Today, she has written "Jingle Dancer," a children’s book celebrating Native American culture. People who read this book with savor the enchanting rhythm of her words, and learning about Native American traditions. It’s a wonderful book for all ages.

I want to welcome Cynthia to the Meet-the-author interview. Thank you, Cynthia, for joining me.

Joanne:
The young girl, Jenna, in your book, "Jingle Dancer," participates in a powwow. What happens at a powwow, and how is it significant to you and the Native American culture?

Cynthia:
A powwow is a Native American social and spiritual event that may include dancing, drumming, singing, eating, and sometimes camping, trading, storytelling, rodeos, or film and art shows. The heart of the event is about celebrating and preserving connections and traditions. Some powwows are ceremonial and private while others are open to the public. Powwow are held at various times of the year, although most take place during the summer. Native peoples of many Nations participate these events.

Attending a powwow is one way non-Indians can connect with Native cultures. They are family-oriented events.

What I most enjoy about attending powwows is the opportunity to renew old friendships and establish new ones. It's also a celebration of identity.

Joanne:
Jenna is on an enthusiastic quest for the jingles needed for her special dress. How do you identify with her?

Cynthia:
Like Jenna, my childhood was filled with strong relationships with women of my family and community, with women of each generation. The heart of Jenna's story is about joy and respectfully honoring others. It touches on the mutuality of giving as a way of life. It is wonderful for me to be able to share this theme with a diversity of children.

Joanne:
Your writing style is warm and enchanting. When did you first begin writing, and how has that led up to you writing "Jingle Dancer"?

Cynthia:
Thank you. I have been writing since early childhood. In fact, my mother recently sent me copies of a number of childhood projects, and stumbling upon one, I realized it was the original first version of what has later grown into a short story I finished only a couple of years ago. While there are differences between the two pieces, it's clearly recognizable. The short story will be one of six published in a collection I'm still working on, but the collection is already under contract with HarperCollins.

It's important to encourage children in their early interests. You never know where they might lead.

Cynthia:
As I grew older, I guess practicality talked me out of the dream of being a writer -- at least for a while. I was the first person in my lineal family line to graduate from college, and then I went onto law school. At my first law job, I found myself still scribbling fiction on my lunch hour and after work. It wasn't long before I realized I had to follow my dream. But every day I'm thankful for my other work experience and extensive education. Those experiences have given me a rich array of memories to draw upon as well as the analytic skills and discipline to excel in a competitive market.

Joanne:
Why do you think children will love this book?

Cynthia:
It's my hope that children will see themselves in Jenna, who like Bat from a traditional Mvskoke story, can make a difference even though she is small. In her warm and respectful relationship with her grandmother, great aunt, neighbor, and cousin, Jenna is one of the new generation who will someday, each in her own way, dance for us all.

This story shows that children belong to all of us, our entire families and communities. We must treasure and make time for them as they look to us for guidance and support. Jenna's world is a safe one, filled with love and celebration. Children will be smiling with her as she begins her dance.

Joanne:
Do you have any plans to write another book?

Cynthia:
I have two more books already under contract with HarperCollins with paperbacks to follow from Avon Books and HarperTrophy, respectively.

The first is RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME for children ages 10-14. The novel is the story of a young mixed blood girl who must reconnect to her small-town (in) Kansas and intertribal communities after withdrawing emotionally after the unexpected death of her best friend. The release date will be sometime in spring/summer 2001.

The second book, tentatively titled INDIAN SHOES, is a collection of short stories about a Cherokee-Seminole boy and his grandfather living in a Chicago neighborhood. These are everyday stories that celebrate a charming, warm relationship between the two characters. The release date has not yet been set but will follow the novel.

Respect for elders is an on-going theme in my work, and readers of RAIN and INDIAN SHOES will see more fully developed contemporary stories, each offering some touching moments, but also a healthy dose of humor.

Mvto (thank you) for your interest in my work and children's literature.Anytime, Cynthia. : )

also see:

Meet the Author
Deb Carpenter
"Nature's Beauty Kit"
hosted by Joanne Spataro
interview & FREE beauty tips
Deb Carpenter’s book, "Nature’s Beauty Kit," offers many wonderful, beauty recipes that can be made right from our own backyards. She’s appreciating nature’s gifts ever since she began collecting recipe clippings from newspapers, and from her grandmother’s own stash. She completely filled a drawer with these recipes. So Deb thought it was time to make a book out of her collection. And I’m so glad she did! "Nature’s Beauty Kit" includes tons of clever recipes, like homemade hair rinses, facial masks and shampoos. Deb thinks hair rinses will be a winner with teens, since it gives hair natural highlights!

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Jingle Dancer
by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Cornelius Van Wright, Ying-Hwa Hu

Jenna, a contemporary Muscogee (Creek) girl in Oklahoma, wants to honor a family tradition by jingle dancing at the next powwow. But where will she find enough jingles for her dress? An unusual, warm family story, beautifully evoked in Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu's watercolor art.

The Worry Stone
by Marianna Dengler, Sibyl Graber Gerig

An original folktale in the spirit of the peaceful Chumash tribe of California centers this masterful picture book for older children. Spinning off from that tale are two other generation-linking stories. Amanda, an old woman, enjoys watching children play in the park but is troubled by a sad-faced child who silently shares her bench. Finally the boy tells her that the other children say he is too little to play with them. The poignant, heartwarming story is lyrically written and is illustrated with equal eloquence. Gerig's training in medical and biological illustration is apparent in the lifelike faces and postures done in watercolor and watercolor pencil. A picture-book treasure.

The Arrow over the Door
by Joseph Bruchac, James Watling

To fourteen-year-old Samuel Russell, called coward for his peace-loving Quaker beliefs, the summer of 1777 is a time of fear. The British and the Patriots will soon meet in battle near his home in Saratoga, New York. The Quakers are in danger from roaming Indians and raiders--yet to fight back is not the Friends' way. To Stands Straight, a young Abenaki Indian on a scouting mission for the British, all Americans are enemies, for they killed his mother and brother. But in a Quaker Meetinghouse he will come upon Americans unlike any he has ever seen. What will the encounter bring? Based on a real historical incident, this fast-paced and moving story is a powerful reminder that the way of peace can be walked by all human beings.