Cynthia Weill Papers

Cynthia Weill was born in 1959 and has authored children's books in both English and Spanish. She has received master's degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, in foreign language education, Wesleyan University, in art history, and the Teachers College at Columbia University. She received a Ph.D in Education from the Teachers College at Columbia University. A copy of her Columbia University Master's thesis,"A Case study of intercultural communications: Oaxacan woodcarvers and an American writer" is filed in the Weill collection file. For access please contact the curator. Reproduction of this thesis is prohibited.

Weill has worked as a teacher, an art historian, and in the field of humanitarian assistance. From 1986 to 1999 Weill worked as a Spanish teacher in Glastonbury, Connecticut, during which time she participated in a Fullbright Teacher exchange in Mexico City. She worked for a catholic relief organization in Ha Noi, Vietnam from 1999 to 2002, and was inspired to write her first book from the experience. Weill made her writing debut with the help of children's book author Pegi Deitz Shea, publishing Ten Mice for Tet!, which features vividly colored art based on Vietnamese embroidery. Since the publication of her first book Weill has continued to work with artists, using their work as the illustrations in her books.

Weill has received numerous awards and honors for her work, including three National Endowment for the Humanities awards, an American Library Association Notable Book award, and a Best of Children's Books designation from the Bank Street College of Education.