Women Writers of Color: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Full name: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Location: Austin, Texas

Website/blog: http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/

http://cynleitichsmith.livejournal.com/

Genre: variety

WiP or most recently published work:

Eternal (Candlewick, 2009, Feb. 2010)(YA Gothic fantasy)

Holler Loudly, illustrated by Barry Gott (Dutton, Nov. 11, 2010)(tall tale picture book)

Blessed (Candlewick, Jan. 25, 2011)

Jingle Dancer, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu (Morrow/HarperCollins, 2000)

Rain Is Not My Indian Name (HarperCollins, 2001)

Indian Shoes (HarperCollins, 2002)

Santa Knows, co-authored by Greg Leitich Smith, illustrated by Steve Bjorkman (Dutton, 2006)

Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008)

Eternal (Candlewick, 2009, 2010)

Plus several short stories, most recently:

"A Real Live Blond Cherokee and His Equally Annoyed Soul Mate," from Moccasin Thunder: American Indian Stories for Today, edited by Lori M. Carlson (HarperCollins, 2005)

"The Wrath of Dawn," from Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (Little, Brown, 2009)

"Haunted Love," from Immortal: Love Stories with Bite, edited by P.C. Cast (BenBella, 2009)

"Cat Calls," from Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists and Other Matters Odd and Magical, edited by Deborah Noyes (Candlewick, 2009)

How frequently do you update your site?

My main author site at http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/ is updated monthly.

My blog is updated most days, typically Monday through Friday.

Is your site designed for reader interaction?

I offer an email link at the main site and the option to comment at Cynsations at LiveJournal. In both cases, I do reply.

Here at Color Online, we tend to get frustrated at the lack of diversity in children's literature. When it comes to the number of books published by Native Americans in children's literature, the numbers are depressingly low. Why do you think that is? Is more encouragement needed to see writing as a career path or does publishing need to open up? A bit of both?

If you're drawing on the CCBC statistics: http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/pcstats.asp, the number of Native authors and illustrators publishing is even lower than it looks.

You see, the distinguished Abenaki children's-YA author Joseph Bruchac frequently publishes multiple titles in a year. That's great news in terms of raising the number of quality books, but the upshot is that in a year where, say, five books are listed, it's possible that two are more are both by Joe. So, we're talking painfully small numbers of Native voices overall.

"Why?" is a big question. It goes to larger issues in the Native Nations and mainstream society. It takes money to support oneself while writing, and it takes connections that may not be available to a writer living on a reservation or, for that matter, any community that's outside of the upper middle class or higher in terms of socio-economic resources.

For a long time-and still sometimes today-depictions of Native characters in youth literature have been inaccurate, drawing on stereotypes. That signals to writers in the community that this isn't necessarily a field that will welcome their voices.

Furthermore, Native folks are underrepresented to non-existent, not only among children's-YA book creators, but also in every category-agents, editors, art directors, marketing pros, distributors, booksellers, teachers, librarians, and everyone in between.

We're short on champions, which makes are friends-people like you who care and are willing to make some noise-all the more important.

As far as publishers are concerned, it's largely about numbers. If my Native fiction made the NYT bestseller list and so did Joe's and Tim Tingle's, then publishers would be looking hard for Native voices.

(Granted, Sherman Alexie and Louise Erdrich have enjoyed commercial success with their children's work-and well deserved, too-but they came in as adult-market bestsellers, which gave them a quasi-celebrity status. Furthermore, the indie bookstores that built their generation of authors of color for adults don't have the numbers or resources that they used to).

As far as Native writers are concerned, yes, they should be encouraged, but also they need to know that they're not in it alone, that they're welcomed by readers who can't wait to dive into their stories.

For more information on Native American Themes in MG/YA go here

What's harder for you to write; picture books, middle grade fiction or young adult fiction? Is there a genre you prefer? If so, why?

They're totally different beasties.

To me, a picture book is like a puzzle. I can pick it up and put it down and riddle it out. A novel is more like an all-encompassing, brain melt.

At the moment, I'm enjoying writing funny picture books and Gothic fantasy for teenagers.

I'm pleased that my Gothics feature diverse casts and protagonists of color and that they've been so enthusiastically embraced by YA readers. It tells me that some of the pending diversity issues and challenges are more about us grown-ups. It makes me hopeful for the future.

Top 5 reads you're looking forward to reading in 2010?

