Uncertainty is natural and inevitable–but still not always expected. When you’re a new parent, that uncertainty can be frightening.

Danit Brown, an English professor at Albion College, explores difficult feelings like these in her debut novel Television for Women (Melville House, June 2025). Her book follows the perspective of Estie who has just given birth to her first child and isn’t sure she likes being a parent. Instead, Estie feels lonely and bloated and ashamed of these feelings. Her motherhood story doesn’t involve a magical connection between her and her baby, and her adjustment to parenthood is difficult and lengthy.

Brown said her inspiration for the novel came from her personal experiences.

“I was a new mother and I was amazed at the differences between reality and what’s depicted in the media when it comes to motherhood,” she said. “Going through these drastic changes and still being expected to push through everything that life already throws at you isn’t easy.”

When asked for advice to young writers out there, she said, “Writing is more of a marathon than a sprint. Take your time when it comes to revision. It’s okay to put a project down, then come back to it later.”

Kiley Reid, author of the New York Times bestseller Such a Fun Age called the novel “a post-partum page-turner.” She writes, “Television For Women is an intimate examination of female friendship, motherhood, longing and regret, all told with wonderfully dark humor. A brutal and delightful read.”

Brown has published more than 20 short stories as well as the linked short-story collection, Ask for a Convertible, which won a 2009 National Book Award. Brown will be a guest author for the Albion College Reading Series, on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 5:30 p.m., in the Bobbitt Visual Arts auditorium. Copies of the book will be available to purchase at the event and are also available via most online booksellers.

This article was written by marketing and communications intern Nick Briscoe ‘28