Laila Lalami
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Laila Lalami
@lailalalami.com
6.4K followers 200 following 870 posts
Author of five books, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist THE MOOR’S ACCOUNT. Reader. Mutant. https://linktr.ee/lalami
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Congratulations to the winners of this year's American Book Awards! 🎉 🎉 🎉 www.beforecolumbusfoundation.com
The 2025 American Book Award Winners Kaveh Akbar Martyr!: A Novel (Knopf) Amy M. Alvarez Makeshift Altar: Poems (The University Press of Kentucky) Marie-Helene Bertino Beautyland: A Novel (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Percival Everett James: A Novel (Doubleday) Marcela Fuentes Malas: A Novel (Penguin Books) Fady Joudah [...] Poems (Milkweed Editions) Stacey Levine Mice 1961 (Verse Chorus Press) Sarah Lewis The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America (Harvard University Press) Tomiko and Ryokuyo Matsumoto, and Nancy Matsumoto, Editor By the Shore of Lake Michigan (UCLA Asian American Studies Center) Sharon McMahon The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement (Thesis) Claire Messud This Strange Eventful History: A Novel (W. W. Norton & Company) Maceo Montoya and Javier O. Huerta Imaginative Possibilities: Conversations with Twenty-First-Century Latinx Writers (University of Pittsburgh Press) m.s. RedCherries mother (Penguin Books) Danzy Senna Colored Television: A Novel (Riverhead Books) A.B. Spellman, and Lauri Scheyer, Editor Between the Night and Its Music: New and Selected Poems (Wesleyan University Press)
September 16, 2025 at 8:47 PM
lailalalami.com
Next up! If you find yourself in Winston-Salem, come on out to the Bookmarks Festival, where I'll be appearing alongside Deborah Jackson Taffa to discuss 'Dystopian Realities' on Saturday, September 27, 12.15 pm!
Flyer says: National Book Foundation Presents Dystopian Realities Saturday, September 27, 12:15 pm EDT Winston-Salem, NC Laila Lalami, 2019 Fiction Finalist. Deborah Jackson Taffa, 2024 Nonfiction Finalist Ruth Dickey, Moderator
September 16, 2025 at 8:41 PM
lailalalami.com
Here is what the Trump administration has asked of UCLA. None of this has anything to do with combating antisemitism. It is all about control of the campus and capture of its culture. www.kqed.org/news/1205611...
According to the groups, the Trump administration’s demands include restricting campus protest rights as well as: unfettered government access to faculty, student and staff data an official statement that the UC does not recognize transgender identity a ban on gender inclusive restrooms and locker rooms the cessation of gender affirming care for minors an end to diversity scholarships cooperation with immigration enforcement, which appears to include giving ICE access to UC hospitals the creation of viewpoint policies for the admission of international students
September 16, 2025 at 8:37 PM
lailalalami.com
In Washington, DC for the National Book Festival and heard about the protest against the occupation, so we went! Great signs, great atmosphere!
Protest against Trump’s takeover of DC Protesters marching against occupation Sign says: Remember, only you can prevent fascism Front of the march against the occupation
September 6, 2025 at 5:40 PM
lailalalami.com
When I’m waiting for reviews of my new book.
Zohran Mamdani making fun of the NY Post in his latest viral video. Caption says, “Inshallah, on the front page.”
July 20, 2025 at 6:12 PM
lailalalami.com
Saddened to hear that Ngũgĩ' wa Thiong'o has passed away. I remember coming across The River Between in a literature class in Morocco three decades ago, and feeling an immediate sense of kinship and recognition. His work gave me permission to dream, to speak, to write. RIP to one of the greats.
Photo of two writers sitting at a signing table, with name cards laid out before them, at the L.A. Times Festival of Books in 2018. On the left is Laila Lalami (me) in a white qamis, and on the right is Ngũgī wa Thiong'o in a brown jacket and light-colored shirt. Both of us are turning our gaze toward the camera.
