I am a lifelong, active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is more commonly known as the Mormon church. People routinely ask why I remain in an imperfect church that sometimes fails in its treatment women and other minorities. My philosophy is to build Zion where I am and work for progress in my own community because there are no perfect organizations.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a space in which I have had profound spiritual experiences and developed my most lasting communities. Surprisingly, my ward families have also been the spaces in which I have encountered the most economic and political diversity.

Although I am a Latter-day Saint, I am not a Utah Mormon. Having lived most of my life as a religious minority shapes my perspective. I went to a Catholic high school in Michigan and then earned a BA from University of Chicago, a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law, and a PhD in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. My writing is informed by people of a variety of religious persuasions as well as by my training in literary criticism.

I appreciate President Russell M. Nelson’s call to recenter our faith on Christ by using the church’s full name. I strive to use the full name or “Latter-day Saint” whenever possible. There are some sentences, however, in which there are no substitutes for the term “Mormonism” or “Mormon,” and I sometimes slip after being conditioned for years to use the term. I typically intentionally use “Mormonism” when referring to the faith’s entire historical tradition and culture, which is often broader than the organizational church and its members. I frequently use “Mormon” to describe the culture adjacent to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and people who identify with the tradition but no longer consider themselves members. I also use “Mormon” and “Mormonism” where it is more historically appropriate.

I became interested in how the housing crisis was reshaping America before I began writing regularly about religion and economics. Inspired by my own frustration trying to find housing in Colorado, my dissertation, Missing Homes: Poe, Brontë, Dickens and Displacement, focuses on how three writers’ experiences of housing instability influenced their literary innovations. My dissertation explores the economic underpinnings of culture (specifically, our understandings of home) and paved the way for my future writing about how economic shifts are impacting the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I never read a mainstream novel that did not sensationalize Mormons until after earning a PhD in literature. I want to change that. My next big project is a multi-generational, not-so-Gothic novel set in Brigham Young’s Lion House, southern Utah, 1970s Boston, and today’s influencer culture. It’s a love letter to Mormon women past and present that I hope will give people a more accurate view of Mormonism while not compromising on story.

The best place to connect with me is on Instagram @nataliebrownwriter.

Yes! I love to connect with people about my writing. I can do virtual or in-person events depending on the location and my availability. After Happiness is especially suited for Latter-day Saint student associations and book clubs.