Cynthia Leitich Smith is Coming to the UNLV Summit by Rebecca Chatham-Vazquez

5/27/2021

Cynthia Leitich Smith is Coming to the Summit!

The UNLV Young Adult Literature Summit is pleased to feature Cynthia Leitich Smith this year. Smith is an enrolled citizen of the Muskogee (Creek) Nation who landed on the Young Adult scene with Jingle Dancer in 2000, and she’s been changing our lives with her work ever since. As a teacher and writer, she centers young people - particularly Native youth - their lives and their thoughts in all her work.

She has been recognized by YALSA, the ALA, and the Texas Library Association, among several others. This year she was named 2021 Neustadt NSK Laureate (Winner of the NSK Prize for Children’s Literature). Her novels have won numerous awards, including the American Indian Youth Literature award for Hearts Unbroken and the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection for Ancestor Approved.

Ancestor Approved, edited by Smith and published in 2020, is an anthology of stories and poems contributed by several authors (including Smith) who collaborated to create intersecting stories that take place during an intertribal powwow. Thanks to the collaboration of all the contributors, all of the stories weave together to give readers the feeling of the powwow and to show Native joy and the beauty of community, as people from many nations join together in the celebration of their heritage. Read an excerpt here.

Most excitingly, the Heartdrum imprint, a Native-focused imprint of HarperCollins, has launched this year with Smith as the author-curator! The imprint focuses on publishing the work of Indigenous writers and illustrators for children and young adults. There are picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, and young adult novels. The future of Native American children’s and young adult literature looks very exciting!

For more from Smith, see her interview with Publisher’s Weekly OR this conversation from From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors

Dr. Steve Bickmore
Creator and Curator

Dr. Bickmore is a Professor of English Education at UNLV. He is a scholar of Young Adult Literature and past editor of The ALAN Review and a past president of ALAN. He is a available for speaking engagements at schools, conferences, book festivals, and parent organizations. More information can be found on the Contact page and the About page.

Dr. Gretchen Rumohr
Co-Curator

Gretchen Rumohr is a professor of English and writing program administrator at Aquinas College, where she teaches writing and language arts methods. She is also a Co-Director of the UNLV Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature. She lives with her four girls and a five-pound Yorkshire Terrier in west Michigan.

Bickmore's
Co-Edited Books

Meet
Evangile Dufitumukiza!

Evangile is a native of Kigali, Rwanda. He is a college student that Steve meet while working in Rwanda as a missionary. In fact, Evangile was one of the first people who translated his English into Kinyarwanda.

Steve recruited him to help promote Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media while Steve is doing his mission work.

He helps Dr. Bickmore promote his academic books and sometimes send out emails in his behalf.

You will notice that while he speaks fluent English, it often does look like an "American" version of English. That is because it isn't. His English is heavily influence by British English and different versions of Eastern and Central African English that is prominent in his home country of Rwanda.

Welcome Evangile into the YA Wednesday community as he learns about Young Adult Literature and all of the wild slang of American English vs the slang and language of the English he has mastered in his beautiful country of Rwanda.

While in Rwanda, Steve has learned that it is a poor English speaker who can only master one dialect and/or set of idioms in this complicated language.

Blogs to Follow

Natasha Wilson

10/11/2021 05:25:37 am

My name is Natasha Wilson. I am here to make a review about how Dr Patrick helped me in fixing my marriage and also to those out there seeking for help and advice on how to save your broken marriage or relationship, few months ago I was having issues with my husband I noticed he has been having an affair with another young lady in his place of work I confronted him but he got angry and say to my face that it’s true, as if that was not enough he went ahead by telling me he doesn’t love me anymore that he wanted a divorce I was to devastated and confused, I pleaded with him that I don’t want a divorce but he insisted, before then I had heard about Dr Patrick while browsing on the internet how he use to help people with broken marriages and relationships, I gave it a thought and I decided to contact him, he promise to put a smile on my face again, I followed his instructions and after 3days I was so surprised to see my husband kneeling before me and apologizing for what he had said about the divorce, this is something I never expected, I thank Dr Patrick for what he has done for me, now am living happily with my husband and he has stopped seeing the other woman. Please if you are having issues like this I advise you to contact Dr Patrick he can help you as well. You can contact him on his Email [email protected] or on his whatsapp number +1 662 493 2087 this is his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Drpatrickspellcaster11

Ann Earnis

2/12/2024 02:49:43 am

HOW I GOT MY HUSBAND BACK WITH THE HELP OF PRIEST WISDOM CONTACT ON WHATS_APP NUMBER +2348124644470

This is my testimony about the good work of priest wisdom who helped me ... I'm Ann Earnis from North Carolina USA. And am sorry for putting this on net but i will have to, by this world best spell caster that brought back my husband who left me out for past 3 years, i eventually met this man on a blog site posting by one of is client for help, i explained everything to him and he told me about a spell caster that he had heard about and he gave me an email address to write to the spell caster to tell him my problems. In just 1 days, my husband was back to me. I just want to say thank you to this truthful and sincere spell caster, sir all you told me have come to pass and thank you sir. Please I want to tell everyone who is looking for any solution to their problem, I advise you to kindly consult this spell caster, he is real,he is powerful and whatever the spell caster tells is what will happen, because all what the spell caster told me came to pass. You can kindly contact him on: his email address is [email protected] or directly on whats-app/Telegram +2348124644470 https://supernaturalspell21.blogspot.com/ facebook page: https://web.facebook.com/PRIESTWISDOM11

