Malinda Lo
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malindalo.bsky.social
Malinda Lo
@malindalo.bsky.social
4.8K followers 320 following 910 posts
NYT bestselling author, National Book Award winner. 🏳️‍🌈 My brand is lesbians. https://www.malindalo.com/
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malindalo.bsky.social
It's Banned Books Week! It's time for the MA legislature to pass a Freedom to Read bill that protects librarians & educators from harassment, and protects authors, creators, booksellers & publishers from economic harm. I support An Act Regarding Free Expression (H.3594/S.2328). #MassFreedomToRead
Top image: The logo for Mass Freedom To Read, in red, white, and blue, featuring a colonial-era patriot holding a flag and reading a book. Bottom image: A red book with yellow tape across it and the words "Banned Books Week"
October 6, 2025 at 8:01 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
I’m very happy to see this story about the launch of @pubprosabb.bsky.social in PW especially this quote:

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
"While we rightfully focus on the impacts of censorship across our communities, including to students, teachers, readers, booksellers, librarians, languages, cultures and more—there is only one thing needed for storytelling, and that's a storyteller," she said. "At its heart, storytelling is truth, it is authenticity, and there is no greater threat to fascism."
October 2, 2025 at 5:04 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
Boston area folks who care about the freedom to read: Tomorrow, Tuesday 9/30 at 7 pm, come to @portersqbooks.bsky.social Cambridge for a workshop on how YOU can support legislation to protect libraries, schools, and authors in Massachusetts portersquarebooks.com/event/2025-0... #bannedbooks
September 29, 2025 at 2:03 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
I enjoyed this post on what exactly is literary fiction, written by a publishing professional. Especially this part: “What writers mean by literary: ‘I am smart’” which made me laugh.

(warning it’s on substack) devonhalliday.substack.com/p/my-literar...
* What readers mean by literary: “Some of these sentences were beautiful” * What writers mean by literary: “I am smart” * What publishers mean by literary: “If this is going to sell, it’s going to be on perceived prestige, not on a big hooky plot”
September 24, 2025 at 5:28 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
Today I will be speaking at this event on the freedom to read. Looking forward to meeting some state legislators! Thanks to @beaconpress.bsky.social for hosting and to @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social for helping set this up. #massfreedomtoread @authorsabb.bsky.social
A flyer for an event that reads: PLEASE JOIN US SAVE OUR STORIES: Lawmakers on Protecting the Right to Read Freely The backlash to book-banning has arrived, with 6 states passing Freedom to Read laws this year--and 19 others proposing such laws. Join Penguin Random House Public Policy and an all-star panel of state lawmakers to discuss the progress we've made toward protecting the right to read freely, the challenges ahead, and how to inspire the movement in your own community and state legislation. Panel will include: Sen. Lisa Cutter (D-CO), Assistant Majority Leader Sen. Dafna Michaelson-Jenet (D-CO) Rep. Veronica Paiz (D-MI) Rep. Carol Glanville (D-MI) Beacon Press 24 Farnsworth Street Boston, MA 02210 TUESDAY, AUGUST 5th Doors open at 6 pm, panel begins at 6:30 Powered by Penguin Random House
August 5, 2025 at 1:39 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
It’s a gorgeous day in Boston to support the freedom to read! #MassFreedomToRead @massaabb.bsky.social @authorsabb.bsky.social
July 22, 2025 at 4:16 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
14 of the 22 books banned or restricted* statewide in South Carolina were challenged by one parent. This piece gets into who she is and what she actually thinks.

*21 of the books were banned. 1 was restricted.
One, Szalai is a very caring mother who wants the best for her child and the same for every other child in the state of South Carolina. Two, she is a very controlling mother who wants to protect her child — and all children — at all costs, other points of view be damned. Three, she seems to think at least some people — it’s unclear exactly who — are “idiots” who “are just not worth the air we breathe.” Four, she may think even less of librarians, whom she clearly doesn’t trust or value. Five, this is who is calling the shots on which books the children of South Carolina have free access to.
May 9, 2025 at 1:48 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
This is what a South Carolina board of ed member thinks about the books they just banned statewide. He can't get the sex scenes out of his mind. I wonder why.

www.postandcourier.com/education-la...
"If I took a video of what's in my mind, we're not going to get thrown off YouTube," Hanley said of the books that met the threshold to be kept in schools — as opposed to the ones that have been removed, which suggest images he says he can't get out of his head.
May 7, 2025 at 4:07 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
Just had to give props to the Boston Globe headline writer here for some dark humor on a dark day.

