Friends!

We are just a little over one month away from the release of one of my most anticipated reads of the year! Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories, edited by bestselling Muscogee author and curator of the Heartdrum imprint at Harpers Children's, Cynthia Leitich Smith, comes out on August 26 (Just one day before my birthday!) If this book isn't already on your radar, it needs to be!

This anthology of interconnected stories about a mythical drive-in that appears whenever you need guidance centers Native joy and is perfect for both young adult and adult audiences alike!

I was lucky enough to be able to ask a few questions to some the contributors of the anthology ! You can find editor Cynthia Leitich Smith's responses below and stay tuned to hear from some of the other authors leading up to the release date!

Naomi: I'm so excited for this anthology! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer some questions. How did the idea for the Legendary Frybread Drive-In Intertribal Stories come together? 

Cynthia: We’ve finally reached a point in publishing wherein the number of Indigenous YA writers is large enough to create an anthology of this scope and range, which is—in itself—something to celebrate!

Also, because so many of our voices are new to the wider literary world, LEGENDARY FRYBREAD DRIVE-IN offered an opportunity to introduce them while showcasing our established and rising stars.

Behind the bylines, a collaborative, intertribal project was a way to nurture our creative community.

Naomi: Can you talk a little bit about the work you do at Heartrdrum and how you balance that and writing? 

Cynthia: The role of an author-curator varies from person to person and imprint to imprint. For me, it involves writer mentoring, manuscript development, identifying potential illustrators, supporting authenticity, promotion, and acting as a public ambassador.

As for balance, I can’t deny that I’ve been steadily writing and publishing since the earliest days of the imprint, but these past twelve months have been the most challenging period in large part because of my family’s relocation, a move that took place in multiple stages and involved combining households.

The end is in sight, but I still have a couple of boxes to unpack in the kitchen, an electrician arriving tomorrow afternoon to install a ceiling fan, and various pictures to hang.

Naomi: Why do you write for a young adult audience?

Cynthia: Young heroes are dynamic, high energy, and the intensity of “everyday” moments is higher because they’re still new. Consider driving a car to work every weekday versus driving a car for the very first time in a parking lot, on a real street with other traffic, or even on a highway.

Beyond that, YA fiction is a life preserver. I hope to offer teens, especially Native teens, a level of support and understanding that wasn’t available on the page when I was their age.

Naomi: Why do you think representation is important, especially for youth? 

Cynthia: Literary representation in fiction and creative nonfiction that centers the young people it depicts tells those readers that they are welcome, valued, and important in the world of books. For Indigenous kids, it reinforces, and for non-Natives, it facilitates the development of empathy.

Naomi: What are some of your favorite themes to write? Do you find yourself returning to the same themes in different projects?

Cynthia: Themes pivotal to girls and women, intergenerational relationships, rising young writers and artists, mid-to-southwestern settings, and fantastical realities often appear in my writing.

Naomi: And the final question that I love to ask everyone: What is one book by an Indigenous author you recommend to everyone?

Cynthia: Only one? How about WE ARE STILL HERE: NATIVE AMERICAN TRUTHS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW, a creative nonfiction picture book by Traci Sorell and Frané Lessac, published by Charlesbridge. Think of it as NDN 101—everything everybody should’ve been taught in school.

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Legendary Frybread Drive-in Intertribal Stories Synposis:

The road to Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In slips through every rez and alongside every urban Native hangout. The menu offers a rotating feast, including traditional eats and tasty snacks. But Sandy June's serves up more than food: it hosts live music, movie nights, unexpected family reunions, love long lost, and love found again.

That big green-and-gold neon sign beckons to teens of every tribal Nation, often when they need it most.

Legedary Frybread Drive-in Intertribal Stories features stories and poems by: Kaua Mahoe Adams, Marcella Bell, Angeline Boulley, K. A. Cobell, A. J. Eversole, Jen Ferguson, Eric Gansworth, Byron Graves, Kate Hart, Christine Hartman Derr, Karina Iceberg, Cheryl Isaacs, Darcie Little Badger, David A. Robertson, Andrea L. Rogers, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and Brian Young

Releases: August 26, 2025 and is Good Day To Read Indigenous Book Club reading selection for September!

Pre-order it now and check out a few of Cynthia Leitich Smith's other books by clicking the attached books below.

Check out Cynthia's website