The First Letter She Found by Charity Shumway: Audio Story

In this episode of Dialogue Out Loud, we present “The First Letter She Found” by Charity Shumway, a deeply intimate short story about faith, embodiment, love, and the quiet costs of self-surrender across generations. Framed as a letter from a mother to her teenage daughter, the story traces a woman’s complicated relationship with the LDS temple, garments, marriage, and belief—and the lingering ache of what is kept, what is given up, and what remains unspoken.

“The First Letter She Found” appears in the Fall 2025 issue of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. This narrated audio version is read by Jaclyn Huberman and is produced by Daniel Foster Smith, featuring original music composed for the story to underscore its emotional arc.

Dialogue Out Loud brings selected fiction, essays, and poetry from Dialogue to life through audio, inviting listeners to encounter these works in a new, intimate form.