Cynthia Leitich Smith: Why Cousin Elizabeth 's character in "Jingle Dancer" made a big impression

Cynthia Leitich Smith is the 2021 NSK Neustadt Laureate (opens in a new window) and a New York Times bestselling author of books for young readers. She is also the author-curator of Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books, and serves as the Katherine Paterson Inaugural Endowed Chair on the faculty of the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Cynthia is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation and lives in Austin, Texas.

To see more of Cynthia’s short stories, essays, and poems, take a look at her collected works for children and young adults on her website and blog, Cynsations (opens in a new window).