From: "Christopher Bigelow" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Chris Bigelow Date: 31 Aug 2000 16:21:04 -0700 Hi, I'm Chris(topher) Bigelow, age 33, male, married with three kids (2 = from previous marriage). I have lived in Provo since 1998 and also have = strong ties to Los Angeles (1967-1977); Bountiful, Utah (1977-1984 and = subsequent parental crashings between moves and divorce); Melbourne, = Australia (mission, 1986-88); Boston (1988-1992); and Salt Lake City = (1984-86, 1992-1997). I work as a marketing writer for one of Utah's = several multilevel nutritional companies, and I teach freshman English as = an adjunct at both Salt Lake Community College and Utah Valley State = College (I usually prefer one class a semester but somehow got myself into = two this fall).=20 I used to do some freelance writing and editing, but now I am reserving as = much time and energy as possible for family, hobby-level novel writing, = and AML/Irreantum work (plus extra sleep, movies, magazines, books, and = mall haunting with the kids). I'm also an avid music listener, with tastes = mostly on the hard, dark side of rock. I don't mind teaching because it = uses different mental muscles than writing/editing and is usually = refreshing to me, though I apply only minimal effort (I make it a point to = read everything I assign the students and anything I put more than a check = mark on). I used to work at the Church's Ensign magazine (1993-2000) but = did not find it personally or creatively rewarding enough to fully engage = my professional self (maybe a third of myself). I have as many negative as = positive feelings about working in big corporations and organizations, but = I don't have any alternatives at the moment.=20 My connection to Mormon literature is having read a fair bit, starting = with Eugene England's Mormon lit course in 1993, having participated = fairly avidly on AML-List for what, three years now, and having founded = and currently serving as comanaging editor of Irreantum, the AML's = literary quarterly. In literary circles, I've written a handful of = Mormon-related reviews and stories and have seen a couple of minor = publishing credits (mostly in my own magazine--but other editors selected = the pieces, I promise). I am currently trying to write a contemporary, = mainstream novel for a non-Mormon audience that delves deeply into Mormon = characters and content--I'm just finishing a 300-page first draft and = taking comments from a writing group or two in preparation for a rewrite. = The response has not exactly been what I would call encouraging, but I = still personally believe in the story and hope to do it some justice and = perhaps make it publishable (even if just by Xlibris or some such). I am = also currently editing my mission letters and journals into a memoir that = I am going to try to market to national publishers.=20 Oh, education--I have a B.F.A. in Writing, Literature, and Publishing = (emphasis on professional writing) from Emerson College, Boston, and an = M.A. in English from BYU (emphasis on creative writing).=20 Chris Bigelow - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: [AML] Introductions: Thom Duncan Date: 31 Aug 2000 16:41:41 -0600 My name is Charles Thomas Duncan. I was called "Tommy" growing up to distinguish from my father, Charles William Duncan. Mid-point in my mission in 1969, I decided to add the "h" to "Tom" because I knew then, and had known since the age of 11, that I would someday be a writer and I though "Thom" was cooler. I am 51 and will be 52 this year. I will have married for 30 years this December 19 to Margie Bromley, who is also a graduate of BYU drama department. Our five children are in various stages of leaving the nest: the two eldest daughters are married and expecting in September and in November. My one and only son works and lives with his older sister. The third daughter manages a Master Cuts in Ogden. My youngest, 18, is saving money to go to college and, though, still technically living at home, is either working or dating. According to some of you list members who have met me in person, I'm a lot nicer in real life than my cyber personality might suggest. I am somewhat of a pioneer in Mormon Literature (if I may toot my own horn). Those of you who have the Gospel Links CD are invited to do a search on my name where you see me mentioned as an up and coming LDS playwright along with Orson Scott Card and Carolyn Pearson. I am published in the first issue of LDSF (way back in 1970 something). I also wear my iconoclastic badge with honor. While at BYU, I wrote the book and lyrics to a musical on Joseph Smith that was called by Herald columnist Theron Luke, "Joseph Smith Superstar." The previous year, I had written a drama directed by Max Golightly, which I based on Lamoni and Ammon, and in which Michael Flynn (as Lamoni) did an incredible job with the homoerotic subtext of King Lamoni's relationship with Ammon. I have published one novel and have self-published its two sequels. Recently, I have had a sort of epiphany. I have come to terms with the reality that, while I'm a passable novelist, an average short story writer, I feel much more driven and capable in writing plays. That realization coupled with a decades long desire to see my LDS-oriented plays and those of other playwrights staged in a dedicated theatre has led me to what I now consider to be the most important writing project of my career: a business plan that will explain to investors, banks, and anyone willing to read it for that matter, the viability of a permanent professional theatre situated in Utah County and catering exclusively to LDS theatre. I have set aside all other writing projects to concentrate on this plan. It's almost done and I'll be sending it on its rounds sometime late next week. -- Thom Duncan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Gae Lyn Henderson Date: 31 Aug 2000 16:44:30 -0600 Gae Lyn Henderson wrote: > I'm married and the mother of six sons ages 13 to 25. We live in Highland, > Utah. I love weight-lifting, running, and hiking, particularly hiking the > trail to Timpanogus Cave which is 10 minutes from my house. and another interesting tie-in ... Her husband, Harold, was my companion in Le Havre, France, in the same mission where list member Tom Matkin and I once shared an apartment in Paris. -- Thom Duncan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Sarah Smith Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 31 Aug 2000 19:02:27 -0600 Jason Steed wrote: > I don't mean that the historicity of certain facts are > unknowable. I mean the "real story" of history--the cause-and-effect, the > narratives that impose order and meaning on a series of knowable facts--is > unknowable. It is always possible to have different versions of the story > (though the historicity of certain facts might be indisputable). I understand Jason's perspective, and I agree. For example, my parent's marriage was an arranged one in China. The date of their wedding is knowable, but to ask my parents and their respective families who arranged the wedding, what events precipitated these two particular families to come together, and what happened during the intervening years before my mother joined my father in America, a separation of 20 years, would probably be an inaccurate historical jumble of memory, perception, and facts. If you ask your own folks about their first meeting, falling in love, and marrying, you'll likely get slightly different versions of their story though certainly the dates they became engaged and married are historically accurate. Regards, Sarah Smith - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 31 Aug 2000 23:44:30 -0600 Todd Robert Petersen wrote: > Because historically-based stories end up at the top of the heap, those who > use history in their narratives have a responsibility to play it pretty > straight. If they are going to mess around, it should be pretty clear that > they are messing around. And if they want to go this route, they should > make sure that they are commenting on the events they are trying to present > AND comment on the nature of history AND of storytelling. Even if I were to agree with this philosophy (which by now should be clear that I don't entirely), how are you going to enforce it? Obviously you can't, without a literal police state censoring art. And because it can't be enforced by any coercion, there will be many artists who will not comply. The only practical solution is to educate the audience that historical fiction _is_ fiction, and what you see ain't necessarily what you get in real history. > Once again, this is a kind of church and state argument about history and > art. What are people so worried about? That their art might get messed up. > Hitchcock once said that drama is life with the boring bits taken out. > Cutting out stuff is one thing, adding is another. Different things they may be, but they're both acceptable artistic licenses to take. