In this episode, we interview author Bsrat Mezghebe about her debut novel, I Hope You Find What You’re Looking For. Bsrat describes her approach to connecting the 10,000-foot view of society with everyday human life and explains the novel as a story about Eritrean women seeking freedom in the DC suburbs on the eve of Eritrean independence in 1991. We discuss the Eritrean War for Independence, diaspora, and the moral complexity of revolutionary choices. Bsrat reflects on writing about liberation across shifting American politics.
00:00 Welcome to the Podcast
00:35 Meet Bsrat Mezghebe
02:07 Debut Novel Overview
03:05 Characters and Structure
04:25 What Readers Take Away
05:37 Writing Liberation in America
12:06 Staying Grounded
13:50 What She Reads Now
14:50 Next Projects and Nonfiction
15:52 Fiction Versus Nonfiction
17:21 Advice for Community Impact
19:08 Social Media and Focus
20:31 Where to Find Bsrat
21:09 Closing and Call to Action
Bsrat’s Book
I Hope You Find What You’re Looking For
Other Books Mentioned
Toni at Random: The Iconic Writer’s Legendary Editorship by Dana A. Williams
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
