Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 5

Guest Post: Deb Gonzales: Beyond Pins & Boards: Building a Legacy on Pinterest

By Debbie Gonzales

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, growing in value over time. It’s not about who you know on the platform—it’s about what you know and how you share it...

Author Interview: Padma Venkatraman on Poetry, Publishing & Diverse Verse

By Mitu Malhotra

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.

Today, I am excited to welcome Padma to Cynsations to talk about her new ...

Native Voices: Author-Illustrator Cameron Mukwa on Learning & Growing as an Artist

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. The graphic novel is a nominee for the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards and received four starred reviews.

From the publisher’s description:

Ten-year-old Anang wants to make a ...

Cynsations Winter Hiatus

By Cynthia Leitich Smith

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. We’ll return after the ALA Midwinter Conference with more inspiration, insights, and information on children’s-YA writing, illustration, literature, and publishing.

In the meantime,...

Cynsational News

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).

Author/Illustrator Insights

Carole Boston Weatherford Talks With Roger by Roger Sutton from The Horn Book. Peek: “[C]hildren are our hope for the future. They know how to interrogate injustice when they see it, and we need to trust them to do that….[T]hat means answ...

Cynsational Books of 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!

By Gayleen Rabakukk

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.

The selections (in alphabetical order):

The Art Thieves by Andrea L. Rogers ...

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!

By Gayleen Rabakukk

Spotlight image: Nikki Giovanni, from the author’s website

Nikki Giovanni

“The renowned poet Nikki Giovanni has died. Giovanni died on Monday, Dec. 9, following her third cancer diagnosis, according to a statement from friend and author Renée Watson. She was 81,” reported NPR.

Giovanni “...

Author Interview: Kari Lavelle on Personal Connections to Nonfiction, Organizing Research & Community Support

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!

By Gayleen Rabakukk

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. I interviewed her about her debut picture book, We Move the World, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali (HarperCollins), in ...

Author Interview: Jenna Lee-Yun on the Intersection of her Work as a Clinical Psychologist & her Writing Life

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!

By Suma Subramaniam

I’m thrilled to welcome MG author Jenna Lee-Yun to Cynsations! I met Jenna at several SCBWI events in the Seattle area a few years ago, and we’ve been friends since then. If you haven’t read her work, it’s a good time to catch up now. The Last Rhee Witch (Disney Hyperion, 2024) combines ...

Author Interview: Christine Day Enters the YA Fantasy Realm with Short Story in Faeries Never Lie Anthology

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!

By AJ Eversole

Spotlight image: Author Christine Day at the Dark and Stormy Night Storytelling event on Bainbridge Island, Wash.. Photo Credit: BARN (Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network) of Bainbridge Island, Wash.

As someone who grew up in peak Twilight days, I’ve always been a major fan of the paranormal ...