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 31 Aug 2000 23:56:53 -0600 Jonathan Langford wrote: > the choice to use a historically based character is a > choice that, in my view, brings consequences. If you want to write a story > that's uncontaminated by the reader's or viewer's prior knowledge of > history, then don't use a historical character. I agree that choosing a historical character brings consequences. But they are artistic consequences, not moral ones. Some of us are trying to argue that artists _shouldn't_ write historical fiction unless they plan on being as accurate to the history as possible. This is casting the issue in a moral light. But it's really only an artistic issue. Writing historical fiction brings consequences based upon the audience's knowledge of the period of history being written about, and upon each audience member's preference for favoring accuracy or drama. But these are all artistic choices that the artist must consider as he decides what approach to take. He has no more "moral" obligation to adhere to someone else's philosophy on how accurate historical fiction ought to be than he does to someone else's philosophy on when it's appropriate to use first person POV. A lot of people want accuracy in their historical fiction. As long as the artist understands that, he can decide to appeal to that audience or not. The only actual "sin" the artist can commit is to make his decision in ignorance--making the choice without understanding the price his art will pay for the choice. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Todd Robert Petersen" Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 01 Sep 2000 08:36:33 -0500 Let's turn this a little more towards Mormon literature. Let's say that someone were to "fictionalize" the life of Joseph Smith in the way that some have been discussing, inventing more interesting or more dramatic or more whatever events/scenes/moments/associations in order to propel the dramatic action or to support the artist's vision. People who know better would be furious, would call apostasy and blasphemy on the artist. That's abstract, sure, but here's a more concrete example. When Walter Kirn messes up LDS details, I go, "Walt, couldn't you have done a little bit of research, maybe run the story by some LDS people so the terminology, at least is correct?" It undermines the writer's authority to botch the details. Likewise, it undermines the writer to intentionally skew history without some really good reason for it, and I, for one, don't think that there are many good reasons for it. One, perhaps, is to reveal the mechanics of historiography or the actual writing of history, how it is prepared and put into narrative and so forth. This is a kind of ironic gesture (which I normally don't like) but in the case of history and historiography, these gestures are important. The use of the actual in writing is always a risk. Someone is always around trying to challenge your details. One must ask oneself what they really get from using a historical figure. Michael Ondaatje has done it at least twice (Buddy Bolden in COMING THROUGH SLAUGHTER and Billy the Kid in THE COLLECTED WORKS OF BILLY THE KID) to good effect. So has Bruce Olds in his book on John Brown called RAIDING HOLY HELL. I've done an interview with Olds, who told me that he felt no particular need to stick to history, because he was trying to explore history itself, not John Brown per se. His subject could have been anyone really. So what I'm saying is that care must be taken, and the pride of statements like, "I'm the author. I can do whatever it takes to serve my text and be right because I'm the author" needs to be diluted with a little bit of, "Do I earn this change in reality as I and my culture understand it? Am I causing the wrong kind of trouble? Am I being lazy?" -- Todd Robert Petersen ---------- >From: Jonathan Langford >To: aml-list@lists.xmission.com >Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction >Date: Thu, Aug 31, 2000, 10:47 AM > > Thom writes: > >>The questions a viewer should be asking him or herself is not >>"How accurate is this?" but rather, "Does the transition into the >>song work or is it forced?" "Is that joke funny or not?" "Is >>that animation inspired or rather pedestrian?" >> >>We bring too much of our own agenda to the art we consume in this >>country. We should work more at setting aside our own agendas, >>in this case, our own understanding of history, and try to see >>what the director or writer is trying to do to our emotions. > > At the risk of beating a dead horse--or at least repeating myself--I'll say > once again that the choice to use a historically based character is a > choice that, in my view, brings consequences. If you want to write a story > that's uncontaminated by the reader's or viewer's prior knowledge of > history, then don't use a historical character. > > Turning it around, it seems to me that use of a historical character is a > sign that the artist *wants* to play on, or take advantage of, our prior > knowledge of history. Otherwise, why choose a character that brings such > baggage? Unless the baggage itself is part of what the artist wants to > deal with or use to create an artistic effect. In which case it would > actually work *against* the artist's purposes for audience members to, as > it were, check their historical baggage at the door. What makes historical > characters worth using in a work of art is precisely the baggage and > associations they bring with them. You can't have it both ways: both using > those historical associations to create an artistic effect, and at the same > time ignoring those associations when they get in the way of what you're > trying to achieve. > > I also don't see how critiquing the artist's use of historical materials is > that much different than critiquing the animation. In both cases, what > you're critiquing is the artist's use of the materials he or she has chosen > to communicate the story. > > Let me turn this around another way. Why shouldn't I let my notions of > history influence how I view a work of art? When it comes to the realm of > my own reactions, I require a pretty powerful reason to decide that I'm > wrong to respond in the way I do. So what is that reason? What will I > gain from reacting the way Thom says I ought to react? > > Jonathan Langford > Speaking for myself, not the List > > jlangfor@pressenter.com > > > > > > > - > AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature > http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm > - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gerald G Enos Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Tyler Moulton Date: 31 Aug 2000 22:06:33 -0600 Tyler, I'm game. Any advice for us would be authors on submitting? At this piont I'd take a rejection letter because it would mean I was brave enough to actually submit some of my work. Konnie Enos ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gerald G Enos Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Cathy Wilson Date: 31 Aug 2000 22:11:41 -0600 Cathy, I'm interested in what you do. What information and advice can you give me? If it's not appropiate for the list, reply to kdenos@juno.net. Thanks. Konnie Enos [MOD: Generally speaking, I think it's appropriate to share information/advice on a wide range of editing and writing activities for the entire List. It's what we're here for, after all.] ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Paynecabin@aol.com Subject: [AML] Introductions: Marvin Payne Date: 01 Sep 2000 13:07:56 EDT Hi. Marvin Payne. I'm a 52-yr.-old father of six (another son due around Christmas time), grandfather of two, and currently husband of one (being the lovely Laurie Koralewski). In the last twenty-five years I've never really had an actual job. These days I'm primarily an actor, and my connection with Mormon Letters is that they come out of my mouth on stage and in films. But I also write a lot: plays (collaborator on "The Trail Of Dreams," "The Planemaker," "Wedlocked," to mention only those that are frequently produced) and musical adventures for children (collaborator on "Scripture Scouts," "The Allabouts," "Alexander's Amazing Adventures," and more). I'm a founding member of The Playwrights Circle, although rehearsals have kept me from recent meetings. I once had a career as a singer-songwriter and made a dozen albums. Every now and then I find myself with a guitar in front of an audience, and it's still fun. A surprise connection with Mormon Letters has been getting called upon, as an actor, to read Mormon books aloud for people to listen to in their cars or kitchens. My wife reads most of the romance novels for Covenant, and I've read lots of books for the major Utah publishers, most recently "Pillar Of Fire." I like the AML list a lot, for the thoughtfulness of its members, but also for their unflagging kindness. It feels good to be part of a network of respect. And honest reverence. Thank you all. It's fun at introduction time to find out where people physically are. The exotic distances are fun to discover, but it's also a kick to learn, for example, that Gae Lyn lives in Highland and hikes the Timp Cave trail. I live in a cabin in Alpine and ride a bike up there (just to the parking lot) three times a week. We may have seen each other there, without a trace of our Mormon Letters on. (Or maybe we return home entirely covered in them.) I love the church. I lead the ward choir and teach the elders quorum. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: [AML] AML Call for Papers? Date: 01 Sep 2000 10:43:15 -0600 (MDT) > Did a call for Papers for the February 2001 AML conference ever go out over the e-mail list? I vaugely remeber seeing something in the Irreantum magazine, but we deep-cleaned the apartment and now I can't find it. --Ivan Wolfe - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Rex Goode" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Rex Goode Date: 01 Sep 2000 17:13:18 EDT My name is Rex Goode. I'm a father of five magnificent children between the ages of fifteen and twenty-one. My wife is the former Barbara Helen Wade, who is not famous in the least, but then, neither am I. I'm infamous, but not famous. Barbara is one magnificent woman. It would take someone of her caliber to keep the interest of a man like me. We live in Gresham, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. By profession, I am a computer programming professional. I'm a young forty-five years old, but should look much older if you go by the mileage. My mileage comes from having lived a life that few can claim. I keep meaning to organize it into an autobiography, and keep getting encouragement from smart people to do so, but then I'm so busy living my ever-unfolding life that I don't seem to be able to get around to making one unified work out of it. I have talked about myself until I think people are sick of me, but then they keep asking. I've never been published in print, but have never really tried very hard. In terms of readership, I've been quite successful on the internet. Other than haunting a lot of LDS lists since 1991, my net credits include: 1. I had a long-standing web site with essays about my life that had almost 10,000 visitors. I've since integrated it to another web site mentioned below. 2. Some book reviews and articles for AML-List/AML-Mag, Harvest Magazine, and "Journey," the newsletter for Evergreen International--an organization devoted to helping Latter-day Saints who struggle with issues of homosexuality. 3. SpringsOfWater.com, where my essays about myself are posted, along with book reviews, poetry, and essays written by other people on topics of concern to LDS people. 4. A fan-fiction novel about the old television series, Dark Shadows. My novel, _Dark Redemption_, has resided in several places since I started posting it about four years ago. To date, it has been visited by over ten-thousand readers. I can't claim to know how many fans have read it, but I continue to get kudos from grateful readers. In addition to the above, I have spoken at firesides, bishops' training sessions, and regional welfare councils on the topic of homosexuality and sexual addiction. I've appeared on two Salt Lake area television news programs, looking like an axe murderer, as usual. I have a lot of fiction I've started and never finished, including a fantasy novel I wrote between the ages of sixteen and seventeen. I keep throwing it away and it keeps showing up in old boxes when we unpack after a move. It doesn't take many pages of reading it to know how old the author was when he wrote it. The grammar and writing isn't half bad, but I still needed some mileage before I could write what adults were thinking. LauraMaery Gold, in _Mormons on the Internet 2000_ lists me as a leader among same-sex attracted people who are striving to be faithful to the teachings of the Church, and I suppose that's somewhat accurate. I don't know how much of a leader I am. I have strong convictions regarding the necessity of following the prophets and apostles, my "orientation" notwithstanding. I promote that view whenever I can, without shame or apology (so don't ask for one). _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "R.W. Rasband" Subject: [AML] Wanted: LDS Approach to Walker Percy Date: 01 Sep 2000 22:42:45 GMT I have always wanted to read a book on Walker Percy written by an LDS critic. Percy was a great American writer who lived a colorful life. He was an M.D. who never practiced, a southern aristocrat, a Catholic convert, and an acclaimed novelist and philosopher who published his first book, "The Moviegoer" at age 45 and promptly won the National Book Award and praise for writing a classic. His first novels were conventionally naturalistic, but as he aged he got crankier, wrote science-fiction and satirical essays and drove his original supporters nuts by growing increasingly conservative. I like the later books, like "Love in the Ruins," "The Thanatos Syndrome," and the great self-help spoof "Lost in the Cosmos." I was surprised to run across an issue of the Brigham Young University-published journal "Literature and Belief" dedicated exclusively to Percy. It was sponsored by the Center for the Study of Christian Values in Literature in 1997, and guest editors were brought from other universities to assemble the volume. At first, I read excitedly but soon cooled off. The book reviews were too technical for me, however the essays were excellent--but familiar. Unless I'm missing something, they were all written by Catholic scholars and conservative Christians. I didn't see an LDS connection anywhere. Good, thought-provoking work, but I'd read stuff like it before about Percy. Where was the LDS perspective? For example, Percy was a big believer in the magisterium--the settled, traditional body of Catholic doctrine. He dismissed any attempt to go beyond it as "gnosticism" and "magic". His supporters use those very terms in these essays. So what about *revelation*, personal or for an entire people? Flannery O'Connor wrote a great story about it. Why didn't Percy get it? I understand the good uses of ecumenical outreach to scholars of other faiths, but I am still waiting for a Mormon critic to have a real go at old Walker. R.W. Rasband Heber City, UT rrasband@hotmail.com _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: AEParshall@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 01 Sep 2000 21:46:40 EDT I'll join Todd Robert Peterson in turning this