The blog and website of writer Lauren Lola
It’s around this time of year that retrospectives start to pop up. While I will be doing one for this past year a little later in the month, I did want to do a retrospective of a different kind starting today. Continue reading “Looking Back on A Decade of Writing (Part 1)”
Ideally, I would have liked to have written about this earlier in the month. However, due to occurrences that I’ve made known by now, it just didn’t feel right. But I didn’t want the month of November to come and go without acknowledging it at all either, as there is more to be said about it than a year ago. Continue reading “6 Years of “An Absolute Mind” and the Future of that Universe”
I’ve been mentioning for a while now that there’s a writing project that’s been taking up quite a bit of time as of late, and if you follow me on social media, then you know that I finally revealed just what that is within the last week. However, for those who don’t, here’s what’s up:
I’m writing a graphic novel! Continue reading “Currently In-Progress: “Dasig””
Three years ago, I started – well, at least attempted to start – a new segment where I would talk about stories that were presently on my radar in that moment. I hadn’t done it since then – which is weird, considering that quarantine happened between now and back then – but after a month of revealing back to back projects, I decided to return to it after all this time… and hopefully not go as long in between future listicles.
With that said, here is a novel I’m looking forward to reading later this month, as well as two films I’m looking forward to seeing (one of them I will see pretty soon): Continue reading “After Three Years… On My Radar”
It’s the dawn of a new year with very little to expect. That’s why to kick things off, I decided to have a little fun with this first post for 2022 and share something that happened to me a few weeks ago. Continue reading “Meeting David Mitchell”
Well… here we are. Two days from now will mark five years since the release of my second novel, An Absolute Mind. Half a decade has passed since I made this work of mine available to the world, and I continue to be astonished as to how relevant some of the themes and topics covered in the novel have and continue to become. Continue reading “Looking Back on “An Absolute Mind” 5 Years Later”
Published Works
Official Trailer for Netflix’s ‘tick, tick… BOOM!’ Has Arrived – For The Nerds of Color, I announce the trailer for this upcoming film adaptation of an early work from the late Jonathan Larson.
Emma Mieko Candon on Continuing ‘Star Wars: Visions’ in New ‘Ronin’ Novel – For The Nerds of Color, I speak with the author of the continuation of this fan-favorite short film from the “Star Wars: Visions” anthology.
Thoughts and Reactions to Watching ‘The Matrix Revolutions’ for the First Time – For The Nerds of Color, I break down what was going through my mind as I watched the third installment of this renowned sci-fi franchise.
From Star Wars to Trese: The Kiner Brothers on Composing Music for Today’s TV Landscape – For Mixed Asian Media, I speak with this dynamic, music-making duo about growing up mixed-race Filipino American, becoming composers for the TV industry, and making music for shows like “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” and “Trese.”
“Larry: A New Musical” Will Bring the Story of Filipino Labor Activist Larry Itliong to the Stage – For the Center for Asian American Media, I dive into the genesis and development of a musical-in-the-works about the life of activist Larry Itliong.
Published Works
‘Reservation Dogs’ Brings Humor and Realness from Indigenous Perspectives – For The Nerds of Color, I give my take on the first two episodes on this new comedy series from FX on Hulu.
Bay Area Native Avantika on Becoming the First South Asian Lead of a Disney Channel Original Movie, “Spin” – For the Center for Asian American Media, I speak with the star on the making of this groundbreaking Disney Channel Original Movie.
Review of Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay – For Goodreads, I explore the tender subject matter that this YA author did such a good job of exploring in this very important novel.
Author Katrina Olan Discusses the Making of Mecha-Centric Sci-Fi Novel, ‘Tablay’ – For The Nerds of Color, I conduct the first international coverage on this bestselling sci-fi novel from the Philippines.
Appearances
Strong Asian Lead: Clubhouse – Mixed Asians in Media – I was one of the people featured in this panel discussion about where mixed Asians fit into the ongoing discourse about representation in the media landscape.
The So Weird Podcast Ep. 84 – Family Reunion – Book 1 Review – I make a guest appearance on the latest episode of this “So Weird” fan-run podcast, as we dive into the novelization of the show’s pilot episode.
Published Works
AAPI Supernatural Recommendations for Fans of Disney’s ‘So Weird’ – For The Nerds of Color, I go through a list of recommended material across mediums, created by and starring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, for those who grew up on Disney Channel’s ’90’s supernatural series.
Dante Basco Looks Back and Forward at His Career in Storytelling – For the Center for Asian American Media, I once again find myself speaking with this beloved Filipino American actor, as he goes over his career so far and what is ahead for him.
Review of Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala – For Goodreads, I give my take on my first dive into the cozy mystery genre, starring a Filipino American protagonist.
Netflix Gives First Look at ‘Trese’ Anime Series – For The Nerds of Color, I hype up the release of the trailer, as well as the announcement of the cast and release date, of this highly anticipated anime adaptation.
Review of From Little Tokyo, with Love by Sarah Kuhn – For Goodreads, I go over how this latest novel from this author really hit home for me, in more ways than one.
Appearances
ShoPowSho 036: Author/Writer Lauren Lola – I am the latest featured guest on this Filipino American-focused podcast, where I discuss my journey both as a writer and as a mixed-race Filipino American. (Full description can be found here on The Nerds of Color.)
May is recognized as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the United States, where the entire duration of the month is devoted in recognizing the history, culture, and achievements of people from the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. While this annual, month-long celebration has been going on for a couple of decades now, I think it’s fair to say that this year’s will really be one of the first ones where people outside the communities are actually paying attention and learning about the history, in light of the hate crimes that have been happening for over a year now. I’m always going to be dismayed that it took a massacre for the general public to start paying attention to what has been happening, but the positive is that at least they’re finally paying attention. We’ve been here for a long time and we’re not going anywhere.
Continue reading “Re-Introduction in Honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month”
Lola By The Bay 