✨ News! ✨ My next book is called SOMETHING INSIDE ME KNOWS, and it's a memoir. It will be published by Dutton in March 2027.
SOMETHING INSIDE ME KNOWS is about me, my family, and my ancestors. It's about how I was forced to leave my home in China when I was a child. It's about immigrating to America and growing up in Colorado. It's about America itself. It's about how I became a writer. It's about learning how to listen to myself.
Over the next year, I'll be sharing more about the process of writing this book, as well as fun things like the cover, pre-order info, and special excerpts. If you want to be in the know, make sure you sign up for my free newsletter by going to malindalo.com (link in bio) and entering your email.
Much more to come! 🫀
#malindalo #somethinginsidemeknows #bookstagram
This week marks the 5th anniversary of the publication of my novel LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB. This is by far my most successful book, and as of this week, there are almost 500,000 copies in print worldwide! 🤯 But when I think about what this book means to me as a writer, I always return to the feeling I had when I finished the final draft in late 2019. I felt certain that I had done a good job and this was a good book. That doesn’t always happen when I finish a book! So I was very proud of the work I did, and I’m still so proud of this book, and I’m so happy and grateful that it has been read by so many people. Happy anniversary!
#lastnightatthetelegraphclub
Earlier this week, the latest issue of my newsletter went out. If you're not a subscriber, you can read it at the link in my stories and highlights.
This week I wrote (again) about book bans, because I've been in this fight for awhile and I've reached an inflection point. I'm going to stop counting the number of cases in which my books have been challenged or banned, because that work is depressing and exhausting. But that doesn't mean I'm giving up, because I believe the fight is more important than ever.
Please subscribe to my newsletter if you aren't already a subscriber, so I can keep you updated on this issue (and on my upcoming books!). I also invite and encourage you to join the fight against book bans and for the First Amendment by following and supporting the organizations I've tagged here on instagram:
@penamerica@freedomtoreadproject@_everylibrary_@flfreedomread@txfreedomread@freedomtoreadsc@letutahread
AUTHORS: Please join @authorsagainstbookbans ! You don't have to have had your books banned to join. We need you!
#freedomtoread #bannedbooks #authorsofinstagram #bookstagram
Come with me on a tour of my attic library … because I’m moving! So I will be leaving this space behind, but I wanted to share it with you one last time before I say goodbye. #lastnightatthetelegraphclub #authorsofinstagram
✍🏼New blog post! I’m moving, which means I’ll be saying goodbye to my attic library. It’s been a wonderful space to write in, but I’m looking forward to what’s next. Read the post at my blog (link in bio): malindalo.com/blog.
To get my blog posts in your in box before I share them here, subscribe to my newsletter! (Link also in bio. Can I tell you how tired I am of not being able to post links?!)
A couple of months ago, I had new author photos taken. I went back to photographer @sharonajacobs , who took my previous author photo in 2017. Back then I wanted to look like a Serious Author, and I think Sharona totally captured that. This time, I wanted to appear more like the regular me, at least as much as a professional studio portrait could capture. I wanted to appear a bit lighter, more at ease in myself. I think this photo does that.
Here I am: a little bit skeptical (I’ve always been a Scully, not a Mulder), but open to the possibilities and mysteries ahead. Let's go!
#authorsofinstagram #authorlife #malindalo
This is #NationalLibraryWeek in the US and as part of that, the @americanlibraryassociation released its annual list of most challenged books of the previous year. My novel Last Night at the Telegraph Club is tied for fifth place.
I’ve been thinking about what I want to say about this, and it’s difficult to say anything hopeful. The reason my novel is tied for fifth place is because so many of the other most commonly challenged books have already been banned. They are no longer in libraries. The last five years have left gaping holes in our school and public library collections, and have severely abridged the first amendment rights of both readers and writers.
I hope that none of my books ever shows up on one of these most challenged or banned books lists ever again. It is not an honor and it is not something to celebrate or be proud of. It is a warning.
Right now, the United States Congress is considering a pro-censorship law (HR 7661) that would ban federal funding for all books with LGBTQ+ content from school libraries. That means all of my books.
In Massachusetts, the MA House of Representatives has been sitting on our freedom to read bill (H.3594)for months. I wish I knew how to persuade politicians to do the right thing at both the state and federal levels.