Kate Mark

7/7/2023 07:56:55 pm

After Years in a relationship with my Boyfriend, my Boyfriend started going out with other girls and showing me cold love, on several occasions he threatens to broke-up with me if I dare question him about his affair with other girls, I was totally devastated and confused until an old friend of mine told me about a spell caster on the internet Dr Akin who help people with their relationship and marriage problem and solve other Issues by ca sting spell to restore peace in a lot of home, first I doubted If voodoo ever exists but decided to give it a try, When I contact him, he told me everything I needed to do and I did and he helped me cast a Love Spell and within 28Hours my boyfriend came back to and started apologizing, now he has stopped going out with girls and he is with me for good and for real. Dr akin voodoo is real and powerful Contact this powerful spell Caster for any love spell and other area https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094035050805&mibextid=ZbWKwL

Kathleen Decker

9/2/2023 11:28:36 pm

I want to use this opportunity to share the good works of Dr. Odunga who brought my husband back to me from another woman in 2 days. His email is [email protected] and his WhatsApp contact is +2348167159012.
The day my husband left me, things appeared bleak, and the atmosphere was heavy with uncertainties. Everything seemed pale and so I decided to look for help in spell casters who have the capability to bring my ex husband back to me. As envisaged, I went on the internet and as you too have seen in your search for a reliable spell caster, I saw a lot of testimonies of spell casters in the recovery of ex husbands and loved ones. Driven by belief in Doctor Odunga, I contacted him and after explaining things to him, he accepted to face the challenges on ground. He did brilliantly well. My ex husband came back to me within 2 days of contact with more care and affection and promised never to leave me. I will therefore like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to him and share this testimony to enable others in need to contact him for his selfless service to situations and problems. Commendable, he shows great courage at taking on the daunting task of finding solutions to practically any given problem. Contact him at [email protected] and I believe he will help you as he did to me.

2/12/2024 02:49:59 am

Agata Winston

3/17/2024 06:59:08 pm

After I and my husband got married, we relocated to another city and we both got jobs and started working and living together happily. We never had any problems until a colleague of his started doing all she can to get my husband’s attention. I never knew all along what was going until he started sleeping out and making excuses. Things got out of control and he eventually stopped attending to my needs. I knew at that point I needed help so I contacted Dr Isikolo and explained everything to him. He told me all that has been going and promised to fix the problems for me which he did. He cast a love reunion spell for me which reunited i and my husband and he started being the man I always loved him to be just after 48 hours Dr Isikolo worked for me. We are both happy now and it would not have been possible if not for Dr Isikolo. Contact him if you need any help. Visit his webpage: https://isikolo-temple.com or text him on WhatsApp him on +2348133261196

Trudy Morris

3/19/2024 01:49:14 pm

I never knew I could get my fiancé back to me until I contacted Dr Isikolo who helped me. I had a terrible misunderstanding with my man and we went different ways. I was down emotionally and knew not what to do to help the situation. So I got to know about Dr Isikolo. I contacted him and got him to help with my problems. He told me all that I needed to know and understood and I complied with procedures and he eventually fix the problem for me and now I and my fiancé are back together and I know we will get married soon. It won’t have been possible if Dr Isikolo didn’t help me as promised. The result of his work surely manifest after 48 hours and it 100% guaranteed. Its visible for me to see the effect of the result of everything he did for me and truly the love and affection between i and my fiance is restored back fully and it gladdens my heart that i didnt loose him to anyone out there. He can as well help you if you reach out to him now. Text him on WhatsApp him on +2348133261196 or review his webpage (https://isikolo-temple.com

Ferdinand Witter

3/21/2024 01:29:58 pm

The marital crisis I was going through came to and end when Dr Isikolo got involved. Just like every other couples out there, we had our differences and I ensure I did my best to lead her right, provide for her and my kids and also protected them. We both made sacrifices to ensure we survived the union until she started acting up and deliberately had so many fights with me. The home became unpleasant for everyone else including my children. She was being manipulated by a friend who had been divorced and wanted to also ruin my marriage. I had to contact Dr Isikolo and he responded and did his best to end the issues. He restored the love and connection between us and I can tell now that whatever illusion my wife was under has been taking away and she is a better woman now. The result of what Dr Isikolo did for me that manifested after two days was what amazed me. I and my household remain grateful. I appeal to anyone who needs help to fix their relationships and marital problems to contact Dr Isikolo because the solution is sure. Text him on WhatsApp him on +2348133261196 or review his webpage: https://isikolo-temple.com

Comments are closed.