New York Magazine's "Emerging Writers"

New York Magazine today, Oprah's Book Club tomorrow? Maaza adds her name to list of Ethiopian-American artists making their mark. Click here to read an excerpt from her novel and vote for her.

MAAZA MENGISTE
36, from Addis Ababa,Ethiopia

Mengiste left Ethiopia at 4, during the communist revolution—a period that’s become the backdrop to her novel-in-progress, excerpted here. As a child, she lived with a host family. And before attending NYU’s graduate program, she says, “I had never written anything about Ethiopia at all. That blank page is scary.” Now represented by an agent, she finds it no less daunting. “I can’t write in public anymore, because I still get emotional."

The Stars of Tomorrow (New York Magazine) May 29, 2007

Update 6/6/07: Maaza Mengiste, Your New Literary Idol (New York Magazine) June 6, 2007