Finding Mentorship Outside of Your Industry

Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams wants to be her state’s first Democratic governor in over a decade. Thus far, the gubernatorial candidate, who moonlights as a romance novelist, has dedicated her time in political office to increasing voter turnout in the state. Abrams created the voter-registration nonprofit New Georgia Project. (In 2014, the organization faced allegations of voter fraud leveled by Abrams’ opponent. The investigation technically remains open but has not resulted in any finding of wrongdoing.) She also leads the B.L.U.E. Institute, an organization that aims to increase diversity on campaign staffs.

Despite her storied political career, the leaders who inspired’s series on mentorship, “On the Shoulders of Giants,” I spoke with Abrams about unconventional mentors, writers she looks up to, and what makes a good mentee.