Cynthia Leitich Smith to deliver the 2026 Children’s Literature Lecture: “Indigenous Voices: On the Page & Behind the Bylines”

Cynthia Leitich Smith

The Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota Libraries will host Cynthia Leitich Smith on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, for the ALSC Children’s Literature Lecture at the Elmer L. Andersen Library.

The ALSC Children’s Literature Lecture is an annual event featuring an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children’s literature, of any country, who shall prepare a paper considered to be a significant contribution to the field of children’s literature. This event was postponed from the Spring 2026.

Cynthia Leitich Smith is the bestselling, acclaimed author of books for all ages, including Firefly Season, Jingle Dancer, Indian Shoes, On a Wing and a Tear, Sisters of the Neversea, the Blue Stars series, Rain Is Not My Indian Name, Harvest House, and Hearts Unbroken, which won the American Indian Youth Literature Award. Cynthia is also the anthologist of Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids.

She is the author-curator of Heartdrum, an acclaimed Native-focused imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books, featuring stories for children and teens by Indigenous authors and illustrators . Heartfelt, groundbreaking, and unexpected, these beloved books emphasize the present and future of Native peoples and the strength of young Indigenous heroes.

Rock Your Mocks, published by Heartdrum

Event details

What: The ALSC Children’s Literature Lecture with Cynthia Leitich Smith, “Indigenous Voices: On the Page & Behind the Bylines”

When: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Doors open 5:30 p.m. | Program begins at 6 p.m. | Reception and book signing with Birchbark Books and Native Arts from 7 to 8 p.m.

Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library, Givens suite 120, and online
Free of charge. Register to reserve your seat.

More about Cynthia Leitich Smith, author, editor, curator

Legendary Frybread Drive-In: An anthology of interconnected stories about a mythical drive-in that appears whenever you need guidance centers Native joy.

Rosemary Brosnan, her long-time editor at HarperCollins and partner at Heartdrum, refers to her as a “trailblazer in writing Native children’s literature” and notes her skill in handling serious themes in ways that appeal to young readers.

Byron Graves (author) proclaimed that “Cynthia Leitich Smith is my writing hero. Reading her books showed me that my own dreams were actually possible.”

Don Tate (author/illustrator) calls her the “rock of the youth literature community,” noting that she is a reliable friend, mentor, and teacher to everyone she meets.

Traci Sorell (Cherokee author) credits her with making the landscape of Native creatives “lush,” stating that Smith leads by example and assists Native writers with everything from craft to connecting with agents.

Christine Hartman Derr (Cherokee), author of the upcoming Raven, Rising (Heartdrum) stated in an interview with Boozhoo Books, that she “didn’t see Cherokee language in a book—at least not one I hadn’t specifically sought out—until I was 33 years old…that book was Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Sisters of the Neversea, and yes, I cried seeing my Native language on the page unexpectedly”

Monica Brown (author) describes her as a “champion of empathy, kindness, and justice,” highlighting her life’s work of empowering new and emerging voices.

Hilary Van Dusen (editor) calls her an “ambassador for Native writers,” emphasizing her focus on building a strong sense of community rather than just pursuing individual success.

Samantha M. Clark (author) noted Smith’s generosity toward those starting out, which inspired the creation of the Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Award in Austin SCBWI to honor her legacy of helping fellow writers.

In an interview with the National Endowment for the Arts (2023)

Jingle Dancer, by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Cynthia Leitich Smith said, “It’s very important to me that my Native characters be three-dimensional, resonant people with a full range of humanity. Very often for Native kids, my books, because there still aren’t enough of us, maybe the first time they see someone like themselves in that way on the page, I want them to ring true most of all in their humanity.”

Thank you!

The Kerlan Collection of Children’s Literature and the Friends of the Kerlan thank the Children’s Literature Lecture Committee for selecting the University of Minnesota Libraries as the hosting site and we look forward to an extraordinary evening together.