But I have learned over the past five years that I don’t know how to do that. The only thing I do know how to do is to keep writing. I hope you will be able to keep reading what I write.
#lastnightatthetelegraphclub #bannedbooks #mapoli #massfreedomtoread
I've been scarcer on instagram lately but I still exist! I've been gradually changing my approach to social media, and while l'll still be on IG, my focus is evolving. I'm tired of shaping all my "content" for Meta's algorithm. There are some things that work well on IG, but other things don't. One of those things is longer-form writing, which has never adapted well to IG. But longer-form writing is my favorite! And it has always felt at home on my blog.
Today I published a new post on my blog with some updates on the fight for freedom of expression in Massachusetts and beyond. Go to malindalo.com/blog (link to my website in bio) to read the post. I reflect on what happened during the @massfreedomtoread Advocacy Day last month, and on recent unfortunate developments in the lawsuit against the state of Iowa's SF 496, in which I'm a co-plaintiff.
If you'd like to receive my posts in your in box before they go on my website, just subscribe to my newsletter. My newsletter will include posts like this, but also more tidbits about my life as a writer and a human. The link to subscribe (for free, and it's not a substack) is also in my bio, or go to malindalo.com/newsletter. 📚
I had the great joy of sitting with best-selling authors Celeste Ng, Malinda Lo, and Tui T. Sutherland to discuss An Act regarding free expression (H.3594) on @massfreedomtoread Advocacy Day. As an avid reader, I have to admit I had a bit of a fan-girl moment being in conversation with these incredible authors.
I remain committed to protecting the autonomy of our libraries, ensuring they can provide accurate, historical literature that recognizes diverse identities, and safeguarding the constitutional rights of students and families. With freedom of speech and information under attack from the federal government and from organizations fueled by hate, it is more important than ever for us to step up and protect the public’s access to inclusive and diverse collections of books and materials #freedomtoread #books #libraries #cambridgema
A couple of weeks ago I visited the @penguinrandomhouse offices in NYC in person, where I met up with my editor @andrewkarre and of course took many photos with penguins! This was my first ever visit to the Penguin offices, and I had the chance to meet with many of the people who work on my books (and many many other books too!). Thanks for having me there, Penguins! @penguinteen
Last week I went to my very first AWP conference in Baltimore. I joined fellow authors Ibi Zoboi and Mahogany L. Browne @mobrowne at a panel moderated by editor @andrewkarre about the current state of book bans in America. I spoke about how book bans are a first amendment issue, and we need to get everybody involved, including at the state level. Democracy is hard: we all have to pitch in.
Authors: If you’d like to fight these attacks on your First Amendment rights to write and create, please join @authorsagainstbookbans and pitch in at your state level. We are active in legislative advocacy in many states.
Readers: You can also get involved at your state level by searching for your state’s Freedom to Read organization and getting involved. Democracy only works when we all work to support it.
Thanks to my wonderful speaking agency @blueflowerarts for making this panel possible!
#bannedbooks #freedomtoread
Wow, yesterday was an AMAZING day! Members of the @massfreedomtoread Coalition gathered together at the State House in Boston for an Advocacy Day, where we met with representatives and talked with them about how important it is to pass H.3594, An Act Regarding Free Expression, which protects against book bans in Massachusetts.
We divided up into teams to meet with legislators, and my team consisted of me and fellow authors @pronounced_ing and @tuisutherland . We met with Representatives @garballeysean , @repdecker , and @sangioloforstaterep , where we were joined by high school student jonahsterns who delivered postcards from his classmates in support of H.3594.
I also got pics with @massaabb and @authorsagainstbookbans members @colleenaf and @vickijohnsonwrites who spent the day staffing our fabulous AABB table, where they spoke to legislators and aides about the many books by MA authors that have been banned across the country.
It was wonderful to connect with everyone in the coalition and our representatives, but despite our smiling faces the issue is truly serious: Now that the US House has introduced a national book banning bill, it is more important than ever for MA to pass An Act Regarding Free Expression to protect our First Amendment rights here in the Commonwealth. I hope the MA House Ways & Means (cc @repmichlewitz ) will move forward with this bill soon. Let's make sure MA protects the freedom to read — and to write.
#massfreedomtoread #mapoli #mahouse