discussion more specifically toward Mormon literature. History is important to Christians -- either Christ lived or he didn't; either he died and rose again or he didn't; either he was the Son of God or he wasn't. If Christianity had begun merely as an ethical association with philosophers suggesting and refining a code of conduct to be accepted by reasonable men, then history would be far less important. History is even more important to Mormons than to much of the rest of Christianity. On top of the events of 2000 years ago (and even farther back, of course), we have to consider the events of the 1820s and forward. Joseph Smith didn't arrive at some complex changes to traditional Christianity merely by studying the Bible and pondering, the way the founders of most Protestant sects did. He claimed, of course, to have participated in events that occurred in the physical world -- either he was visited by ancient apostles, prophets, and God Himself in person, many of whom laid their hands on his head and spoke to him in voices he heard with his natural ears, or he wasn't. Either there was a physical, tangible object we call the golden plates, or there wasn't. (And lest someone try to invent a middle ground, I'm lumping into the "it didn't really happen" category any explanation based on fraud, psychosis, symbolism, "a fragment of underdone potato" as Scrooge put it, or any other interior process.) For believing Mormons, to a great extent, our history is our theology. All discussion of the *meaning* of those events depends on acknowledging that those events literally happened. (There are a few on this list who openly dispute that, but my intent is to represent the stance of the most traditional, believing, faithful -- whatever you want to call us -- brand of Latter-day Saint, not to argue with the more idiosyncratic philosophers among us.) Since we take our history so literally and so seriously, fooling around with history in literature is risky. You may think you're up to the task, but unless you're talking only to yourself, you have to deal with the reaction of your audience. It's a legitimate reaction. Ardis Parshall AEParshall@aol.com - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "mjames_laurel" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Laurel S. Brady Date: 01 Sep 2000 22:01:09 -0600 Hi everyone: I'm Laurel S. Brady, married for 18 years to my best friend Jim, 45 years old (today coincidentally) and have eight children: four boys, four girls, four adopted, four bio, five caucasian, three African American. My oldest is seventeen, (the world's worst driver,) followed by a fifteen year old, thirteen year old, two twelve year olds, two two year olds, and an 8 month old baby girl who is the most beautiful child on the face of the earth bar none. She is our very precious and very unexpected caboose--we first became aware of her impending birth the day before Thanksgiving, and brought her home in January. I grew up in Vermont, came to BYU where I did NOT meet my husband. After majoring in Law Enforcement and English, I ran out of money three classes shy of graduating and began working as a 911 dispatcher because I liked the idea of telling the cops what to do. I got married, finally graduated from BYU about eight years late, and about eight years after that, got serious about writing again. My first novel was released Thursday by HarperCollins, and will be followed by at least two more, including one which will be set here in Utah and be rather Mormon. I also will be writing for the LDS market (thank you Richard!) and should have a couple of books published by Cornerstone and out by Christmas. I write mostly historical fiction for children (middle grade), but Cornerstone will be publishing my first adult novel next year. As for how I spend my free time, most of it is here at the computer, but I also like photography, camping, anything on or near water, and running. I enjoy the list very much, although I'm rather intimidated by the intellectual capacities and accomplishments of practically all of you. It is a real joy, however, to observe and sometimes participate in conversations with such good and gifted people. It's been great fun to meet a few of you in person, and discover how much common ground we already share. I'm looking forward to someday meeting all of you, and fully enjoying your company here in the meantime. Laurel - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Katrina Duvalois" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Katrina Duvalois Date: 01 Sep 2000 23:51:43 -0700 Greetings Listers, I've been on the list for almost a year now and have done just a teensy bit more than lurk so I thought I might introduce myself. My name is Katrina Duvalois. I live in Palmdale, CA (that's north of Los Angeles in the High Desert aka Mojave Desert--not Palm Springs). I am married, have four children two girls 7, 5, and two boys 3 1/2, 2. I have been creatively writing since grade school when I started my first romance novel (it's a hoot to read now!). I am currently pursuing an English degree through a local university and hope to get an M.A. someday--I would like to teach at the Jr. College level or be an editor (I yearn for Chris Bigelow's job or Tyler Moulton's). I have recently decided to write more and take my goal of being a writer more seriously. I was lucky enough to travel on Study Abroad (London) in 1986 and then serve a mission to Japan from 1986-1988. I mostly write fluffy romance--which I'm trying to make better. And have recently tried writing short stories that have more mainstream appeal. I want to be published, that is my dream. I came close a year or so ago when I presented an idea to Deseret and they requested my manuscript (of a nearly completed LDS Y/A romance) but was rejected. It is currently being re-written--it's amazing how awful I think it was now, so I must be getting better. This list gets me thinking and i have really enjoyed the issues of Irreantum I have received. You all inspire me and help me identify my market. Thank you, Katrina Duvalois - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: AEParshall@aol.com Subject: [AML] Introductions: Ardis E. Parshall Date: 02 Sep 2000 09:30:08 EDT I'm Ardis Parshall (that's a feminine name; Ardis means "burning", same Latin root as ardent and arson). I live in Orem, Utah, after growing up in various places around the country, mostly Las Vegas, where my family still lives. Jason, any Parshalls in your classes are brothers and nieces -- be nice and don't blame them for my argumentativeness. I left Las Vegas after it tripled in size during my mission to Geneva, Switzerland. Most of my time there was spent in France -- anyone else fascinated by the number of listers who served French-speaking missions? I grew up devouring fiction, including Mormon fiction when that modern market finally developed. For the past 20 years, though, I have been more interested in history. I hang out with AML because there isn't a comparable list that focuses on history and I like to be around bookish people at least. Local (community and family) history is of more interest to me than grand sweeps of history. I see history as the mosaic of all the lives participating in it. Communities have lives of their own, as do societies and nations, but it is more interesting, more difficult, and easier all at the same time to search out the traces of individual lives and communities than to make the impersonal generalizations necessary for wider societies. I focus on Utah people and events because those records (and old people, geography, and physical artefacts) are most available to me -- if I had settled in Colorado or Connecticut or Timbuktu, my emphasis would be different but just as fascinating. I manage to stay busy and mostly employed working at history as an independent, although to be profitable I have to do anything related to history that comes my way, including clerical services, research for other historians, and genealogical assignments. That's okay -- genealogists and historians have tended to be entirely separate (and mutually suspicious) groups for generations, and I find that using the tools of one to work