This project would present an accessible, accurate biography of Julian of Norwich, a figure who is important in contemporary American religion--much excerpted, but little understood. The importance of Julian for American audiences is demonstrated by how widespread her work has become in recent decades with dozens of translations, excerptions, and devotional texts published. Yet very few readers can approach her texts directly, and those who do frequently find them strange and off-putting. Drawing on the best of scholarly research but with the intent of a general audience, this biography will give an account of her life, using her own text as its primary source. My goal is to make her own writing more accessible to American readers so that they will turn to it, instead of relying on excerpts only. Despite her distance from the United States in time and space, she covers themes directly relevant to American life: safety, universal salvation, the relationship between body and soul, and the place of the individual in institutions. By placing Julian's words in the context of what we know of her life, readers will be better able to maneuver the strangeness caused by distance and give the first woman to write a book in the English language the hearing she merits. I am requesting funds for research, travel and time to complete the manuscript. The manuscript is under contract with Paraclete Press and due September of 2009.