Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 22
March 15, 2023
Author Interview: Carole Lindstrom on Kids, the Writing Process & My Powerful Hair
By: AJ Eversole
Spotlight image: Carole Lindstrom and Steph Littlebird present My Powerful Hair at the LibLearnX conference.
Today on the blog we have an interview with Carole Lindstrom. Her picture book, We Are Water Protectors (Roaring Press Books, 2020), received extensive critical acclaim, earning the Caldecott Medal along with many Best of Year awards. Today we are are speaking about her newest picture book, My Powerful Hair (Abrams, 2022).
What is the heart of My Powerful Hair?
My Powerf...
March 14, 2023
Guest Interview: Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson & Jeanette Bradley on Collaboration & Poetry Anthologies
By Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley
Lindsay: Thanks to Cynsations for inviting us to discuss the collaboration process for our latest picture-book poetry anthology, No World Too Big: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change, co-edited by Keila V. Dawson, Jeanette Bradley, and me, and illustrated so beautifully by Jeanette (Charlesbridge, March 2023). No World Too Big is a companion title to our 2020 release, No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History...
March 10, 2023
Cynsational News
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Remember by Joy Harjo, illustrated by Michaela Goade (Random House Studio, 2023).
Author/Illustrator InsightsThe Reading Culture Podcast: Eye of the Tiger: Ellen Oh on Rising Up for the Right To Read from Listen Notes. Peek: “[B]ooks save lives. And as dramatic or even cheesy as that sounds, I want to remind people of the power of books and…their ability to show each re...
March 9, 2023
Throwback Thursday: SCBWI Bologna Author-Illustrator Interview: Naomi Kojima
Cynsations Reporter Elisabeth Norton is at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair this week, where she caught up with Sylvia Vardell. See their 2021 Cynsations interview about the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), and watch for Elisabeth’s Bologna 2023 post later this spring.
Meanwhile, take a look back at her 2016 interview with SCBWI Bologna Illustration Gallery judge, Naomi Kojima.
By Elisabeth Norton
for SCBWI Bologna 2016
and Cynthia Leitich Smith‘s Cynsations
Naomi Kojima i...
March 8, 2023
Author Interview: Jenn Bailey on Writing Early Readers & Henry, Like Always
Today I talk with Jenn Bailey, the Schneider Award-winning writer of one of my very favorite picture books A Friend for Henry (Chronicle, 2019), illustrated by the wonderful Mika Song.
I’m so excited to see that Henry’s journey continues in Henry, Like Always (Chronicle, 2023). And it’s already gotten starred reviews from Horn Book and Kirkus Reviews! Jenn, why did you decide to continue telling Henry’s story?
Thank you for your kind words about Henry and thank you so mu...
March 7, 2023
Author Interview: Cate Berry on Finding A Creative Rhythm & Thank You, Teacher!
Spotlight image: Cate Berry writing in her 1967 Shasta camper.
Austin author and fellow VCFA alumnx Cate Berry has a new picture book, Thank You, Teacher, illustrated by Sara Varon (Balzer+Bray, 2023). I was eager to catch up with her and get her take on rhyming picture books, finding balance and living a creative life.
What’s the inspiration behind Thank You, Teacher!?
It was a mix. My editor, Donna Bray, dangled the idea of writing a teacher appreciation book for Balzer+Br...
March 3, 2023
Cynsational News
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Ramen for Everyone by Patricia Tanumihardja, illustrated by Shiho Pate (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2023).
Author/Illustrator InsightsDay 21 Throwback: Vanessa Brantley Newton by Tameka Fryer Brown from The Brown Bookshelf. Peek: “Be true to yourself. Stop measuring your gifts and talents by other people, its hard enough being you as it is. Search for things to pu...
March 2, 2023
Throwback Thursday: Lois Lowry on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children’s-YA Author
Congratulations to Lois Lowry on her newest book, The Windeby Puzzle (Clarion, Feb. 14, 2023). From the promotional copy:
Lois Lowry transports readers to an Iron Age world through the suspenseful dual narrative of a boy and girl both battling to survive. In an utterly one-of-a-kind blend of fiction and history, a master storyteller explores the mystery and life of the 2,000-year-old Windeby bog body.
Estrild is not like the other girls in her village; she wants to be a warrior. Varick, the orp...
March 1, 2023
Guest Post: Lyn Hawks on How YA Is Literary: The Search for an Abundant Canon
As a young adult author and former high school teacher who loves reading lists full of unique voices and identities, I find recent news about banned books heartbreaking.
Back in 1986, I wrote a high school research paper about book censorship, and here we are again. I dived back into this problem as an MFA student at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, guided by the marvelous Cynthia Leitich Smith, writing a thesis titled “But Is YA literary? The Search for an Abundant Cano...
February 28, 2023
Guest Post: Sandra Nickel & Kathi Appelt on Picture Book Magic & Big Bear and Little Fish
By Sandra Nickel & Kathi Appelt
Spotlight image: Sandra Nickel and Kathi Appelt talking at the Château de Chillon in Switzerland in 2019, photo by Ken Appelt.
After receiving her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, Sandra Nickel studied an extra semester with Newbery Honoree and two-time National Book Award Finalist, Kathi Appelt. Together, they focused exclusively on picture books. Here, Kathi and Sandra discuss Big Bear and Little Fish [illustrated ...
