High school students from Concordia recently sat with celebrated young-adult author M.T. (Tobin) Anderson to talk about books, writing and the life of the author. Anderson, a National Book Award winner, discussed his influential dystopian novel, Feed, and shared insights into his creative process. The author continued to discuss literature and writing over lunch with a small group of students from the high school Author Studies course.
Having a writer of Mr. Anderson’s caliber answering questions and providing professional insight, was certainly a benefit for the students in attendance. "Hearing Mr. Anderson share so generously from his own experiences helped us understand more deeply how art derives from real human interactions,” shares senior Elijah Tai. "It is not every day that four regular high school students get to share a meal with a renowned, influential writer!”
Following his visit Mr. Anderson reached out to Author Studies teacher, Mrs. Eileen Beckman, praising the students and thanking them for a most enjoyable afternoon. "Please thank your students for their hospitality and tell them how impressed I was by the level of discourse in the classroom. They're great kids, and you must be very proud of them,” writes Anderson.
Anderson was in Shanghai as part of the Shanghai Literary Festival, of which Concordia was one of this year’s sponsors.