Movement Trends: Writers for Liberty

“Having experience in different fields gives you a unique perspective,” says Elizabeth Nolan Brown, tucking a strand of pink-streaked blond hair behind her ear. As the staff editor for Reason.com, Brown has established herself as a unique voice in the liberty movement. Free speech, gender, food policy, and criminal justice reform are just a few of the topics that Brown covers for Reason, reflecting her varied educational background.

“When I came to D.C. in 2006, I really wanted to work for a liberty-advancing organization. But, with a degree in theater, I didn’t have many options. I went to American University for a Masters degree in Strategic Communications, so that I could write about policy. Later on, I was writing a lot about health, so I obtained a certificate in nutrition from Cornell.”

Though she says she was “probably always” a libertarian, Elizabeth Nolan Brown’s first exposure to the movement for liberty was a summer seminar organized by the Institute for Humane Studies. “It was the first time everything became clear to me,” she reflects. “I knew that working in this area was what I wanted to do.” Her path wouldn’t be an easy one, however. After coming to Washington, D.C. and obtaining a graduate degree, she still couldn’t find a full-time position working for liberty.

“When I left this city the first time, I thought D.C. was behind me. I felt like nothing I wrote about – feminism, libertarianism, and food – was related to each other, that I had wasted my time somehow. That’s what I wish I could tell people most: Don’t feel badly about not getting where you want to be immediately. You will. And eventually, everything you do will come together.”

Looking to the future, I ask Brown how (or if) the 2016 presidential election will affect her work. “If topics come up that I tend to cover, I’ll write about it. For instance, if Hillary Clinton runs and receives a lot of gendered criticism, I’d respond to that. Which I hope doesn’t happen.”

Is there anything she is looking forward to covering in 2016? “Criminal justice reform,” she replies without hesitation. “I think it’ll be a big issue, especially because it’s one that doesn’t come with pre-packaged partisan stances. Politicians on both sides of the aisle are working together on it, which is really exciting. I just wish people were more passionate about it.” When I give her a questioning look, she explains. “A lot of D.C.-area professionals talk about criminal justice and sentencing reform, but when we write about it, those articles get low traffic.” She also hopes there will be room in the conversation for sex workers. “Sex work should be part of the criminal justice agenda. I like writing about it because it’s an under-covered issue. If it is being covered, it’s usually more for the sake of sensationalism and the ‘rescue industry.’ The people and problems at hand get ignored.”

As I prepare to leave Reason’s sunny office on Connecticut Avenue, my final question to Elizabeth is for any advice she has for aspiring writers for liberty. She pauses for a moment, thoughtfully, then smiles. “I’ll give some advice that Peter Suderman (senior editor at Reason magazine and Reason.com) gave me when he was my editor at AF’s Doublethink magazine: ‘Turn in copy on time, and go to lots of happy hours.’”

This is the second article of the AF Movement Trends blog series. Sloane Shearman is a writer for a  non-profit organization in Arlington, VA and an AF Ambassador. You can follow her on Twitter: @SloaneSays.