Mary Efendi is an Azerbaijani-American writer, whose debut novel I Sat Alone by the Gate became an instant success and a bestseller. In this episode we spoke about Mary's experience of living in the US, post 9/11, as a Muslim woman, and how moving from Baku at the age of 18 changed the trajectory of her life. Due to I Sat Alone by the Gate being a semi-autobiographical novel, with some events fictionalized, in this podcast I ask Mary about her immigrant experience that I became all to familiar with after reading her novel. We talked about Mary's current writing projects, her move back to Baku, and the reality of getting a book published. Additionally, this conversation reflects our common Azerbaijani heritage, as well as stereotypes that people from other former Soviet Republics can relate to. Finally, if this episode made you want to find out more about the complex cultural phenomena we discussed, may it be a sign for you to read Mary's debut novel, I Sat Alone by the Gate, if you haven't yet. Read my profile story about Mary Efendi: https://caspianpost.com/en/post/mary-... Mary Efendi's IG: https://www.instagram.com/maryefendi

Leila Mekhdi's IG: https://www.instagram.com/leilamekhdi

Video version of the podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJuL1E8p2yGYh20EEwz98ImezJd9DQPNx&si=XncMqlTNydwQwSIo