Author M.T. Anderson appeared over Skype to an audience of students in the EATM auditorium on Tuesday to discuss his 2002 novel “Feed,” the choice work for this year’s One Campus, One Book program.
Over the course of the one-hour event, Anderson lectured and answered questions from the students in attendance. During the lecture, Anderson revealed several ways that technology has increasingly become similar to the fictional world that he had imagined in “Feed” universe.
“In the ten years or so since I’ve written the book, technology has actually moved much closer to [“Feed”‘s] reality,” said Anderson.
The program’s theme this year is “Technology and Humanity,” and Anderson’s novel shares this theme. In “Feed,” Anderson mainly focuses on how consumerism and the increasing presence of technology has become a surrogate for interpersonal communication.
During his presentation, Anderson re-contextualized his decade-old novel for today’s technology.
“Google Glass is a step in the “Feed” direction,” said Anderson. “[It’s] not just interactive [but also] invasive.”
Along with discussing his novel, Anderson offered some advice for aspiring writers.
“The most important thing is to find your own voice,” said Anderson. “What is it about what you have to say that makes you unique.”
Moorpark College English professor Sandra Hunter has taught from “Feed” in the past, and voted for the book to be the One Campus, One Book selection this year. Hunter believes that the novel provides students with a valuable opportunity for introspection.
“People are struggling with issues of identity,” said Hunter. “Having a book like this goes right to the heart of the student identity.”
For the organizers of One Campus, One Book, getting students involved with literature is a top priority. Accoding to Moorpark College English professor and organizer of the event, Diane Scrofano, the program may take several measures to do so for next semester.
“We’re thinking about ways to pull in people who are not necessarily reading [the book] for a class,” said Scrofano. “We were thinking of doing some student book discussion groups, maybe giving away some free books.”
