Sunday, October 18, 2009

Author M.T. Anderson to visit Richmond

I work in a library under the guise of a Teen Librarian and while I don't really have a degree, and the teens I do serve have not much interest in M.T. Anderson, this guy will be worth every bit of visit. He is arriving Tuesday, and speaking at Hermitage High School Wednesday at 7pm. It's free.

M.T. Anderson is probably the best author of Teen books out there. He is diverse, writing a book called Feed, about a consumer culture in the future run amok and with obscured invented language similar to A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, as well a two volume set of a wonderful and poignant story called Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation, set in America during the Revolution and the story of a slave boy educated by a torturous experimental school. His writing is important and deliberate and literate. His work often addresses the issues of today, and maybe a little overkill, but maybe not so much that as with contempt that these issues are around. For anyone who would argue that his books are too much or above teens, he would argue that teens are smart and we shouldn't give them the ride on the short bus home. Anyway, he's coming this Wednesday to speak and I highly recommend you go see him talk damnit.

Here's a sample:


Reading: books by M.T. Anderson: The two mentioned above, plus Thirsty (creepy yet funny teen vampire story), Whales on Stilts (hilarious pun induced world takeover adults are crazy story), Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware (continued story of Whales), Burger Wuss....and many more!

Listening: Great new find of a Japanese Indie Pop band called The Molice. Also, new Polysics on the way!