Why Mormonism Makes Great Science Fiction: A Conversation with Danny Nelson

Why Mormonism Makes Great Science Fiction | Danny Nelson on Narrow Is the Gate

In this episode of Dialogue Out Loud, Dialogue fiction editors Joe Plicka and Ryan Shoemaker sit down with writer Danny Nelson to discuss his acclaimed short story, “Narrow Is the Gate,“ featured in the Summer 2026 issue of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.

The conversation explores how speculative fiction can illuminate questions of faith, revelation, and religious culture in surprising ways. Danny reflects on the origins of his story, the influence of classic science fiction and fantasy, and why an alien civilization “more Mormon than the Mormons” became the perfect thought experiment for examining orthodoxy, continuing revelation, and the tensions between absolute truth and a living faith.

Together, they discuss Mormon cosmology, translation, the role of humor in serious fiction, and why stories about first contact can reveal something profound about our own beliefs. They also explore how Narrow Is the Gate uses science fiction not to mock religion, but to ask enduring questions about certainty, change, and what it means to seek truth.

Whether you’re a fan of speculative fiction, Mormon literature, or thoughtful conversations about faith, this episode offers a fascinating look inside one of the most memorable stories in recent Mormon fiction.

Read Narrow Is the Gate in the Summer 2026 issue of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.

About Danny Nelson

Danny Nelson is a fiction writer and poet whose work examines the Mormon experience from both inside and outside the culture. His writing has appeared in Monsters and Mormons, Press Forward, Saints, Fire in the Pasture, and The Path and the Gate. He lives in Salt Lake City with his husband and a moderately intelligent dog.