Author: Kaitlyn Mahoney

Kaitlyn Mahoney (they/she) is the owner of Under the Umbrella, a queer little bookstore on Ute, Paiute, Goshute, and Shoshone land in Salt Lake City, Utah. They discovered their queer identity primarily through books after making the decision to read more diversely in their mid-20s. Because the publishing industry does not prioritize the stories of queer folks or other marginalized identities, finding these stories was—and continues to be—more difficult than it should be. In January 2021, after years of waiting for someone else to do it, she decided to open a queer-specific bookstore where queer folks of all ages could gather and celebrate their identities in a validating space—and in November of that year, Under the Umbrella was born.