After uncovering complex and, at times, troubling family history, Millie Tullis did what she does best: she wrote about it in verse. She joins Beth Brumer Reeve to discuss her new collection, These Saints Are Stones.

We talk about the process of researching her family history and what it means to sit with the unknown—how gaps in the archive can be approached with both truth and imagination. Millie shares how writing this collection became a healing act, helping her confront her roots and make sense of inherited history, faith, and identity.

We also explore the balance between vulnerability and restraint: how do you write honestly about family while deciding what to protect, if anything?

A thoughtful conversation for poetry lovers and anyone interested in Mormon history.

Millie Tullis is a poet, editor, and researcher from northern Utah. She holds an MFA from George Mason University and an MA in American Studies & Folklore from Utah State University. Her poetry has been published in Dialogist, Sugar House Review, Cimarron Review, Dialogue, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere. Her digital micro-chapbook, Dream with Teeth, was published by Ghost City Press in 2023. Her research has won awards from the Utah Historical Society, the Folklore Society of Utah, and the American Folklore Society. She is the editor-in-chief of Exponent II. Find more at millietullis.com.

You can also follow Millie Tullis on Instagram @millie_tullis.

Check out all of our books at SignatureBooks.com, and follow us on Instagram @signature.books.

Do Eli McCann’s parents think he is funny? Hear his answer on our latest podcast episode while we talk about his new book, We’re Thankful for the Moisture: A Gay Guy’s Guide to Mormon Faith, Family, and Fruit Preservation, a collection of essays adapted from his humor columns in The Salt Lake Tribune.

Eli shares how he knew from a young age that he wanted to be a writer—and how voices like David Sedaris, Erma Bombeck, and Tina Fey shaped his comedic style. We also talk about his childhood love of Lucille Ball and the unforgettable Halloween when he and his friend Sam dressed as nuns after watching The Sound of Music.

It’s a funny, heartfelt conversation about faith, family, queerness, and finding your voice.

Eli McCann is a lawyer, writer, and podcaster. His monthly humor column for The Salt Lake Tribune explores cultural and religious ideas, usually through his experiences living as a gay man in Utah. Since 2016, McCann has produced and cohosted the storytelling podcast and live show, Strangerville. His work has been featured in publications around the world, including The Washington Post, Newsweek, HuffPost, BBC, and others. His writing and other creative projects can be found at his website, It Just Gets Stranger.

Please join us at his book launch on February 24th, 2026, at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art at 7:00 PM. Seating for this event is limited, so get your tickets here.

You can follow Eli on TikTok, Instagram, and X.

Tracy Young Cannon had a vast influence on the musical voice of Mormonism in the twentieth century. In this episode, Shelby Fisher, a professor of music and a gifted organist, shares what she learned about Cannon as she researched his life. Cannon was a Salt Lake Tabernacle organist from 1905 to 1930, oversaw the creation of two hymnals and an expansive organist and chorister education program while chairing the General Music Committee of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fisher’s new biography, Tracy Y. Cannon: Tabernacle Organist & Pioneering Musician, 1879–1961, is now available in paperback and ebook formats.

Fisher earned masters’ degrees in both organ performance and education from the University of Utah and a doctorate in sacred music from the Graduate Theological Foundation. Her scholarly work centers on the influence of religious belief on musical performance practice. She serves as Director of Organ Studies at Utah State University and is an active musician. She and her husband are the parents of three daughters.