New Book Features 52 of Eliza R. Snow’s Best Discourses

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A new book from the Church Historian’s Press featuring 52 of Eliza R. Snow’s most powerful and timeless discourses reveals the breadth of her service and leadership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“Rise Up and Speak: Selected Discourses of Eliza R. Snow” is available on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

The book is one of several publications from the Church Historian’s Press on women’s history. “Rise Up and Speak” will become a part of the Gospel Library app in 2027.

Snow was a key figure in expanding women’s participation and leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ during the mid- to late 1800s. She was a writer, organizer, temple worker and advocate for women.

Elder Kyle S. McKay, General Authority Seventy and Church Historian and Recorder, called Snow “an elect lady” and a “remarkable woman” during a press conference at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

“This is a woman who, time and time again, accepted the call. ... I’m thrilled to be part of this day when we can shine the light on her life and sermons,” he said.

An accomplished public speaker, Snow delivered nearly 1,300 recorded discourses between 1840 and 1887 throughout Utah and Idaho. Snow spoke with authority on Church doctrine and history. “[I] felt like shouting hallelujah,” exclaimed one woman after hearing Eliza R. Snow speak in 1883.

Snow’s discourses include religious instruction, urging women to awaken to their divine potential. She also encouraged them to engage in home manufacture, become politically involved and vote, enroll in medical courses, and subscribe to and write for the Woman’s Exponent, an independent Latter-day Saint women’s newspaper of the time.

Sister Kristin M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, said at the press conference that she likes the book’s title, “Rise Up and Speak” because Snow “spoke as a devoted disciple of the Savior. She spoke by the Spirit and encouraged all women to do the same,” Sister Yee said. “The works that Eliza talked about are the works that we do today as sisters in Relief Society. It tells me this work is eternally relevant ... and it carries on today. Their stories are our stories.”

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The selection of 52 of Snow’s most powerful and timeless discourses was carefully annotated and selected by editors Jennifer Reeder, Sharalyn D. Howcroft, Elizabeth A. Kuehn and Jessica M. Nelson, all historians for the Church History Department. 

Reeder, lead editor and historian on the project, said it was a “privilege to come to know Eliza R. Snow” through her discourses.

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“When I read her words and see how diligent and urgent she is about this responsibility as a woman of God, to be a part of that, I think that’s so important.”

The Church History Library is hosting a free exhibit that features photographs of Snow, souvenirs from her travels and original manuscripts of her writings from February 27 and September 8, 2026. The Church History Library is located at 15 E. North Temple Street in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Curating the Discourses

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During the mid-to-late 1800s, Snow traveled throughout the Utah and Idaho Territories, ministering to women and energizing her audiences with her gusto for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Relief Society secretaries and others recorded her discourses in minute books and newspapers.

In 2018, researchers from the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began scouring those minute books and newspapers to find and transcribe Snow’s words. They examined more than 2,000 such record books, finding nearly 1,300 of Snow’s discourses, all of which were published on the Church Historian’s Press website in 2020.

From those discourses, historians selected 52 to be featured in “Rise Up and Speak.” The discourses have been fully annotated and contextualized to give readers clear insights into Snow’s teachings and times. Additionally, punctuation, spelling and grammar have been standardized to help modern readers understand Snow’s words more easily.

Newsroom Eliza R. Snow Discourses Published Online

More About Eliza R. Snow

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As the secretary of the Nauvoo Relief Society in the 1840s, Snow kept meticulous minutes of the organization’s foundational meetings, including Joseph Smith’s instructions to women, empowering them to help build God’s kingdom. Later, under the direction of Brigham Young in Utah Territory, Snow assisted bishops in organizing ward Relief Societies; she also instructed the women who belonged to those societies, encouraging them to “rise up and speak” — to overcome fears in public speaking and to minister to each other and to their communities.

Beyond her work in Relief Societies, Snow also helped create the Church’s associations for young women and children and participated in the development of those organizations at the ward, stake and general levels. John Taylor appointed her as the second general president of the Relief Society in 1880, a position she held until her death in 1887.