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Cynthia Leitich Smith is a graduate of the journalism school at The University of Kansas and of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor. She is a mixed-blood enrolled member of Creek Nation and lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two grey tabby cats. Cynthia and her husband often attend various theater productions, and share the cliched affection for Shakespeare.
TSF: How did you get started in writing children's literature?
The muse caught me young. I was "Dear Gabby" for my sixth grade newspaper. I edited my junior high and high school newspapers. And at The University of Kansas, I majored in journalism and English. Being from a working class family, becoming a fiction writer didn't seem possible or practical. But soon after graduating from The University of Michigan Law School, I began writing fiction. My mother suggested that I write for children, and I thought that was a horrible idea. I was only in my twenties and eager to distance myself from anything having to do with being a kid. But then I began haunting book stores, and the stories that called to me were written and marketed to the very young. The stories that came to me were wrapped around children and teenagers. And I couldn't resist them. Next, I did the thing that everyone tells you not to: I quit my day job. I told myself that even if I never sold a book, writing every day beat being a blood-sucking lawyer (this said with some affection; my husband's legal job kept us afloat).
TSF: Do you also read a lot of children's books?
Yes, mostly fiction for children and young adults. My favorite authors are too numerous to name. However, I do run Cynthia Leitich Smith Children's Literature Resources, a 120+ page site featuring bibliographies, author and illustrator interviews, original articles, and links to some of the best children's book information on the web. This includes sections on Native American Themes in Children's Books, Texas Children's Books, Authors, and Illustrators, and about me personally. Fans of the west may be particularly interested in , a historical chapter book about the Oregon Trail by Jane Kurtz, and , a poetic goodnight picture book by Kathi Appelt and illustrated by Barry Root.
TSF: Whose work has had the greatest influence on you?
In light of my affection for first person, I would have to say that Judy Blume had a great influence on me as a child reader and a grown-up (well, almost) writer for kids. I also enjoyed the depth of Katherine Paterson's work and still cry at the end of . These authors don't pull punches in their children's fiction. They don't underestimate or preach to their readers, and they're not afraid to tackle difficult, even controversial questions honestly. From them, I learned to respect the intelligence and savvy of my audience.
TSF: Tell us a little bit about your current book JINGLE DANCER. Aside from the wonderful writing, it also is a visually stunning book.
, is a picture book illustrated in exquisite watercolor paintings by the very talented team of Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu (Morrow Junior Books/HarperCollins, spring 2000).
It is the story of a contemporary Native American Indian (Muscogee Creek-Ojibwe) girl named Jenna who finds herself called by the Drum to jingle dance at the next powwow. The only problem is that there is not enough time for her to obtain tins to roll into jingles for her dress. So she turns to the women of her intertribal and mixed-race family and community and, later, honors them.
The heart of the story is about respecting ones elders, respecting women, and about the initiative of this little girl who is so eager to dance and so proud of her heritage.
TSF: What aspect of the book is your favorite?
One of my favorite aspects of the book is that the illustrations reflect the mixed-blood diversity of the community. Some of the characters are clearly Scottish-Irish Indians, and others are Black Indians. I feel it's important for children of all backgrounds to see people like themselves mirrored in books. The illustrators, Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, did some of their most evocative work. The relationship between Jenna and the people she loves really comes through in their expressions. I was impressed with both their talent and their respect for Native peoples. They dedicated the book to jingle dancers.
TSF: How did you stumble across the idea for JINGLE DANCER?
As a mixed-blood member of Creek Nation, I was inspired to write this story because of my delight at the resurgence of pride in the American Indian community in recent years.
As is true for so many Native families, my grandfather and his siblings were educated in an Indian bordering school. It was a complex experience, and my great aunt to whom JINGLE DANCER is dedicated has told me stories of resistance that show the strength of children in ways many grown-ups could not imagine. But essentially, the intent of these schools was to de-Indian-ize children. The fall out on the Native community has been tremendous. However, today at the powwows and in urban and reservation communities, we are seeing more and more people once again proud to be Indian.
With this in mind, I crafted a story of a very contemporary girl who makes it possible for her regalia to be brought together in time to dance at the next powwow.
I wrote the first draft on the back of a torn envelope in a classroom at St. Edward's University in Austin. At the time, I was tutoring gifted students who had been raised in migrant farm families, and I was between sessions. That version is very different than the final draft, but it came in a bubble of an idea. And I felt compelled to scribble it down immediately. There is a writer's high that is roughly akin to a runner's high. It's very creative and all-natural. I definitely felt that.
I hope readers will enjoy the underlying theme of respecting women and elders as well as be taken with the more poetic language juxtaposed against very contemporary terms.
TSF: I understand that you grew up in the Midwest. Do you find that sense of place often comes through in the stories you write?
JINGLE DANCER is set in central Oklahoma, which was my mother's early childhood home. I did return with her several times during my own childhood and even lived there for a time. However, I think sense of place comes through more in my work for older readers. My first children's novel, RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME, which will be released by HarperCollins in spring/summer 2001, is set in Eastern Kansas. That's where I spent the latter half of my own childhood, and I believe the small town Midwestern setting is so pervasive that it's almost a character.
In addition, my first chapter book tentatively titled INDIAN SHOES will follow, and it's a collection of short stories about a boy and his grandfather living in Chicago. Their house is based loosely on the Chicago-style bungalow where my husband was raised. We lived together in the city shortly after marrying, and I'm pleased about creating a book that reflects the urban Indian experience.
TSF: If you could only afford to have 3 books in your personal library, which three titles (other than your own) would they be?
by Elizabeth George Speare, for sentimental reasons; it was one of my favorite books as a child. by Annette Curtis Klause because it's a brilliantly crafted young adult novel and one sexy little werewolf book. by Jerrie Oughton, because of its depiction of small town prejudice and redemption.
TSF: Do you have any advice you would like to pass on to novice writers?
Dive in like you don't need air to breathe. Learn everything you can about the market and everyone in it. Read everything, especially in your genre, but also everything else. Poetry, short stories, the backs of cereal boxes whatever. Make the music of language the utmost priority in your life. Find friends to support who will support you in return, and to the extent blood and marriage allow cut everyone who is not behind you out of your life. Act like a professional from day one, but don't beat up on yourself if you sometimes slip and come off like a complete dork. Love the life of it the sweat on the page. But don't live for publication. Be proud of yourself for having the bravery to create.
TSF: What can we look forward to next?
My first children's novel, RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME, will be available from HarperCollins in spring/summer 2001. It's the contemporary story of a mixed blood girl dealing with gossip and unfinished business after the death of her best friend who may have been more than a friend.
TSF: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Any parting words?
Please take the time to share books with children not just my books any really wonderful children's book. A story can change and even save lives. And be sure to support your local libraries.
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