May 28, 2025 at 8:54 PM
lailalalami.com
The Trump administration is welcoming white South Africans as refugees while trying to close a deal to deport immigrants who already live here to Rwanda.
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — The U.S. government has officially granted 54 Afrikaans South Africans, white descendants of mainly Dutch colonizers, refugee status and they are expected to land in the U.S. on Monday May 12, three sources with knowledge of the matter have told NPR. The sources did not want to be named because they work for the U.S. government and fear for their careers. U.S. authorities on Thursday were trying to arrange a charter flight that would bring the South Africans to Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C., on Monday morning, but it's not clear if they will be allowed to land there. If that is not possible then they will be sent on commercial flights, according to the sources. Rwanda is in talks with the Trump administration to take in migrants deported from the United States, the central African nation’s foreign minister said late Sunday. It was unclear if a deal would involve migrants who had already been deported or those who will be in the future, but any agreement could make Rwanda the first African country to enter into such an accord with the United States. Rwanda’s foreign minister, Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe, said on Sunday that his country’s government was in “early stage” talks about receiving third-country deportees from the United States.
May 10, 2025 at 8:48 PM
lailalalami.com
How's Tesla doing?
But luck runs out. Yesterday evening, Tesla reported first-quarter earnings for 2025, and they were abysmal: Profits dropped 71 percent from the same time last year. Musk sounded bitter on the call with investors that followed, blaming the company’s misfortune on protesters who have raged at Tesla dealerships around the world over his role running DOGE and his ardent support of far-right politicians. “The protests that you’ll see out there, they’re very organized. They’re paid for,” he said, without evidence. Then he pivoted. Although Musk described DOGE as “critical work,” he said that his “time allocation” there “will drop significantly” next month, down to just one or two days a week. He’s taking a big step back from politics and returning the bulk of his attention to Tesla, as even his most enthusiastic supporters have begged him to do. (Tesla did not immediately return a request for comment.) One bad quarter won’t doom Tesla, but it’s unclear how, exactly, the company can move forward from here. Arguably, its biggest and most immediate problem is that electric-vehicle fans in America, who tend to lean left politically, do not want to buy Musk’s cars anymore. The so-called Tesla Takedown protests have given people who feel helpless and angry about President Donald Trump’s policies a tangible place to direct their anger. Because Musk was also the Trump campaign’s biggest financier, those protesters saw a Tesla boycott as one of the best ways to hit back. The fact that these demonstrations were the first thing Musk brought up on the earnings call speaks volumes about how rattled he must be; Tesla purchases have been down considerably this year in the U.S., even as EV sales keep rising.
April 25, 2025 at 12:27 AM
lailalalami.com
Readers of Detroit! I will be coming to your city on Saturday, April 26 for a reading and signing at the Arab American National Museum. 4 pm. Come on out and bring a friend or five!
Flyer advertising Zawaya Book Launch: The Latest from Arab American Writers. Celebrate new works by amazing authors Hadeer Elsa, Laila Lalami, Tarik Dobbs and Youssef Rakha. 4-6 pm. In person at the Arab American National Museum and Online via Livestream. Free with RSVP.
April 15, 2025 at 4:20 PM
lailalalami.com
Computer, show me “consciousness of guilt.”
Gretchen Whitmer, in the oval office, hiding her face behind a blue folder. The day after the inauguration, Ms. Whitmer penned a handwritten letter — which has not been previously reported — congratulating Mr. Trump, saying she looked forward to working together and praising his support for the auto industry in his first address, according to a person who relayed the text of the letter. Ms. Whitmer included her cellphone number and invited Mr. Trump to call her if she could be of any help to him. The outreach worked for her, but it came at a cost.
April 13, 2025 at 12:25 AM
lailalalami.com
Delighted to share that The Dream Hotel is the April selection of WNYC’s Get Lit! with All of It book club. I hope you’ll join me on at the New York Public Library (455 5th Avenue) on May 6th for an interview with Alison Stewart, to be followed by a musical performance by Imal Gnawa.
