Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 50
February 18, 2021
Authors Interview: Aslan Tudor & Kelly Tudor on Young Water Protectors & Young Native Activist
At age 8, Aslan Tudor arrived in North Dakota to help stop a pipeline. Aslan and Kelly’s book, Young Water Protectors (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018), is about his experiences in the Oceti Sakowin Camp at Standing Rock.
From the promotional copy:
“Learn about what exactly happened there, and why. Be inspired by Aslan’s story of the daily life of Standing Rock’s young water protectors. Mni Wiconi…Water is Life.”
Today, Aslan and Kelly discuss the real...
February 17, 2021
Author Interview: Christopher Paul Curtis on Writing & the 25th Anniversary of The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963!
Today I am thrilled to welcome Christopher Paul Curtis to Cynsations. Christopher is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his debut novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963! (Delacorte, 1995), which was named both a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor book in 1996.
Other notable titles by Christopher include Newbery Award and Coretta Scott King Award winning Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic, 2007) and Bud, Not Buddy (Delacorte, 1999). He is also the author of The ...
February 16, 2021
Awesome Authors: JaNay Brown-Wood on Disguised Learning with Books
How does being a college professor and the mother of a young child influence the topics you choose to write about?
Charlesbridge, 2017I call myself JaNay Brown-Wood, Author & Educator. These titles go hand-in-hand because I feel that I use my books and writing abilities to educate while also using my education to pull inspiration for what I write.
Often, my books have an element of learning to them. In the field of Early Childhood Education, many term this “disguised lea...
February 15, 2021
New Voices: Stacy Hackney & Lily LaMotte Discuss “Measuring Up” to Publishing Standards
One thing writers struggle with is getting their work to measure up to publishing standards. I am pleased to introduce our Cynsations readers the debut authors Stacy Hackney, author of Forever Glimmer Creek (Simon & Schuster, 2020), and Lily LaMotte, author of Measuring Up, illustrated by Ann Xu (HarperAlley, 2020). Both Stacy and Lily share their writing paths and how they “leveled up” their craft in order to “measure up.”
Stacy Hackney
What was your initial insp...
February 13, 2021
In Memory: Mitsumasa Anno
By Bree Bender
Award-winning children’s author and illustrator Mitsumasa Anno died Dec. 24, 2020. He was 94.
Obituary: Mitsumasa Anno by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “He grew up in Tsuwano, a small town surrounded by mountains, where his talent for drawing and an aptitude for mathematics began to shine, and where his dream of becoming an artist first took root.”
Artist Mitsumasa Anno is Dead at 94 by Michael Schaub from Kirkus Reviews. Peek: “Anno was nostalgic for the days bef...
February 12, 2021
Cynsational News
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Off to the Sea by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2021).
Author/Illustrator Insights
Feiwel & FriendsQ & A With Randi Pink by Sanina Clark from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “How can teens now take initiative in their communities even in a pandemic? Whether you’re a writer or not, write….[W]rite about this moment. Get a journal, open ...
February 11, 2021
New Voices: Tina Mowrey & Amy Mucha on Pitching Picture Books
By Gayleen Rabakukk and Stephani Martinell Eaton
Image above: Author Amy Mucha with her daughter, declaring their rights.
Today we welcome two picture book authors who used Twitter pitch events to connect with agents and editors to get their debut books published.
Tina Mowrey
What was your initial inspiration for writing this book?
This book came together from a marriage of two living things that could be found in our yard: raccoons and a prickly pear cactus! We had two regular raccoon visitor...
February 10, 2021
Carrie Firestone on Youth Activism & Dress Coded, Her Debut Middle Grade Novel
Today I am excited to introduce our readers to Carrie Firestone. Carrie is the author of two YA novels, The Loose Ends List (Little, Brown, 2016) and The Unlikelies (Little, Brown, 2017). Recently, her middle-grade novel Dress Coded (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2020) debuted to four starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and Booklist.
Carrie, congratulations on your middle-grade debut, Dress Coded! I’m so pleased to share this book an...
February 9, 2021
Authors Interview: Cynthia Leitich Smith & Kim Rogers on Ancestor Approved
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, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride.
From the promotional copy:
“In a high school gym full of color and song,...
February 8, 2021
In Memory: Kathleen Krull
Kathleen Krull, award-winning author and editor, died after a brief illness on Jan. 15. She was 68.
Author Kathleen Krull Remembered After Unexpected Death from School Library Journal. Peek: “Children’s author Kathleen Krull died unexpectedly over the weekend. Her sister-in-law announced her death on Krull’s Facebook page, sharing that Krull had been diagnosed with cancer a few months ago but the original prognosis was good.”
Obituary: Kathleen Krull by Shannon Maugh...
