The author discussed her multigenerational Palestinian family memoir "The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders," which spans from mandate Palestine to the present day. Sarah Aziza reflects on her relationship with her Palestinian identity, the complexities of being "half" something, and her lifelong journey with the Arabic language. The conversation also touches upon the impact of the ongoing events in Gaza on her work and the ethical choices she made as a writer navigating a prejudiced industry.
This episode was recorded on July 22, 2025
00:00 Introduction
01:34 On Family, Gaza & Personal Pain
04:05 How the Occupation Is Palpable In New York
05:05 The Hollow Half: A Multigenerational Memoir
09:51 The Nakba & Mental Health
13:15 It Is Sane To Go Insane In This World
17:08 Reclaiming Identity: Rejecting The “Half” Narrative
23:23 The Lifelong Journey With Arabic
26:45 Changing the Writing Process After October 7
33:55 Navigating A Capitalist Media System
43:16 Gazan Family Reactions to the Book
49:00 The Temptation of Tokenization
57:25 Reconciling Past & Present Selves
53:19 The Choice Not to Compromise and Long-Term Impact
54:17 Personal Transformation and Honoring Past Selves
56:50 Cosmic Perfectionism and the Exhaustion of Striving
58:45 The Power and Burden of Love
1:00:38 Where to Find the Book
Sarah Aziza is a Palestinian American writer, translator, and artist with roots in ‘Ibdis and Deir al-Balah, Gaza. She is the author of The Hollow Half, a genre-bending work of memoir, lyricism, and oral history exploring the intertwined legacies of diaspora, colonialism, and the American dream. It is available wherever books are sold. Sarah’s award-winning journalism, poetry, essays, and experimental nonfiction have appeared in major international publications. Previously a Fulbright fellow in Jordan, she is the recipient of numerous Pulitzer Center grants for Crisis Reporting, a 2022 resident at Tin House Writer’s Workshop, a Pushcart Prize nominee, and a 2023 Margins Fellow at the Asian American Writers Workshop.
Connect with Sarah Aziza 👉 https://instagram.com/sarahazizawrites
Hosted by Mikey Muhanna
Connect directly with Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://instagram.com/mikey_mu
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