Maria Marianayagam and I connected on social media over our common love for children’s books and South Asian children’s literature a few years ago. I’ve been a fan of her writing for a while now. Although we live miles apart from each other, she is fun to interact with.
Congratulations to Carole Boston Weatherford on winning the 2025 Children’s Literature Legacy Award! The award honors an author or illustrator whose books have made a significant and lasting contribution to literature for children and is administered annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association.
Pinterest isn’t just another social media platform—it’s a search engine for inspiration and ideas. Think of it as Google with pictures. Pinterest users aren’t mindlessly scrolling; they’re actively searching and saving, looking for solutions and ideas to enrich their lives. Unlike traditional social media, where posts fade fast, Pinterest content is evergreen,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Deb Gonzales: Beyond Pins & Boards: Building a Legacy on Pinterest »
One chilly morning at the New England SCBWI conference Padma Venkatraman met me with warmth and included me in her conversation because I was one of the few people of color in that room. Many years later, in 2024, I attended a Highlights Foundation retreat on Writing through Trauma and Grief to Empower Readers where she was guest faculty—this time we chatted over cups of tea and shared our love of poetry.
Continue Reading Author Interview: Padma Venkatraman on Poetry, Publishing & Diverse Verse »
By AJ Eversole
I’m excited to welcome Cameron Mukwa to Cynsations! I’ve always thought ribbon skirts would make a perfect graphic novel topic and was thrilled when this one hit my radar. The Ribbon Skirt (Scholastic, 2024) is about a Two Spirit kid who wants to create a ribbon skirt of their own for an upcoming powwow.
Happy Holidays, Cynsational readers!
Breaking news! Applications are now open for the We Need Diverse Books Native Children’s-YA Writing Intensive which will take place from Thursday, June 12 to Sunday, June 15 at the Texican Court Hotel in Irving, Texas.
Cynsations is also on winter hiatus.
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole, Mitu Malhotra, and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Thank You, Everything by Icinori, translated by Emilie Robert Wong (Enchanted Lion, 2024).
Cynsations is celebrating its 20th anniversary by switching to a quarterly publishing schedule, featuring in-depth interviews and articles. Thank you for your ongoing support and enthusiasm!
The Cynsational Books of 2024 were selected by Cynthia Leitich Smith from nominations by Cynsations Team members. Titles published by Heartdrum or authored/illustrated by Cynsations team members are ineligible.
Cynsations is celebrating its 20th anniversary by switching to a quarterly publishing schedule, featuring in-depth interviews and articles. Thank you for your ongoing support and enthusiasm!
Spotlight image: Nikki Giovanni, from the author’s website
Nikki Giovanni
“The renowned poet Nikki Giovanni has died. Giovanni died on Monday,
Continue Reading In Memory: Author Nikki Giovanni; Author-Illustrator Bruce Degen »
Cynsations is celebrating its 20th anniversary by switching to a quarterly publishing schedule, featuring in-depth interviews and articles. Thank you for your ongoing support and enthusiasm!
Spotlight image: Author Kari Lavelle signing copies of Ode to Grapefruit at the NCTE conference.
I’m very excited to welcome fellow Austin author Kari Lavelle to Cynsations.