Q and A with Visiting Author Matt de la Pena
Author Matt de la Pena speaks to Berry students during an assembly by Mason Waldron, Jag Rag staff writer Author Matt de la Pena capped Berry’s Multicultural Week on March 22 by speaking to Berry students about his life and his writing. In addition, he held a writing workshop for several lucky students. De la Pena is a very accomplished author who has won multiple awards for his books, including becoming the first Hispanic author to win the Newbery Medal for his book Last Stop on Market Street , and getting one of his books, Miguel and the Grand Harmony, turned into an animated Disney movie ( Coco ). In this exclusive interview, you will have the privilege of learning what encouraged him to be a writer, why he loved basketball as a child, and finally, what he considers to be his greatest accomplishment (quick hint: it’s not being a writer!). Q: What inspired you to become a writer? A: “I grew up in a working-class community, and I wanted to tell the stories of neighborhoods l