Matt de la Pena

Even though I was a reluctant reader in junior high and high school, I found myself writing poems in the back of class.

I used to be so angry about the kids that had stuff. Like the kids that had cars, the kids that had money to go get lunch every day off campus. I used to feel so slighted.

I think the world sort of looks to the kids who have potential. These are the kids who are going to do something with their lives, who are going to do something for the world. I don't think it's malicious, but the other kids get lost from that point on.

I've always wanted to write about the other side of the tracks, the have-nots, maybe because that's who I was.

A lot of people ask me, 'Are you born a writer?' And I don't think it's necessarily true. I just think what you either have or you don't is this ability to see something that's complex and worth talking about.

When I was young, I grew up in a family of working-class people. Not just my parents, but my extended family, as well.

A surprising number of teens I meet in rougher schools around the country find refuge in novels and creative writing. It's not always the usual suspects either, the high achievers.

In all of my books, I really want to work with working-class people. My goal is to show the moments of grace and dignity in their lives.