Meet Elaine Castillo, Author of Moderation

Books, friendly neighbors and one brilliant author—your perfect Sunday plan starts here!

Elaine Castillo is coming to San Mateo County Libraries on Sunday, October 26, at 2:00 PM at Belmont Library. You know her as the powerhouse behind How to Read Now: Essays and America Is Not the Heart. Now, she returns with her newest novel, Moderation. 

Come for the conversation, stay for the spark and leave inspired. This is more than an author talk—it’s a front-row seat to brilliance.

Special Giveaway

Pick up a free copy of Moderation at your local San Mateo County Libraries location—while supplies last! Limited copies will also be available at the event, where attendees will have the opportunity to have their book signed by Elaine Castillo after the discussion.

Moderation: Named A Must-Read Book by ELLE and The Atlantic

Moderation imagines the future of big tech and its world-building ambitions—but at heart, this bold, inventive novel is a love story, a romance of repressed longings, class conflicts and unruly desires. Most of all, it shows us that love is world-building, that the most transformative, futuristic, immersive story of all is one that speaks to our ancient hopes: that harm can be met with repair, that grief can be met with succor and that two people from entirely different universes can save each other—and perhaps the world.

Girlie Delmundo is the greatest content moderator in America—and, despite the harrowing realities of multiple financial crises and being one of the internet’s frontline workers, there’s a bright side: she just got a promotion. Thanks to her employer’s purchase of Playground (the world’s preeminent virtual reality content provider), she will—if her enthusiastic bosses are to be believed—be moderating the next stage of human interaction. But when she meets William Cheung, Playground’s wry, reticent co-founder, Girlie finds herself in uncharted territory, a site she’s never moderated: in love.

Behind the Pen: Elaine Castillo

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Elaine Castillo was included in “30 of the Planet’s Most Exciting Young People” by the Financial Times. Her debut novel, America Is Not the Heart, was a finalist for numerous prizes including the ELLE Big Book Award, the Center for Fiction Prize and the Aspen Words Literary Prize, and was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, Real Simple, Lit Hub, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Post, Kirkus Reviews and the New York Public Library.

Don’t Miss This Event

Let the power of this afternoon linger like your favorite book. Hear Elaine Castillo’s voice—fierce, thoughtful and unforgettable—in the very heart of our community. Be part of a gathering where stories come alive, neighbors meet, and inspiration is shared. Together, we’ll celebrate the power of stories to change how we think—and how we live.