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: HarperCollins Publisher and Vice President Rosemary Brosnan with Heartdrum Author-Curator Cynthia Leitich Smith
By AJ Eversole
Hello there! It’s AJ here to ecstatically introduce the next anthology out from Heartdrum!
Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, offers a wide range of innovative, unexpected, and heartfelt stories by Native creators, informed and inspired by lived experience, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes.
Continue Reading Announcing Davy June’s Legendary Fry Bread Drive-In Anthology »
Congratulations to Patricia Morris Buckley (Mohawk) on the publication of The First Woman Cherokee Chief: Wilma Pearl Mankiller, illustrated by Aphelandra Messer (Oneida)(Random House Books for Young Readers, Feb 07, 2023). From the promotional copy:
In 1985, Wilma Pearl Mankiller became the first woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Not too far off the beaten track in Austin, visitors are welcomed to The Writing Barn retreat center, a place where deer wander the meadows, the buildings are air conditioned and rooms are filled with bookshelves. There, thirteen Native participants gathered the weekend of Aug. 4 to Aug.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Patricia Morris Buckley on the We Need Diverse Books Native Intensive »
A writing community can make all the difference in navigating the long and often frustrating journey of becoming a published author. Whether it’s sharing craft tips or submission opportunities, writing buddies provide the encouragement and support needed for going the distance. But connecting can be a challenge, especially if a given community represents a small percentage of the population.
Continue Reading WNDB Native Children’s – YA Writing Intensive Applications Open »
I am excited to welcome Rita Williams-Garcia back to Cynsations. Rita is the celebrated author of One Crazy Summer (HarperCollins, 2010), Clayton Byrd Goes Underground (HarperCollins, 2017), and Jumped (HarperCollins, 2009). Welcome, Rita.
Tell us a little bit about your newest release,
Continue Reading Rita Williams-Garcia Weaves Truth with Imagination in A Sitting in St. James »
By Kim Rogers
Today, we are thrilled to have Dawn Quigley join us on Cynsations. Dawn is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, ND and the author of the hilarious chapter book series published with Heartdrum/HarperCollins (May 11, 2021). The first book in the series is Jo Jo Makoons: The Used to Be Best Friend.
Continue Reading Native Voices: Author Dawn Quigley on Humor, Chapter Books & Decolonizing Grading »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith and Kim Rogers
Cynsations Native Books Reporter Kim Rogers’s poem, “What is a Powwow?” and her short story, “Flying Together,” appear in Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Heartdrum, 2021). The anthology is a collection of intersecting stories and poems set at a powwow that bursts with hope,
Continue Reading Authors Interview: Cynthia Leitich Smith & Kim Rogers on Ancestor Approved »
Virginia Buckley, esteemed and beloved editor, died on Oct. 21 at her home in Leonia, New Jersey. She was 91.
Obituary: Virginia Buckley from Publishers Weekly by Shannon Maughan. Peek: “Buckley was a novice editor at the publisher Thomas Y. Cromwell in 1971 when she was paired with a writer named Katherine Paterson,
By Kim Rogers
I had the pleasure of interviewing Christine Day (Upper Skagit) for Cynsations. Her debut middle grade novel, I Can Make This Promise (HarperCollins 2019), was inspired by her own family history and tells the story of twelve-year-old old Edie who discovers her family secrets and finds her own Native American identity.
Continue Reading Native Voices: Christine Day on I Can Make This Promise »