Flyer advertising WNYC’s Get Lit With All of It book club selection, The Dream Hotel, with musical performance by Imal Gnawa. The flyer shows the author’s portrait and the book cover. The caption at the bottom says Wednesday, May 6, 2025. 6 pm. Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.
April 10, 2025 at 12:37 PM
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Readers of San Antonio! Come hear me talk about The Dream Hotel at the Book Festival this Saturday! In conversation with Dalia Azim at 2.30 pm. ☀️📚
Colorful flyer advertising Laila Lalami’s appearance at the San Antonio Book Festival on Saturday, April 12, at 2.30 pm, in conversation with Dalia Azim. Bottom part of the flyer shows the cover for The Dream Hotel, along with the author photo. The blurb says, “What do you sacrifice for convenience? What is your For You Page feeding you? Is the algorithm fallible? (Yes.) From Laila Lalami—the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Aware finalist—comes a riveting and utterly original novel about one woman’s fight for freedom, set in a near future where even dreams are under surveillance.”
April 8, 2025 at 3:16 PM
lailalalami.com
If you find yourself in San Francisco this weekend, please come out to my conversation with KQED’s Mina Kim on Saturday at the Night of Ideas! Entrance is free, but you need to reserve tickets. www.kqed.org/event/5064
Decorative illustration, spelling out Night of Ideas in white and blue.
March 31, 2025 at 7:04 PM
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If you find yourself in Albany, come say hi! I’ll be speaking about The Dream Hotel on Tuesday, March 25 at 4.30 pm, Campus Center West Auditorium, U Albany.
Flyer showing Laila Lalami on the left and the cover for The Dream Hotel on the right.
March 23, 2025 at 8:31 PM
lailalalami.com
Los Angeles! I’m going to be at the legendary Book Soup tonight, talking about The Dream Hotel with @antoinewilson.bsky.social. 7 pm. Come say hi!
Flyer advertising an event on The Dream Hotel at Book Soup on March 17, 7 pm, with Laila Lalami (me) and Antoine Wilson.
March 17, 2025 at 7:17 PM
lailalalami.com
Howdy, Boston! Come on out to Harvard Bookstore, where I’ll be on conversation with Claire Messud about my new novel, The Dream Hotel! 7 pm!
Flyer advertising an event at Harvard Bookstore. On the left are pictures of Laila Lalami and Claire Messud, who will be in conversation tonight. On the right is the book cover for The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami. At the bottom are details of the event: Thursday, March 6, 7 pm. At Harvard Bookstore Store. Cambridge, MA. Learn more: Harvard.com
March 6, 2025 at 3:51 PM
lailalalami.com
Today is the day! THE DREAM HOTEL is out in the U.S. and U.K. wherever books are sold. And in an extraordinary bit of good fortune, it was selected for the Women’s Prize longlist, also announced today!
U.S. cover for THE DREAM HOTEL by Laila Lalami, Pulitzer Prize finalist. U.K. cover for THE DREAM HOTEL by Laila Lalami. “Kafkaesque” - Jennifer Egan, “Extraordinary” - Rumaan Alam
March 4, 2025 at 7:03 PM
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I talked to Publishers' Weekly about my longtime crush (Franz Kafka.) www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
Side-by-side pictures of two authors. On the right is tortured genius Franz Kafka, in a suit and striped tie, looking dignifiedly at the camera. On the left is me, in a short-sleeved black dress, looking wearily at the photographer as if to say "Can we get this over with?"
February 21, 2025 at 6:07 PM
lailalalami.com
My new novel, THE DREAM HOTEL, is out in 2 weeks! It follows a woman whose dreams are used by an algorithm to predict that she will commit a crime. Releasing a book in the middle of all this [waves hand] isn't optimal, but I worked hard on it and I'd be grateful for your preorder! shorturl.at/if3CE
Book cover for The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami. The cover shows a small figure standing in an orange hallway leading to an ominously dark room. The title and author name appear in white on a purple background.
