Plant The Seed Anyway: Finding Hope When the World Feels Heavy

Season 3

Oct 22

Written by Erin Davis

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UNAPOLOGETIC · SEASON 3 / EPISODE 5

PLANT THE SEED ANYWAY: FINDING HOPE WHEN THE WORLD FEELS HEAVY

WITH DR. ZEINA SLEIMAN

ABOUT THE EPISODE

What does it mean to keep doing good when you are no longer certain that the larger outcome will change?

In this deeply honest conversation, Erin sits down with Dr. Zeina Sleiman—a Palestinian Canadian writer, scholar, researcher and inclusion leader—to explore how we remain grounded in our values when the world feels heavy.

Together, they discuss the limits of ideology, the importance of meeting people where they are and why supporting people may sometimes matter more than demanding more from them. They also examine the different roles people can play in creating change, the emotional cost of continually challenging harmful systems and why not everyone needs to carry the same part of the work.

Zeina shares how small acts of goodness can become a form of resistance—and how storytelling allows us to “manufacture hope” by imagining possibilities that reality has not yet given us.

This is a conversation about identity, belonging, community and choosing to plant the seed anyway—even when we may never see what grows.

MEET THE GUEST

Dr. Zeina Sleiman is a writer, scholar, and researcher based in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). Her novel Where the Jasmine Blooms is a finalist for the 2026 Forest of Reading Evergreen Award, and her short story My Father’s Soil was a finalist for the CBC Short Story Prize. With a PhD in political science, Zeina’s research explores immigration, citizenship, and belonging. She is also the author of the academic book Sanctuary Regions and the Struggle for Belonging, and her second novel, The Arabic Word for Mercy, is expected in spring 2027.

Read Zeina’s Work:

My Father’s Soil – 2025 CBC Short Story Shortlist Selection

Where The Jasmine Blooms – A Novel, by Zenia Sleiman

The Arabic Word for Mercy– Zeina’s upcoming 2027 novel

Learn More About Zeina
Website: https://www.zeinasleimanwrites.com

Connect with Zeina: https://www.instagram.com/zeinasleimanwrites/