Because I often read ARCs, I'm onto 2011 books now. But my favorites of 2010 include:

The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

The Agency: The Body in the Tower by Y.S. Lee

Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky

Truth with a Capital T by Bethany Hegedus

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

100 words or less how would you describe your work?

I write funny stories, daily-life stories, heart-felt stories, and larger-than-life stories, often set in the mid-to-southwest. I write stories of family and community and feathers and fangs. Of the working class and royalty, heroes and villains, big mouths and furred folks-all of whom are stretching to grasp whatever it is they need and want most.

100 words on less please share your thoughts on : Women of color writers

I would encourage women of color writers to define themselves and shrug off the expectations of the market. If you want to write stories inspired by your community or the child in you, go for it. If you want to strap on wings and lead YA lit up to heaven, then feel free to do that too. Write every-kids and make people a little uncomfortable, but never forget to honor the hero in you.


Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today Cynthia! I wholeheartedly recommend Eternal and Tantalize. And I've heard nothing but rave reviews over Jingle Dancer, including one from a member of our staff). And I agree with The Agency series by Y.S. Lee being top reads of 2010! Cynthia's blog, Cynsations is one of the best resouces for anyone interested in literature, whether reading it or writing it or working in the publishing industry. Furthermore, Cynthia is one of the few Native American authors writing for children and for that, the world of children's literature has been immensely enriched. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Inside the Story Circle, by Award-Winning Author Linda Boyden

The following post is also featured at Multiculturalism Rocks! Linda Boyden graciously accepted to be my guest blogger. In the following article she raises awareness about elements that often misrepresent Native American cultures in children's literature.

In July of 1992, a group of Native American writers and storytellers convened in Norman, Oklahoma. As a result, Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers was formed the following year. Today, Wordcraft Circle has active members from forty states, three Canadian provinces, and two countries representing more than 135 sovereign Indigenous Nations/tribes.

Wordcraft ‘s unique purpose, to ensure that the voices of Native writers and storytellers–past, present, and future–are heard throughout the world, urges members to “return their gift” of creativity by mentoring and volunteering both within Wordcraft Circle and their local communities as well.

In that spirit I would like to share some ideas to consider when choosing books on Native Americans for children.

~ Begin by reading “Through Indian Eyes, The Native Experience in Books for Children,” edited by Beverly Slapin and Doris Seale ©1998. This is a comprehensive overview of many children’s books in print about Native Americans. It gives reviews, both positive and negative, and is an invaluable source in helping parents, teachers and librarians make intelligent and sensitive choices. Also visit their related website, www.oyate.org. Another excellent source book is Lessons From Turtle Island by Guy W. Jones and Sally Moomaw published by Redleaf Press, ©2002.

~ Check alphabet books, making sure they do not contain an “I is for Indian” or “E is for Eskimo” type of page. Most publishers of today are aware of this, but many libraries and used bookstores have older books in their stacks with such entries.

~Read or peruse what your children/students read, preferably beforehand. Don’t choose books in which the Native American characters sport ridiculous names, such as “Chief Big Foot.” A Boy Called Slow, the picture book biography of the Hunkpapa Lakota warrior, Sitting Bull, by Joseph Bruchac is a great way to help non-Indians understand the significance of Native American names.

~Avoid books whose Indian characters speak in what Beverly Slapin calls Early Jawbreaker, such as “Me go...Ugh...Me see ‘em.”

~ However, don’t discard classic children’s literature, such as Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House” series, because of the bias. Instead, address the issue and use the biased sentiments as a springboard for discussion or debate. Have children dig deeper to discover what caused Ma and other settlers to fear and hate Indians. Contrast that point of view with Pa’s. Explore and expand the role of the Osage warrior, Soldat du Chene, in “Little House on the Prairie”.

~ Words such as “squaw,” “papoose,” and “brave” are regarded by many Native people as racial epithets and as such are inappropriate to use. If found, tell children the truth: at one point in history these words were used; today, however, they are offensive to most Native Americans.

~Make sure that Indian characters are not portrayed as bloodthirsty savages, simpletons needing to be rescued or discovered, cute toys/mascots, or illustrated as Caucasians who are merely colored brown–or worse–in red.

~Native people of long ago did NOT all live in tipis. Homes, clothing, hairstyles, regalia* and customs differed according to each region and tribal affiliation.