February 17, 2025 at 10:39 PM
lailalalami.com
Infuriating how media organizations continually buy the framing that Trump is selling. This isn’t a “DEI purge.” It’s a purge that aims to SHRINK AND RESEGREGATE THE RANKS OF GOVERNMENT.
News alert from the Washington Post: Internal documents show how DOGE wrote the playbook for Trump’s DEI purge — and whom they plan to fire next.
February 15, 2025 at 3:34 PM
lailalalami.com
✈️ Tour info for The Dream Hotel! Save the date if you live in DC, Boston, Austin, New York, Tulsa, Palo Alto, L.A., Seattle, Albany, Middletown, San Antonio, and Gainesville! I’d love to talk to you about fiction, dreams, and surveillance technology, and also sign your books!
Tour flyer for THE DREAM HOTEL. Split into two columns, one orange, the other violet. The orange side shows the book cover, a caption that says "Laila Lalami On Tour" and the author's photo in a medallion size. The purple side shows the tour dates: March 5 in DC, March 6 in Cambridge, March 8 in Austin, March 11 in New York, March 12 in Tulsa, and March 14 in Menlo Park. Tour flyer for THE DREAM HOTEL. Split into two columns, one orange, the other violet. The orange side shows the book cover, a caption that says "Laila Lalami On Tour" and the author's photo in a medallion size. The purple side shows additional tour dates: March 17 in L.A., March 18 in Seattle, March 25 in Albany, March 26 in Middletown, April 12 in San Antonio and May 7 in Gainesville, FL.
February 7, 2025 at 7:21 PM
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How one Chicago community successfully thwarted an ICE raid.
When ICE authorities in dark SUVs arrived in Chicago’s Little Village, a predominantly Hispanic enclave of around 70,000, to begin enacting President Trump’s aggressive deportation agenda, another operation began. The community launched its own counteraction: an urgent system of text chains, social-media groups and calls between local leaders. The response was nearly instantaneous. “Videos are coming in, text messages, people are hitting the street following them throughout the neighborhood until they left,” said Alderman Michael Rodriguez. In the end, the officers made no arrests, Rodriguez said. Federal officials say the Trump administration's efforts to ramp up arrests is running into a challenge in some places: a robust outreach effort by activists to methodically track ICE’s movements and educate migrants on what to do when immigration officials come to town. That includes not answering questions or letting anyone inside without a proper warrant. [Source: WSJ, via library]
February 2, 2025 at 5:00 PM
lailalalami.com
🚀🚀🚀The Dream Hotel comes out in just 4 weeks! The novel follows a woman who is detained by government agents because her dreams suggest she will soon commit a crime. Kafkaesque? Yes. But hopeful? Also yes. You can pre-order a signed copy from a lovely indie bookstore here: shorturl.at/mTq4E
Cover of The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami, showing a small figure on an orange background entering a blackened doorway. The title and author name are printed in white, agains a lovely purple background. A white burst on the left says: preorder your signed and personalized copy today!
February 1, 2025 at 1:25 PM
lailalalami.com
Thank you to all the editors who've included THE DREAM HOTEL in their Spring 2025 book lists! I couldn't easily screenshot all of them, but I'm thankful for each one. THE DREAM HOTEL is out March 4. Have you preordered a copy? Link in bio.
Screenshot of the NYT Book Review podcast cover, showing The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami. Books to watch for in 2025, from the Washington Post. Picture shows 8 books, Including The Dream Hotel. Time Magazine's most anticipated books of 2025. Screenshot shows nine books, including The Dream Hotel.
January 24, 2025 at 3:51 PM
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The skies in Marrakech yesterday, and this morning in New York. A kind of whiplash that feels appropriate for today.
Blue skies seen through the branches of orange trees in Marrakech A street in New York, under a thin blanket of snow.
January 20, 2025 at 4:14 PM