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

Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani 🔊 

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