~Native people of today are VISIBLE and live very much the same way as most other Americans. Many still live a traditional lifestyle and balance the two.

~Many objects, such as sand paintings, masks, drums, pipes, or rattles, are considered by most Native Americans to be sacred and should not be used as classroom crafts. A little research will yield much respect.

~Songs like, “Ten Little Indians” are not cute; they are demeaning and relegate human beings to the status of pets or animals. Instructing students to sit “Indian-style” on the floor is also inappropriate. Ask your primary students to crisscross or sit on their pockets instead.

~Do attend local powwows, which are Native American social gatherings. Many reserves or reservations have museums that are good resources for educating yourself about American Indian cultures. Explore websites, such as Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers www.wordcraftcircle.org and resource websites such as Hanksville, www.hanksville.org which provides a comprehensive listing of contemporary Native writers or Native Languages, a website that preserves Native languages and cultures at www.native-languages.org.

*Note: please do not refer to ceremonial clothing as costumes because costumes are items to be worn for Halloween etc. In contrast, many powwow regalia have been handed down from one generation to the next. Almost all regalia has been hand-made by family members.

Once enlightened, I believe we cannot go backwards. Racism and stereotypes hurt both in the present tense and in the future. Be informed to make better choices. Read as much as you can, but be selective in your choices, keeping in mind that much in print has not been written from the Indian point of view.

Finally, let this be your guide: imagine you are the Indian child sitting within the story circle. Imagine how the words and pictures of the book you have chosen will impact her as well as the non-Indian friend sitting beside her.

About today's guest
Linda Boyden has spent most of her adult life leading children to literacy. From 1970-1997, she taught in elementary schools, receiving her master’s in Gifted and Talented Education in 1992 from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. In 1997, Linda decided to change careers and abandoned full-time teaching for full-time writing. Her first picture book, The Blue Roses, debuted in 2002. It was the recipient of Lee and Low Books’ first New Voices Award, the 2003 Paterson Prize, Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers’ Book of the Year, Children’s Literature, 2002-2003, and was included on the prestigious CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) 2003 Choices list of recommended titles. In 2006, her “Grammy Linda” preschool storytelling DVD was released. Since 2007, she has written and illustrated her second and third picture books, Powwow’s Coming (2007) and Giveaways, An ABC of Loanwords from the Americas, (Fall, 2010) both from the University of New Mexico Press.

Linda is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers. She enjoys doing author visits and storytelling at schools and libraries across the country.

For more information about Linda and her work, please visit www.lindaboyden.com

COLA: Debbie Reese

Blog name: American Indians in Children's Literature

Blogger: Debbie Reese

Blog Origination date: May 8, 2006

Focus: Portrayals of American Indians in children's and young adult books

Regular features: Essays, short and long, written to help readers recognize flawed portrayals of American Indians, wherever they appear. The focus is literature, but I also blog about commercial products, textbooks, lesson plans, movies, and television shows.

Pub schedule. How frequently do you update your blog? At least twice a week

Post of note, something in particular you want readers to check out:
Effects of American Indian stereotypes

50 words or less how would you describe your blog:
Whether you were raised in the United States or another country, you were given (by well-meaning adults) books that portrayed American Indians in stereotypical ways as tragic and noble, or savage and brutal. You may even have come to believe that American Indians vanished, killed off by colonizers and other tribes. We're still here! Come to my site and learn about us.

Top 10 reads if we want to become informed about Native American children's lit?
Below are some things you can find at my site. I link to full-text articles, doing what I can to provide no-cost resources.

"Authenticity and Sensitivity: Goals for writing and reviewing books with Native American themes," by Debbie Reese, in School Library Journal.

"I is not for Indian: The Portrayal of Native Americans in Books for Young People," by Naomi Caldwell-Wood and Lisa Mitten of the American Indian Library Association

"I Still Isn't for Indian," by Nina Lindsay, in School Library Journal

"Look Mom! It's George! He's a TV Indian! by Debbie Reese, in Horn Book Magazine

Native American Themes in Children and Young Adult Books, by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Two invaluable print resources are:
American Indian Themes in Young Adult Literature, by Paulette Molin
A Broken Flute: The Native Perspective in Books for Children, edited by Doris Seale and Beverly Slapin

What do you hope readers will gain, find or enjoy because they've visited your blog?
I hope readers come away knowing how to look critically at images of American Indians, and that they share what they learn with their children and their children's teachers and librarians.