Used to be, Herald readers could get a steady fix of Ana Menéndez in lyrical writing and keen observations of her columns for the paper. That was before she set off on a long journey to older, if not necessarily more colorful, corners of our planet. Last weekend she touched down in MIA once again for a panel with fellow Herald-columnists past and present at the Miami Book Fair International.

Her latest novel, The Last War, is loosely based on Menéndez’s own experiences in and out of war zones. Set in Istanbul, a city poised between East and West, and between the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the novel follows a photojournalist as she comes to grips with the possible infidelity of her war correspondent husband.

The Knight Arts blog chatted with the author about the way The Last War captures the history of empire and betrayal and the fragile hope that someday the poet might triumph over the warrior. Watch the full version here.

This is the first in a series on interviews with Miami authors (or at least, authors we claim as Miamians) that will appear here on Mondays.