on the other produces results that startle both groups. "How'd you think to look THERE?!" is a frequently-heard comment. I haven't participated on AML much recently, mostly because I've been around so long that the same conversations have cycled through the list so many times that there doesn't seem to be anything new to say. But that's okay too -- the same questions engage new members precisely because they are just as important today as they were when they came up the first or third or fifteenth times. Ardis Parshall AEParshall@aol.com - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Dorothy Peterson" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Dorothy Peterson Date: 02 Sep 2000 08:08:23 -0700 After having enjoyed the list's responses to the introductions request this morning (I saved them all week for a time when I could read them in detail), I'm happy to add my own, although I am humbled at the prospect. My personal history sounds a lot like most of those I've read on the list today. I am married to my best friend and a great support to my writing efforts (school would not have been possible without him), Dennis Peterson. We have five children, all grown and all successful happy adults (the youngest two are still in college). That being so I have voluntarily retired from my chosen career as "professional mother" and am entering another, that of writing. I am relatively new to Mormon Letters, my first novel (CHOICES) having been published by Bookcraft in 1988. Since then I returned to school and got my MFA in creative writing along with an MA in English Lit at Chapman University in Orange, Calif graduating in 1994. I am still learning and take every opportunity to do so. I have enjoyed researching Mormon Literature as a study on my own (I wish I lived in Utah Valley and could take the course at BYU), and am just beginning to understand its importance in Mormon life and culture. It is very exciting to be a part of a movement that is really in its infancy. My publishing credits list is not a long one. "The House," a short story that earned an Honorable Mention at the Mormon Arts Festival last year, will be published in IRREANTUM this month, and a scholarly work titled "Death, Degeneration, and Addie Bundren's Christ" will be published sometime this year (I think--the date has been delayed from the original plan) in BYU's LITERATURE AND BELIEFS COLLOQUIA, 1995-99. I have one significant "unpublished" work that earned me honors at graduation from Chapman and also recently won a First Honorable Mention in the Marilyn Brown Unpublished Novel Contest sponsored by the AML. I am currently trying to get it published in the national market after having exhausted all the possibilities in Mormon publishing. Dorothy W. Peterson _______________ Dorothy W. Peterson http://www.lds-index.org dorothy@lds-index.org Read Dorothy's Novel at: http://www.lds-index.org/windows/windows.htm - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jeff Needle Subject: [AML] ALLEN, _Love Beyond Time_ (Review) Date: 01 Sep 2000 20:34:44 -0700 Review ====== Nancy Campbell Allen, "Love Beyond Time" (c) 1999, Nancy Campbell Allen Published by Covenant Communications, paperback, 196 pages, $12.95 Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle This is Ms. Allen's first novel, and it is a nice effort to present a unique storyline. The lives of Amber Sexton, M.D. and Tyler Montgomery, CPA, are thrown together when Tyler is attacked in his office and rushed to the hospital where Amber practices. Tyler has been shot and must be treated immediately if he is to live. When Amber is "accidentally" hit in the head by an opening door, they both wake up to find themselves planted right in the middle of the American Civil War! It takes them both a few minutes to figure out that they have travelled back in time. The big questions: how did it happen, and *why* did it happen? Finding themselves inside a Union medical unit, they both put their skills to work just to survive, while all the while having to disguise their real identities. After all, who would believe them? As the relationship between Amber and Tyler grows, we learn that Amber is a faithful Latter-day Saint. Tyler has LDS roots, too, but they aren't obvious. The religious, and sexual, tension between the two is thick, as they fall in love in a strange place and in a strange time. The purpose for this time-travel becomes clear as the story comes to an end; naturally, I won't discuss it in this review. "Love Beyond Time" is peppered with both nasty and nice characters. Allen did some nice research into Civil War times to make the characters believable and credible. Scenes of battle-wounded soldiers, some still boys, are especially vivid Clearly, the theology of conversion and testimony is at the heart of this book, rather than any consideration of the metaphysics of time-travel. And how would such a subject be treated? For example, if Amber and Tyler were substantially present in the mid-19th century as well as the close of the 20th century, at what point did their pre-mortal spirits descend to earth? And does a general philosophy of history allow us to accept history as a vaguery subject to the retrospective acts of ordinary people? One must simply avoid asking such questions in order to enjoy this kind of book. "Love Beyond Time" was a pleasant, easy read. I'm guessing that young adults will enjoy this book, as well as anyone willing to suspend disbelief long enough to read a nice story. --------------- Jeff Needle jeff.needle@general.com - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jason Steed" Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Tom Matkin Date: 02 Sep 2000 16:56:30 PDT Tom, My wife's mother is a Dudley from Magrath (spelling?). I've been up your way a couple times on family trips, to visit the Dudley clan. Pretty country...Waterton is gorgeous... Jason _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jason Steed" Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Rex Goode Date: 02 Sep 2000 17:12:43 PDT Hey, another Oregonian! Good, good. I was fortunate enough to spend a few weeks back home this summer--man, do I miss it! Sorry, just writing from a fit of jealousy... Jason _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] MN Braving the Elements for Their Faith: Deseret Book Press Release Date: 02 Sep 2000 13:51:37 EDT Release 30Aug00 A4 [From Mormon-News] Braving the Elements for Their Faith SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- Between 1840 and 1890, more than 40,000 Europeans under the age of 21, all converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, left their homelands and traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to America, sailing to Zion. Their journeys ranged from seven weeks long to just over three weeks, as ships became faster and more efficient. Many children left their parents behind, traveling instead with trusted neighbors or missionaries until the rest of their families could afford to join them. The accounts of many of these young pioneers are told in I Sailed to Zion : True Stories of Young Pioneers who Crossed the Ocean (Deseret Book, $17.95), a wonderful collection of stories kept for generations in journals or through personal writings. Collaborating on this collection, authors Susan Arrington Madsen and Fred E. Woods let these stories unfold through the very words of those who experienced them. "I remember standing still, holding on to the railing as the boat glided out into the wide, soft darkness," one young Danish emigrant recorded. "I stood my ground without a tear until I saw a sweet, tear-stained face come into view. It was my mother. As she squeezed through the crowds, the heat and confusion almost overcame me." Despite seasickness, dehydration, and a myriad of diseases such as smallpox, these faithful Latter-day Saints continued their pilgrimage to America. Of the over 40,000 Saints who braved the elements, nearly 700 died and were buried at sea. Yet in an era when many ocean-going vessels were shipwrecked, only one LDS immigrant ship was lost at sea; that in the Pacific. By contrast, in the seven-year period between 1847 and1853, 59 non-LDS