Little Movements

A page-turning, tenderhearted debut about a Black woman who is finally given a chance to pursue her dream of becoming a renowned choreographer, only to find that it comes at a tremendous personal cost

A beautifully wrought tribute to all that inspires us to move, and a necessary reminder that, though missteps and stumbles are inevitable, theyre only a part of lifes wondrous dance.Mateo Askaripour, author ofBlack Buck

Layla Smart was raised by her pragmatic Midwestern mother todream medium. But all Laylas ever wanted is a career in dance, which requires dreaming big. So when she receives a prestigious offer to be the choreographer-in-residence at Briar House, an arts program in rural Vermont, she leaves behind Brooklyn, her job, her friends, and her husband to pursue it.

Navigating Briar House and the small, white town that surrounds it proves difficultLayla wants to create art for arts sake and resist tokenization, but the institutions director keeps encouraging Layla to dig deep into her peoples history. Still, the mental and physical demands of dancing spark a sharp, unexpected sense of joy, bringing into focus the years shed distanced herself from her true calling for the sake of her marriage and maintaining the status quo.

Just as she begins to see her life more clearly, she discovers a betrayal that proves the cracks in her marriage were deeper than she ever could have known. Then Briar Houses dangerously problematic past comes to light. And Layla discovers shes pregnant. Suddenly, dreaming medium sounds a lot more appealing.

Poignant, propulsive, and darkly funny,Little Movementsis a novel about self-discovery, about what we must endureor let go ofin order to realize our dreams.

Lauren Morrowstudied dance and creative writing at Connecticut College and earned an MFA in fiction from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program. She was a Kimbilio Fellow and an Aspen Words Emerging Writer Fellow and is the recipient of two Hopwood Awards, among other prizes. Her writing has appeared inPloughsharesand theSouth Carolina Review. She worked in publicity at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and is now a senior publicist at Dutton, Plume, and Tiny Reparations Books. Originally from St. Louis, she lives in Brooklyn.

Lauren Morrows debut urges us to take charge of our own narratives and resist the pressures to conform, no matter the cost. Its a beautifully wrought tribute to all that inspires us to move, and a necessary reminder that, though missteps and stumbles are inevitable, theyre only a part of lifes wondrous dance.Mateo Askaripour, author ofBlack Buck

• Publisher: Random House
• Publish Date: September 9, 2025
• Pages: 256
• Language: English
• Type: Hardcover
• EAN/UPC: 9780593736753
• Dimensions: 9.5 X 6.3 X 1.0 inches | 1.1 pounds
• BISAC Categories: Literary Fiction