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The Power of 'Love Across Borders'
Award-winning journalist Anna Lekas Miller is transforming how we understand global migration and conflict through an unexpected lens: love stories. In her latest appearance on The Sassy Show, she offers a compelling glimpse into her work as both a storyteller and someone who has lived the complexities of cross-border relationships.
Watch Anna's full interview on The Sassy Show YouTube channel to hear Anna read from her book's opening chapter and share insights into how love can transcend borders, challenge systems, and create change. Grab yourself a copy of Anna's book to sink deep into tales like none other.
Anna's journey from covering war zones to becoming what she playfully calls a "love story journalist" began in the Middle East, where she reported on some of the world's most challenging conflicts. As a Lebanese-American, Miller brought a unique perspective to her coverage, challenging post-9/11 stereotypes about Arabs and the Middle East through intimate, human-centered storytelling.
"I wanted to show that these wars weren't over," Miller shares in the interview, "and that both American intervention and indifference were killing people." But what sets her work apart isn't just her coverage of conflict – it's her ability to find stories of joy, resilience, and romance amid chaos.
Known for "spicing up migration stories with tales of love and romance," Anna has earned recognition for her fresh approach to journalism. Her debut book, "Love Across Borders," which recently won the Arab American Book Award for Creative Nonfiction, weaves together multiple love stories that challenge conventional narratives about migration and refugees.
What I'm really attracted to in people and stories that I report is this amazing resilience of the human spirit and amazing resilience of the sense of humor
Her own love story became an unexpected catalyst for her current work. After meeting her Syrian husband Salam in Istanbul, Anna confronted the stark realities of global passport inequality firsthand. This personal experience opened her eyes to a larger story about how borders, visas, and immigration policies impact countless couples worldwide.
"When you're growing up and your country is suddenly shattered by war, or you're growing up somewhere where you don't have any rights because you're seen as stateless... it's just an incredibly different way to grow up," Anna reflects, highlighting how her work bridges these different lived experiences.
What makes Anna's approach revolutionary is her commitment to showing the full spectrum of human experience in conflict zones. She celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the persistence of joy and humor even in the darkest circumstances. "What I'm really attracted to in people and stories that I report is this amazing resilience of the human spirit and amazing resilience of the sense of humor," she explains.
Through her work, Anna challenges mainstream media's often one-dimensional portrayal of refugees and migrants. Instead of focusing solely on tragedy, she illuminates stories of triumph, love, and what she calls "boring happily ever afters" – the beautiful ordinariness that people achieve despite extraordinary obstacles.
Watch her full interview on The Sassy Show to hear Anna read from her book's opening chapter and share insights into how love can transcend borders, challenge systems, and create change. As she continues to document stories that bridge divides and highlight our shared humanity, Anna reminds us that even in the most challenging times, love remains a powerful force for connection and understanding.
Buy Love Across Borders online or at your local bookstore.
Catch Anna's work online via her IG @annalekasmiller and subscribe to her Substack page
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