“I've always wanted to write about the other side of the tracks, the ha...” — Matt de la Pena Quote

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

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

“Once I got into college, I discovered literature - in particular, multicultural literature. I just started to understand the power of story and narrative, and you know, like anyone else, I kind of wanted to do it, too.”

“There's more to music than just words over tracks.”

“I've been this voice of a lot of upbeat dance tracks, but people don't really know me.”

“I've been away since I was pretty much eight, traveling to the car tracks, and then going to Europe and traveling more.”