The Creative Writing Department at San Diego State
University will be hosting a Hugh C. Hyde Living Writers series tomorrow, October 22, 2014,
in the Malcolm A. Love Library featuring acclaimed YA author Matt de la Peña.
de la Peña will be reading from his latest YA novel The Living which was released last November.
Matt de la Peña is a SDSU alumnus who received his MFA in
creative writing and currently teaches creative writing in Brookyln, NY where
he resides. de la Peña is also author to five critically acclaimed young adult
novels: Ball Don’t Lie, Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Here, I Will Save You and The Living and author to an award winning picture book,
A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis.
Ball Don’t Lie was
de la Peña’s first novel, published in 2005, and made into a major motion
picture released in 2008. The author
also worked alongside award winning Brin Hill in developing the screenplay for
this film. This movie included actors such as Rosanna Arquette, Nick Cannon,
Ludacris, and Nick Chinlund. Needless to say the book inspired a great movie and
both movie and book tell a genuine high school basketball story.
In 2002, The New York Times covered a story regarding de la
Peña’s Mexican Whiteboy banning in
Tuscan classrooms. The issue was political and Mexican-American studies became
a controversial topic during this time. Regardless, de la Peña went to speak to the
students of Tucson High not about the politics of race but about his story and
what it took to get him to where he is today.If you are interested in this event or would like more information on this author please check out the links below.
This event is free and open to the public! Matt de la Peña will be reading on: Wednesday, October 22nd at 7 p.m. at the SDSU’s Love Library in Room 430.
Notes:
- SDSU’s Living Writer’s Series: http://mfa.sdsu.edu/events.htm
- More About Matt de la Peña: http://mattdelapena.com
- Ball Don’t Lie Motion Picture Information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0906727/?ref_=nv_sr_1
- The New York Times article “Racial Lens Used to Cull Curriculum in Arizona”: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/education/racial-lens-used-to-cull-curriculum-in-arizona.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&
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