EMEBET MENGISTE

Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Emebet migrated to the United States when she was eighteen. Her first book ‘Yehilm hilm (A mother of all dreams) is a collection of poems, and her second book which she published a year and half ago, ‘Yengus lij’ is a compilation of poetry and short stories.  

Her latest literary harvest, Athejim, loosely translated “you (female) can’t leave”, is a collection of short stories. In her writings Emebet reflects the combination of her upbringing in Ethiopia and her life here in USA. Emebet strongly believes in creating awareness and talking about the unmentionables or taboos. Her short stories and poems truly reflect her roots and brings out social issues so people start talking about them, hopefully leading to solutions.

An accountant by training, a mother to a beautiful daughter, and God only knows where she gets the time, Emebet is a member of a poetry and writing club called Laureate, has a weekly radio program in Atlanta, her favorite place of residence. This radio program provides vital information to the Ethiopian community, her team invites experts, arranges a forum to discuss current issues where listeners can call and share their views.