Today we are excited to welcome Cordelia Jensen to Cynsations to talk about her latest verse novel Lilac and the Switchback (Holiday House, 2025). Cordelia who is a Vermont College of Fine Arts alumnx has published lyrical and accessible verse novels for a decade.
Today we are excited to welcome award winning author-illustrator Nidhi Chanani to Cynsations. I thoroughly enjoyed Nidhi’s debut Pashmina (First Second, 2017) for it was the first time that I encountered an Indian-American teen protagonist centered in a graphic novel for children.
Nidhi’s
Continue Reading Author-Illustrator Nidhi Chanani Shares Her Process for Creating Graphic Novels »
Today I am excited to welcome Mika Song to Cynsations to talk about her upcoming graphic novel Night Chef (Penguin Random House, 2025), which releases on Oct. 28, 2025. The star of this book is an orphan raccoon who is also a spunky self-taught chef.
I first saw Mika’s illustrations in A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey (Chronicle Books,
Continue Reading Author-Illustrator Mika Song Shares Her Graphic Novel Journey & Night Chef »
In the foothills of the Himalayas, when the fireflies danced and the moon rose over the sharp silhouettes of the world’s tallest peaks, I listened to my grandfather and father recite Urdu poetry: ghazals, nazms and shers—songs, poems and couplets reminiscing about life. Those are indeed my favorite childhood memories. Those were the long summer holidays before electronic media invaded our lives.
Continue Reading Cynsations Intern: Mitu Malhotra Reflects on “Where I’m From” »