Bsrat Mezghebe - I Hope You Find What You're Looking For

Interview with Bsrat Mezghebe, author of the debut novel I Hope You Find What You're Looking For, published by Liveright. We talk about Eritrean independence and the real women who inspired the book, her earliest reading memories, the role of music in her storytelling, being featured as a Well-Read Black Girl, and how she balanced personal and political narratives in her fiction.Chapters: (00:00) Meet Bsrat Mezghebe, Author of I Hope You Find What You're Looking For(02:55) Bsrat's Earliest Reading Memories and What Made Her a Writer(05:58) Being a Well-Read Black Girl Pick and What It Meant(08:45) How I Hope You Find What You're Looking For Came to Be(11:52) Writing Eritrean Independence Into a Personal Story(14:50) The Real Women Who Became the Heart of the Book(17:59) How Music Shaped the Writing of This Novel(22:03) Artistic Influences, Cultural References, and the World Behind the Book(25:49) Why the Title I Hope You Find What You're Looking For and Where the Characters Go(28:31) What Bsrat Wants Readers to Take Away(30:58) On Community, Connection, and Who This Book Is For(33:08) Bsrat's Music Picks and Book RecommendationsYou can watch the full episode on Substack: https://notesfromerin.substack.com/p/bsrat-mezghebe-debut-novel Connect with Bsrat: https://bmezghebe.com/