“This is how democracies die, says co-author of ‘How Democracies Die’’
From the Boston Globe: “This is how democracies die, says co-author of ‘How Democracies Die’ — 11:57 a.m. Steven Levitsky, a professor of government and Latin American studies at Harvard University, was unequivocal about Trump’s threat to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status. “This is just textbook authoritarian behavior,” he said Friday. “You will never find, in a democracy, a government attacking a private institution in this selective and arbitrary manner.” And if the Trump administration follows through on its threat, he added, “this is about as blatantly authoritarian an act as he’s committed in his four-month presidency.”
May 2, 2025 at 5:26 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
Thinking about #bannedbooks while reading AT THE EDGE OF EMPIRE by @ewong.bsky.social — In one chapter Wong interviews Chinese writer Murong Xuecun, who says: "The worst effect of the censorship is the psychological impact on writers." I fear this is happening to American writers right now.
A quote from AT THE EDGE OF EMPIRE by Edward Wong, in which Wong is speaking with Chinese writer Murong Xuecun: "The worst effect of the censorship is the psychological impact on writers," he said in between drags on a cigarette on his balcony. "When I was working on my first book, I didn't care whether it would be published, so I wrote whatever I wanted. Now, after I have published a few books, I can clearly feel the impact of censorship when I write. For example, I'll think of a sentence, and then realize that it will for sure get deleted. Then I won't even write it down. This self-censoring is the worst."
April 23, 2025 at 12:39 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
I’m taking the weekend offline. Maybe you should too! I’ll be reading books and snuggling with my dog and maybe baking a cake. Yum.
A photograph of my dog, Leia, sitting on a fur blanket-covered armchair. Leia is a terrier mix with white fur, a large brown spot around her left eye, and a small brown ring around her left eye. She has giant perky ears and beautiful brown eyes and she thinks she is gorgeous.
April 11, 2025 at 9:09 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
More signs from Boston
A sign that says “Gulf of Fragile Masculinity” with an illustration of a gulf of water Two signs: 1. Don’t drink the K-K-Kool-Aid you’re in a cult (with illustration of red kool aid in a pitcher); 2. I’m here for my father who fought fascism in WWII A sign reading No Kings in America A small sign on a small stick reading “small sign for a smaller dick”
April 5, 2025 at 7:16 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
Some of my favorite signs from today’s #handsoff rally in Boston
Members of the MA chapter of Authors Against Book Bans holding our signs in Boston Common: left to right - LGBTQ+ books save lives, Bans off our books, Free speech makes America great, Hands off libraries A sign at the rally reading: Insecure men are threatened by strong women A sign at the rally reading “Lock em up” with the faces of Trump, Musk and Vance behind bars I am standing with my back to the camera holding my sign that says Bans Off Our Books. Next to me is another person holding a sign reading Deceitful Oligarchs Grabbing Everything (DOGE)
April 5, 2025 at 6:34 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
Huge turnout at #handsoff in Boston today!
April 5, 2025 at 6:29 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
April 1, 2025 at 4:12 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
In case you didn't know, Book Looks is shutting down on March 23, 2025 so I went to download their "review" of my novel Last Night at the Telegraph Club. I've already seen their 5-page PDF that cherry-picks scenes from the book, but I didn't know they also made a "slick sheet" for it.
A screencap of a page on Booklooks.org that lists three books, their authors, their ratings, and whether or not they have a "slick sheet." The books are L8r, G8r by Lauren Myracle (rating: 3), Lady Midnight: The Dark Artifices Book 1 by Cassandra Clare (rating: 3), and Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (Rating: 4). The only one with a Slick Sheet is Telegraph Club. My book is so special!!!
March 15, 2025 at 4:47 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
Some people think getting your books banned is a badge of honor, but it’s not. As I told Ms. Mag: “It’s not a badge of honor to have my creative work denigrated as obscene, especially when that work is about queer people and people of color. It’s offensive to have my work mischaracterized this way.”
“It’s not a badge of honor to have my creative work denigrated as obscene, especially when that work is about queer people and people of color. It’s offensive to have my work mischaracterized this way.” — Malinda Lo
March 12, 2025 at 5:31 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
Six of my seven novels and two anthologies including my work have been censroed. My most censored book is Last Night at the Telegraph Club, winner of the 2021 National Book Award in Young People's Literature. LNATTC has been censored in 78 cases across 18 states.
February 4, 2025 at 3:25 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
For those of you who don't want AI in your Google Workspace, I just got a message saying they are turning on NotebookLM, their "AI-powered research assistant" very soon. Happily, I was able to go into the Admin console and turn it off. You may wish to do the same. Here's the message:
A screencap of a message from Google Workspace that says: Dear administrator, We’re writing to let you know that as early as February 5, 2025, users in your organization with qualifying Google Workspace editions will have access to NotebookLM as a core service. Currently, NotebookLM is available as an additional service. What this means for your organization NotebookLM is our AI-powered research assistant. It helps you gain critical insights and generate podcast-like audio overviews. It uses content from source documents you trust. As early as February 5, 2025, NotebookLM will be covered under your existing Google Workspace agreement.
January 27, 2025 at 10:10 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
I just signed a stack of Last Night at the Telegraph Club paperbacks at @portersqbooks.bsky.social and left several signed bookplates too. If you wanted a signed LNATTC or one of my other books with a bookplate, order them now! www.portersquarebooks.com/search/site/...
The author Malinda Lo is standing next to a stack of paperback copies of Last Night at the Telegraph Club.
January 19, 2025 at 5:50 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
Here is how to disable Copilot in Word on a Mac. My version was slightly different. It was this:

Expand "Word" menu > Preferences > Personal Settings > Privacy > go down to "Connected Experiences" and click Manage Connected Experiences > uncheck all the boxes > restart Word (cont'd)
January 16, 2025 at 4:36 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
Literally there is no way to disable Gemini in Google Workspace, it's just constantly trying to write my emails for me now
January 16, 2025 at 4:19 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
Great, no problem
The word “salvation”
January 1, 2025 at 4:19 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
And last but not least this end title credit listing all the publishers who contributed books for the set is a time-machine. So many of these publishers have all now been rolled into the one giant Penguin Random House.
December 26, 2024 at 2:32 PM
malindalo.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

#BookSky 💙📚

20. Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong (I read it quite recently but I know it will last because it’s so powerful)
A hardcover copy of “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning” by Cathy Park Hong, standing on a wooden shelf in front of a white wall. The title words have flames emerging from the letters.
December 10, 2024 at 2:13 PM