meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Slate Daily Feed

Working: Author Malinda Lo on the Limits of the Young Adult Label

Slate Daily Feed

Slate Podcasts

News, Business, Society & Culture

41.1K Ratings

🗓️ 23 January 2022

⏱️ 46 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, host June Thomas talks to author Malinda Lo, whose book Last Night at the Telegraph Club won the National Book Award. In the interview, Malinda explains that she never intended to write books under the young adult label. She also digs into her writing process, which involves many drafts and inspirational mood music. After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler discuss Malinda’s research process and her willingness to go down rabbit holes. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Malinda talks about her use of Chinese languages in Last Night at the Telegraph Club. Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to [email protected] or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I actually, I'm not sure that I feel 100% comfortable writing young adult books.

0:11.1

I mean, I know that young adults is the label of the books that are put in the bookstore,

0:16.7

you know, the category young adult, but it tends to refer to only teenagers in the marketing

0:21.3

category.

0:22.3

But I really think my audience is actually young adults.

0:30.2

Welcome back to working.

0:31.4

I'm your host, Isaac Butler.

0:33.4

And I'm your other host, June Thomas.

0:35.8

June, it is now a few weeks into January.

0:39.8

Do you feel like you're back in the swing of things after a little bit of time off

0:43.2

for the holidays or are you, you know, still on the runway, you know, driving towards

0:47.3

lift it off, or maybe even taxing or like you're waiting by the gate because the doors

0:52.2

malfunctioned.

0:53.2

How's your year going?

0:54.7

Hmm.

0:55.7

What a metaphor.

0:56.7

Can you tell I haven't flown anywhere in three years because of a global pandemic?

1:01.4

Honestly, it feels like I've already lived about 25, maybe even 35 lives this year.

1:06.8

So it's surely at least mid-May, I know you said it's mid-January, but that can't possibly

1:11.9

be so.

1:12.9

On the other hand, I am still keeping up with at least some of my new year's resolutions.

1:18.4

So in that sense, man, I'm flying, I'm already at 35,000 feet, I am.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Slate Podcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Slate Podcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.