S08 E05 Mpho Boshego
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Mpho Boshego served as a South African diplomat in Belgium from 2007 to 2011. Her novel DIPLOMATIC TIES is inspired by her experiences.
A striking debut, her book has been described as ‘a captivating story' that ‘captures the realness of a South African township life'.
Mpho joins Fiona and Gail to talk about writing the book she would have wanted to read when she started out in the diplomatic service, and how she grew up inspired by the great Heinemann African Writers Series.
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A striking debut, her book has been described as ‘a captivating story' that ‘captures the realness of a South African township life'.
Mpho joins Fiona and Gail to talk about writing the book she would have wanted to read when she started out in the diplomatic service, and how she grew up inspired by the great Heinemann African Writers Series.
For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter:
https://mailchi.mp/icon/the-hidden-lives-of-writers-newsletter-signup
Ask your writing-related questions here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8i1_vFmUwsd7E_nvPgQOtqEscvZIircT0imdHm_qYJK5eXA/viewform
Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you. Please join the conversation here:
Email: hiddenlivesofwriters@gmail.com
Instagram: @thehiddenlivesofwriterspod
Twitter: @hiddenwriterpod
YouTube: The Hidden Lives of Writers
Threads: @thehiddenlivesofwriters
Facebook discussion group: The Hidden Lives of Writers
Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction and Writing Week Check-in
- 05:10 Early Birds vs Night Owls: Writing Rhythms
- 08:55 Black Bag by Luke Kennard and Silo on Apple TV
- 13:05 Guest Introduction: Mpho Boshego
- 13:25 Writing in Your Head: Mpho's Process
- 16:06 Writing Diplomatic Ties with a Day Job
- 19:41 Why Mpho Wrote at the Office, Not at Home
- 21:34 From International Relations Student to Diplomat
- 28:44 Why Fiction, Not Memoir: The Toni Morrison Prompt
- 32:33 A Lifelong Reader: Grandfather, Reader's Digest, and Heinemann
- 36:17 The Prologue: Shock, Judgment, and Multi-Dimensional Characters
- 40:55 Overcoming Fear of Being Seen as a Writer
- 45:29 Tall Poppy Syndrome and Black Women Writers
- 50:00 Black Tax: Financial and Non-Financial Pressure
- 54:38 Book Two: Foreverness, Divorce, and Perimenopause
- 56:49 Miss Return Soldier: The Vlog Behind the Novel
- 01:02:36 What Mpho Has Been Watching: This Is Us
- 01:05:10 Hosts Reflect: Workspace, Writing in Your Head, and Heinemann
