Cynthia Leitich Smith
Visiting Writer, MFA in WCYA
Profile
Cynthia Leitich Smith (she/her) is the 2021 NSK Neustadt Laureate as well as a New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestselling children’s-YA writer, a writing teacher, and the author-curator of the Heartdrum imprint at HarperCollins. Cynthia’s latest releases were a middle grade anthology, Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, and a middle grade novel, Sisters of the Neversea, which received a combined 10 starred reviews.
In 2023, she looks forward to Harvest House, a young adult ghost story, and The Blue Stars middle grade graphic novel series, co-authored by Kekla Magoon. Her titles have received numerous honors, including the American Indian Youth Literature Award, ALA Notable Book, Foreword Reviews Silver Medal, Junior Library Guild Selection, YALSA Popular Paperbacks, and numerous best-of-the-year lists. Cynthia, a citizen of Muscogee Nation, was named Writer of the Year by Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers for Rain Is Not My Indian Name. She serves on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults, where she was named the inaugural Katherine Paterson Endowed Chair. In addition, Cynthia coordinates the annual We Need Diverse Books Native Writing Intensive.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas and a J.D. from The University of Michigan Law School, where she co-founded a gender-rights law journal. Visit www.cynthialeitichsmith.com.