It’s exciting when a writer you admire, with a book you thought was awesome, wins a big award. When it’s a fellow Queer YA writer, with a Queer YA Historical Fiction that shines a light on a part of Chinese American Queer History (1950s San Francisco) you knew nothing about, it’s even better!

So I’m cheering on Malinda Lo, for winning the National Book Award for “Last Night at the Telegraph Club!” And, as School Library Journal did in their article, I want to quote from Malinda’s acceptance speech. There’s a whole lot of organized book banning going on right now in the United States, and Malinda’s words are a call to action and vigilance for us all:

“One more thing—when my first novel came out in 2009, it was one of 27 young adult books about LGBTQ characters or issues published that year. This year, hundreds of LGBTQ YA books have been published. The growth has been incredible, but the opposition to our stories has also grown. This year, schools across the country are facing significant right-wing pressure to remove books about people of color, LGBTQ people, and especially transgender people from classrooms and libraries. I urge every one of you watching to educate yourselves about your school boards and vote in your local elections. 2022 is coming, and we need your support to keep our stories on the shelves. Don’t let them erase us. Thank you.”

-Malinda Lo, accepting her National Book Award Medal for “Last Night at the Telegraph Club”

Important, and well said.

Congratulations, Malinda!