February 1, 2013 VG Teaching Resources Vocab & ELA Res, VG Author Interviews 6-12, Vocab Gal, ELA 6-8, ELA Resources - Activities, ELA 9-12, ELA Focus - Vocabulary, ELA Focus - Author Interviews
By: Vocab Gal
Matt de la Peña comes from humble beginnings and has achieved a modicum of success that would make many authors a bit supercilious, but he remains nonchalant and humble.
He tells moving stories both on the page and as a speaker, and I cannot wait to share this video with my students! Not only does Matt have a great deal of “street cred” with my kids, but his impassioned answers to my questions are also truly inspiring and eloquent.
"A writer's job is basically to turn words over, turn 'em over, turn 'em over, until you find that thing that fits the best."
I love how Matt precisely conveyed throughout the interview that all strong writers search for the perfect words to most accurately express meaning. He reminds me a bit of Eminem’s interview in his obsession with words and language, rhythm and sound. Thanks Matt for giving students such strong rationale to keep learning their words!
Ironically, I interviewed Matt back at ALAN in Chicago over a year ago, but I am still editing many of the authors I accosted that week. Seeing Matt again at TCTELA in Dallas two weeks ago was the impetus I needed to grab his video to finalize for all of you.
I hope you and your students enjoy the results!