immigrant ships were lost in the Atlantic. I Sailed to Zion captures the emotions these young pioneers felt and shared as they endured their journeys, the endless days made bearable by playing checkers or tag, or by dancing or singing; and the restless nights made difficult by the volatility of the seas. Even once the ships reached America and the Saints came ashore in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, or New Orleans, their journeys were only half-completed, as they headed West to Utah or to other Mormon settlements in the Midwest. Before each chapter, commentary by Madsen and Woods helps to illustrate the sacrifices these young people and their families made as they exercised their great faith. Whether alone or with family, these pioneers were motivated by the quiet burnings of the Spirit whispering that their beliefs, and their goals to join fellow Latter-day Saints, would be sustained. ### About the Authors: Susan Arrington Madsen is the author of several books, including the best selling I Walked to Zion: True Stories of Young Pioneers on the Mormon Trail and Growing Up in Zion: True Stories of Young Pioneers Building the Kingdom. She and her husband, Dean, are parents of four daughters and live in Hyde Park, Utah. Fred E. Woods is an associate professor of LDS Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University. He has done extensive research on early Mormon maritime immigration. He and his wife, JoAnna, have five children and live in Provo, Utah. See also: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573456519/mormonnews More about "I Sailed to Zion: True Stories of Young Pioneers Who Crossed the Ocean" at Amazon.com >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ Send join and remove commands to: majordomo@MormonsToday.com Put appropriate commands in body of the message: To join: subscribe mormon-news To leave: unsubscribe mormon-news To join digest: subscribe mormon-news-digest - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "J. Scott Bronson" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Scott Bronson Date: 03 Sep 2000 15:22:40 -0600 Hello, my name is Scott Bronson, and I'm a bibliaholic. I discovered this fact fairly early in life at an elementary school in San Diego. My first two and a half years of school took place at a school in a not-so-well-to-do neighborhood and so my education was substantially behind the times when we moved (midway through second grade) to an almost-well-to-do neighborhood ("Oh no, rest assured that all of the schools in the district get the same attention and treatment as every other school regardless of the mean income or race of the families tied to each school." Yeah, right.). I did so poorly at the new school that at the beginning of third grade I was put into a special class. Within a few weeks I was so far ahead of the rest of the class that I spent most of my time sitting at my desk reading. So, they put me back up with the not-so-special kids. I've been a rabid reader ever since. By the time I made it to junior high I had pretty much limited the focus of my reading to science fiction. My parents thought this was the reason my grades weren't so hot so they barred me from reading any SF during the Summer break between eighth and ninth grades. That was the Summer that I found Michener and C. S. Lewis. -=96 Time Warp -- I am forty-two now and I live in Orem, Utah with my wife of fourteen years, Lynne Davis, and our five children: Joel (13), Paige (11), Michael (9), Christopher (6), and Rachel who will be four on Christmas day. I majored in theatre at BYU for four years although I did not get my degree from that institution. Combining credits received from San Diego Mesa College, Brigham Young University and Utah Valley Community College I was able to graduate from the Regents College of the University of the State of New York. Here is what I've learned that having a diploma gets you; something to hang on your wall. Of course, getting a diploma is not what I went to school for. Going to school, off and on, for all those years got me a fine education, some wisdom, a little insight, a lot of friends, a wife, and a modicum of debt. When I was in junior high I had decided that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, but when the results came in on some aptitude test that all us eighth graders had been forced to take, I was told that my disposition was more suited to sorting bricks. Well, I must confess that I am a bit obsessive compulsive and I could be perfectly happy sorting bricks for the rest of my life except for three things. First; brick-sorting doesn't pay enough to raise a family. Second; the kind of bosses you get in brick-sorting jobs are grouchy, unreasonable control freaks who only wish they could sort bricks as well as I do. And, thirdly, I must write. Or act. Or direct. Writing, acting, directing, playing with my kids and going on dates with my wife are the times when I feel most alive -- and are the only times that I feel aren't lost to the void. I have written -- and seen produced or published -- several plays; I have written, and seen published, some fiction; I've directed a few plays; and I've acted in a few things. Lists are available upon demand. I enjoy a great many things about life on this planet -- the ocean (where it meets La Jolla Cove in particular); mountains (one Timpanogos in particular); trees (the deciduous of Provo Canyon and the eucalyptus of San Diego in particular); deserts (Mojave); and sunsets and sunrises (I've seen some good ones in Georgia, Utah, California and Indonesia.) I love listening to music; everything from jazz, blues, rock, pop, classical and just about anything except most country and absolutely no polka. I love movies. "Glory" continues to move and inspire me like few others have. My dream is to have my own theatre where I can produce plays written by me and my friends. Well, this is more than you wanted to know. I'll shut up now. J. Scott Bronson--The Scotted Line "World peace begins in my home" We are not the acolytes of an abstruse god. =20 We are here to entertain--Keith Lockhart - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: John Bennion Subject: [AML] Introductions: John Bennion Date: 03 Sep 2000 19:05:02 -0600 This recent spate of introductions prompted me to stop lurking and participate. I'm John Bennion and teach creative writing, British novel, Mormon Lit., and Thomas Hardy at BYU. I teach a creative writing class called Wilderness Writing where Burton Olsen and I take students backpacking and then they write about their experiences. I've published short stories in the local Mormon presses and a collection, _Breeding Leah_ . The title story is about a couple's failed attempt to raise pigs and is quite autobiographical. I graduated from Utah State, BYU, and University of Houston. I was president of the AML last year (and this year the AML is recovering from the my damage). I love basketball, building fence, and backpacking. I live in Springville with Karla, a mystery-writing psychologist, and four of our children. My news (shameless plug) is that my novel _Falling Toward Heaven_ will be out toward the end of next month from Signature Books. The story concerns a missionary to Houston who on the last day of his mission falls off the celibacy wagon with a contact. They try to make a marriage out of the mishap, but she wants to go to Anchorage where she has a job and he want's to go back to Utah. I'm excited that the cover will probably be a painting by Trevor Southey. ________________ Professor John Bennion 3117 JKHB English Department Brigham Young University Provo, UT 84602-6280 Tel: (801) 378-3419 Fax: (801) 378-4705 - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "mcnandon" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Nan Parkinson McCulloch Date: 16 Aug 2000 19:43:00 -0600 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C007BA.2FBB7620 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit My name is Nan Parkinson McCulloch and when I moved to Draper from Texas 5 years ago I had absolutely no interest in Mormon literature. I have read _Dialogue_ for years and had interest in anything