Award winning book-club author visits CVU April 1

It’s not every day that the author of the novel you’re reading for book club turns up in the hallways of your high school, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen at Champlain Valley Union (CVU) High School on Wednesday, April 1. Students at CVU read “The Living,” Matt de la Peña’s 2013 novel during their winter book club. In this special event organized by CVU librarian Peter Langella, the author will work with classes in the morning and give a presentation in the library from 12-1pm about his personal journey. Everyone in the community is welcome.

Langella noted that in addition to providing a great tie in to the book club, de la Peña’s impending visit is exciting because “of his skill at articulating the events of his journey from inner-city San Diego to college basketball scholarship recipient to student, reader, and writer.”

De la Peña is the author of six critically acclaimed young adult novels and the award winning picture book, “A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis” illustrated by Kadir Nelson. He received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific where he attended school on a full basketball scholarship. He currently lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and has taught in the creative writing programs at both Vermont College of Fine Arts and New York University. In addition to writing and teaching, de la Peña teaches creative writing and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country.

If you can’t make it to this event, de la Peña will also be appearing at Phoenix Books in Burlington on Wednesday, April 1 at 7pm for a discussion of “The Living.” The event is free and open to the public.