ONLY BECAUSE IT’S YOU | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Date and Time
Sep 3, 2025 6:00 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Sep 3, 2025 6:00 pm
14th & V
Join us to discuss a joyful love story filled with humor and steeped in the culture of the Ethiopian diaspora
"Full of humour and heartwarming moments—Rebecca delivers pure joy!" —Chantel Guertin, bestselling author of It Happened One Christmas
Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith to land exactly where you're meant to be . . .
Miz is not the marrying kind. She's more of the no-strings-attached kind. No labels, only fun. So, when she finds a diamond ring in her casual-but-very-hot hook-up's gym bag, she immediately ends things and runs.
Kal is one of Miz's best friends, an aspiring actor who moved to Toronto from Ethiopia and is on the brink of his big break. But when he's suddenly at risk of having to return home and leave Toronto forever, Miz panics. She can't imagine her life without Kal.
There's only one solution: Miz will marry Kal to become his spousal sponsor. He'll get to keep pursuing his acting career, and she'll get to keep her best friend in the city. It'll be a quick, short only-on-paper marriage between friends, followed by a quick, easy divorce. Nothing will change, and life will go back to normal. Right?
Rebecca Fisseha is joining us on the Busboys stage alongside Tsegahiwot Tadesse to celebrate this book and share more about the issues that deeply impact the main characters in this story, and marginalized and immigrant communities worldwide. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Fisseha will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of ONLY BECAUSE IT’S YOU will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Rebecca Fisseha is the author of the novels Only Because It’s You (Doubleday Canada, 2025), and Daughters of Silence (Goose Lane Editions, 2019) which she is currently adapting for the screen. Her short stories, creative non-fiction, personal essays, and articles appear in various publications. She is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers, the Vancouver Film School’s program in Writing for Film & Television, and an alumnus of the Toronto International Film Festival Writers’ Studio. Originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Rebecca is based in Toronto, Canada.
Tsegahiwot “Tsega” Tadesse is a future shaper working at the crossroads of global social innovation, education, strategy, and diasporan culture. She helps organizations, youth, and creatives imagine and build the future they want to see. Her work sparks lasting change by turning ideas and stories into projects that celebrate innovation and make a systemic impact.
BOOK DETAILS
Only Because It’s You
By Rebecca Fisseha
May 06, 2025 | Paperback, 336 pages, $19.95