written about Mormons (_Angels in America_, _Two-Headed_, etc.), but had no idea that Mormon writers were turning out such good stuff. Since joining the list, I am discovering that there are some darn good Mormon writers out there and I have especially liked the plays I have seen by Eric, Thom and Margaret. I was born in Franklin, Idaho and attended BYU, Utah State and Weber State. I lived 10 years in California and 25 years in Texas with intermittent stints in Utah and Idaho. I have written several children's books, one self-published and one contract that *bit the dust* when some of the big book houses didn't pay their bills. I like writing essays and want to do more of that. I am 65 years old and have four interesting, successful children. My husband has four wonderful children, as well, and together we have 30 grandchildren. My husband Don and I have a wonderful life together and are wildly compatible ( just to let you know that if you keep trying, you can finally get it right). We do lots of foreign travel and oftimes when we return I have in excess of 400 e-mails from the list waiting for me. I have been performing since I was 10 years old. I do music, choreography and am an actor currently playing Mrs. Higgins in _My Fair Lady_ at Hale Center Theater Orem. I am single-cast and the play runs through September (that means 7 performances per week). Check out www.halecentretheatre.com. I love ideas and have a passion for creative thinkers, both of which I find on the list. 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Others don't share our theology, nor do they share our history; IOW, the way we construct history differs from the way it is constructed by others, and this has an effect on the construction of our/their reality (which would include ideology, theology, etc.). Granted, as LDS we believe (and I do not swerve from this belief) that we know, or at least are able to know, some bits and pieces of Absolute Truth (i.e. "what really happened"). That is, we believe there are meanings and significances to certain historical events or sequences of events that we believe are Absolutely True and not subject to perspective. We believe that there IS an Absolute. But what that Absolute is, its complexity, its multifaceted nature, etc.--even as LDS we have to admit that we don't have a corner on this. We are still limited to our very human (thus very limited and imperfect) perspectives, and our tellings of history (though they be LDS) are still limited by our humanness. So, it seems to me that we must acknowledge that history--even the LDS version (I should say "versions", as there are many even within the Church) of history--is still a constructed thing; any given version may include bits and pieces of, angles or variations on, "what really happened." Again, if this were not the case, then someone ought to be able to simply say "this is 'what really happened'" and be done with it. There would be no arguing the matter. Jason _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Quinn Warnick" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Quinn Warnick Date: 04 Sep 2000 17:05:40 -0400 I am mostly a lurker, but I thought I would introduce myself in case I decide to post in the future. I've started a few threads in the past year or so, but no one seems to be interested in the topics I bring up, so I spend most of my AML-List time on the sidelines. I am 24 years old, a recent graduate of BYU, and currently employed by the federal government in Washington, D.C. My wife and I got married about a year ago, and we are loving our first time on the east coast. My connection to Mormon literature: I was heavily involved in student publishing while at BYU, working on the staff of _Inscape_ for over two years. I also helped found the student editors forum at BYU (which may be defunct by now) and helped plan and promote the first AML Writers' Conference last fall. I took several classes from John Bennion, who roped me into volunteering for AML events and fueled my interest in Mormon literature. I am currently the editor of _The White Shoe Irregular_, an online journal of literature and humor (located at http://www.whiteshoe.org) that I created a few months ago. It's a part-time venture (although, much more full-time than I initially imagined), but we've had a great response in our first month or so of being online. While the site is aiming for a broad audience, many of the people who have written for us thus far are BYU alumni (including AML-List curmudgeon Eric Snider). I hope to one day return to editing and publishing as a full-time job, but for the time being, I'll keep lurking... Quinn Warnick - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: [AML] Introductions: Harlow Soderborg Clark Date: 05 Sep 2000 18:19:22 -0700 Eighty years ago today, September 5, 1920, in East Jordan Michigan Abigail Jane Willis and her husband, Elmer Floyd Matthews, had a new baby daughter they named Elethia June. In 1930 Abigail took her three daughters to Idaho as a mail-order bride for Guy Thompson. In 1936 or early 1937 Elethia met schoolmate Viola Lee's father, Bert. "Well, Viola, don't you know this is going to be your new mother?" It was one of those jokes that proved true. Abigail said, "I won't give my consent, but I'll lie your age." The couple had 8 children, and settled in Challis, Idaho in 1950 a year before their 6th child, Donna, was born. (Donna remembers one Veteran's Day where the teacher asked if anyone knew a WWI veteran. "My father," she said. "Your grandfather, you mean?") Her oldest son, LeRoy, moved Elethia to Orofino in northern Idaho in about 1980. Donna left Challis around the same time, moved around with her sister Marie and family for a time then went on a mission in her mid-thirties. Shortly after returning she went to a single adult dance in Olympia WA with her sister Bonnie and met a writer nearing the end of a year off from grad school at the UW. She promptly forgot about him as her mission president called her bishop and told him to get her gall-bladder out so the mission could pay for it and close its accounts on the issue. (She wasn't sent home early, but because it became evident in the mission field that she needed the gall bladder out Pres. Bacon gave her the option to wait till she got home.) A few months later when she went back to the dances she asked (she thought) the Olympia SA rep (she was her stake rep at the time) to dance. It turned out to be the writer, who asked her on Valentine's Day to marry him, then said, a few years later, "I don't understand why Valentine's Day is so special to you." The two were married on Elethia's birthday in 1987 (June 22, Elethia and Bert's anniversary, was on a Monday so temples were closed--long wait for a sentimental date) honeymooning in Yellowstone the year before it burned. For a long time after moving to Utah they tried to get Elethia to come live with them, where she could get good health care, and finally succeeded. In August 1997--there goes the 10th anniversary trip to Yellowstone--during a brief respite in Elethia's illnesses her home teacher and his wife made a bed in back of their van and drove her 8 or 900 miles to Pleasant Grove, Utah. Marie's husband Joe drove a truckload of her things down, and their daughter Sarah, just out of high school, came along to help care for Grandma. She was there for 2 years until she went on a mission to Ohio. During the hot dry summer of 2000 Elethia's health worsened dramatically after she fell and broke her arm, adding another pain besides her rotting feet and two sores on her backside tunneling toward each other. "Oh, Harlow," she would moan when he was trying to get her on or off the potty seat. She found it more and more difficult to walk the few steps from her recliner to her bed--"Move your left foot, Mom. Now move your right foot." "Mom, don't buckle on me. I need you to stand. You stand for your workers." "Don't say that to me, Harlow." Finally everyone used the wheelchair to move her even a few steps. She held on despite her tremendous pain. Her home health aids told Donna she needed to tell her mother it was ok to go home. How? "Mom, do you think it might be time to go