended my first SCBWI conference in October 2013.
Continue Reading Thowback Thursday: Traci Sorell on Signing With a Literary Agent »
By AJ Eversole
Today it is my pleasure to welcome Andrea Rogers to the blog. Andrea is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and writes both fiction and nonfiction. Her YA horror debut, Man Made Monsters (Levine Querido, 2022) released in October.
What is the heart of Man Made Monsters?
Continue Reading Author Interview: Andrea Rogers on Writing Horror for Young Readers »
Spotlight image: Debbie Zapata reads Up and Adam, illustrated by Yong Ling Kang (Kids Can Press, 2022) with the assistance of an American Sign Language Interpreter for a group at an Austin park.
Today we welcome two Texas authors to Cynsations to share their path to publication for books inspired by their own families.
Continue Reading New Voices: Alda P. Dobbs & Debbie Zapata Create Books Inspired by Family »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Finding My Dance by Ria Thundercloud, illustrated by Kalila J. Fuller (Penguin Workshop, 2022).
Author/Illustrator Insights
Shapes and Lines and Light: A Katie Yamasaki Interview by Betsy Bird from School Library Journal.