This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Iris Mwanza, author of the novel The Lion’s Den. It’s a thriller featuring a young lawyer fighting for justice in the case of a queer teen, that has her going up against  every oppressive system in Zambia from the President and police to her priest and the doctrine of the Catholic Church. 

Iris is  Zambian-American. She started her career as an attorney, but currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Women in Leadership team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In our conversation, she explains why she’s more intrigued about exploring what the law could and should be, versus what it actually is. Plus, the newspaper story that’s stayed with her for 30 years that inspired her novel. And why she believes authors must write something that matters. 

Mahogany Books

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