home?" "It's been time for a long time." Donna asked the family's next door neighbor (from stake pres'y) to bless her mother with release. (Donna had asked her husband to do the same in March, but the best he could do was to tell Elethia her life was acceptable, and if she wanted to return home she could, and if she wanted to stay that was acceptable.) He came over Monday evening, August 21, with the family's home teacher. He said there were several wills involved here, the family's righteous desires not to see her suffer, Father's, and her own desires. Her son-in-law anointed and President Robins blessed her to know peace, the love the Lord has for her, to know the Lord's will for her, and to conform herself to that will. Shortly after that Marie and Joe arrived and alternated sitting up with her holding her hand the next few nights. Sometime between then and the next morning she had a stroke. The family thought she would die Tuesday night, and stopped giving her oxygen, but she kept going. "She didn't want a pacemaker," Donna said, "but I convinced her to have one put in." She finally gave up, or let herself go, or whatever it was she did, at 9 a.m. Friday August 25 just before Donna and Matthew returned from the last day of water aerobics ("She must have known I couldn't take it if I was home when she went"), and Donna's husband was in the bathroom. Olpin Mortuary hurried to get a transport permit and finish other details and on Sunday afternoon two Windstars left Pleasant Grove for Challis. One carried Donna and Matthew, Marie and Betty and Jennifer, and Betty's new baby, Rayna. Harlow, Joe and Elethia rode in the other. The group arrived in Challis around 1 a.m., having passed through the Arco desert, which, coming back looked like sand dunes, everything else having burned off in the worst fire season since Donna was born. There's more, but it will wait for an essay to be called "Letting Go," which begins like this: Imagine a person who can't do anything for herself, feed, bathe, clothe, wipe herself, is unsteady on her feet. We call such a person a baby. Now imagine this baby weighs as much as your husband, taught you how to walk, used to wipe and diaper you, clothed, bathed, fed you, indeed brought you out of her body. Harlow Soderborg Clark ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 05 Sep 2000 16:27:17 -0600 I'd like to extend this discussion a bit. One of my favorite romantic theorists was Schiller, and he once wrote a = terrific book about his own relationship with Goethe, in which he talked = about their relative abilities to capture, in fiction, the 'supersensuous.'= What he meant by 'the supersensuous' is really quite difficult to pin = down, but it means a connection to a kind of spiritual essence that is = best discovered by contemplating nature, some mysterious ineffable = something that is discernable by, but ultimately lies beyond the world we = can touch and taste and smell. Anyway, both he and Goethe were trying to = capture and describe and communicate the supersensuous in their work, only = Goethe was so much closer to it in his own life that he didn't have to = work very hard at it, while Schiller had to work like the very dickens to = capture something that came quite easily to his friend. But both of them = were striving for something that they would never succeed in capturing or = realizing; the idea is that you get as close as you can, while always = falling short. This seems to be a very Mormon idea. We do this in many walks of = life--spend our days striving for an almost undefinable perfection, = knowing we'll always fall short of it, but knowing that there is a kind of = virtue in striving. That's certainly how I feel about writing--I'm trying = to use words to say something, to communicate something, to convey an = impression of life or truth, and I'm aware of how woefully inadequate my = powers of expression are. But I keep trying nonetheless. Isn't that what we historians are trying to do? We know that our source = documents are inadequate, and that the past is unknowable, and that our = interpretations are biased. We know that we'll never know 'what really = happened.' We just want to get as close as we can. So historians spent a lot of time talking about American history, for = example, by focusing on the deeds of Presidents and politicians, while = promoting the myth that America was the greatest country ever, a bastion = of freedom and so on. Later historians chose to include the histories of = women, slaves and native Americans, and inevitably came up with a picture = that wasn't anywhere near as rosy. But both are in the same business; = trying to use a finite number of sources to discover what the truth was. = All histories are inadequate, of course, and some are also inaccurate. = But we're still trying to figure out what really happened. We will always = fail, but that's also okay, because the effort is itself valuable. I was thinking about this in relation to a float I saw in the Provo 4th of = July parade. It was a float based on a painting one sees from time to = time, in which we see George Washington kneeling in prayer next to his = horse, against a backdrop of the camp at Valley Forge.=20 Now, I cannot say that that never happened. I can't say for an absolute = fact that George Washington never knelt in prayer at Valley Forge; it's = just not possible to prove that kind of negative. But I can say that = George Washington left behind a considerable number of written documents = that amply describe his religious opinions. He did not believe in the = efficacy of personal prayer. He was, in fact, a Deist. He believed that = God, if He existed, created the world and then left it alone. There is no = record of him ever praying, anywhere, anytime. So I can say that no = evidence exists to support the idea that he prayed, and that considerable = evidence supports the idea that he never did. =20 Now, in Mormon culture, we want to believe that our Founding Fathers were = all righteous men, deeply religious and devout, who founded our nation on = religious principles. But in saying that they weren't, for the most part, = religious at all, I'm not saying "I choose that narrative because it suits = me, based on my own cultural biases." I'm saying that the facts don't = support one conclusion and do support another one. I'm interpreting those = facts, based on my own time and place. But I'm trying to do so with as = much integrity as I can muster, based on reading every particle of = evidence I can find. And so I conclude that that well-intentioned July = 4th float promoted a falsehood, and that the 'truth' is far more interestin= g. If we consider 18th century religion, we must conclude that we, as = Mormons, are far better off because our country was founded by a bunch of = secular humanists, and that a country founded by genuinely religious = people in the 1770's would not have provided constitutionally for the = freedom of religion necessary for our church to have survived. (We almost = didn't survive as it was.) =20 Of course, we don't know what really happened. But historians have an = itch to figure out what really happened, and often come pretty close. = That's all I'm saying. =20 I also believe that writers of fiction have a similar obligation. Tell = the story as honestly as you can. Come close to getting it right. Get = the facts right. And the result, I predict, will be better fiction, more = interesting, because more complex, fiction. Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Todd Robert Petersen" (by way of Jonathan Langford ) Subject: [AML] Moral Issues in Art (was: History and Fiction) Date: 06 Sep 2000 09:35:18 -0500 D. Michael Martindale wrote: > I agree that choosing a historical character brings consequences. But > they are artistic consequences, not moral ones. Some of us are trying to > argue that artists _shouldn't_ write historical fiction unless they plan > on being as accurate to the history as possible. This is casting the > issue in a moral light. > > But it's really only an artistic issue. Why do morality and art have to be split at all? It occurs to me that LDS people in particular ought to shudder at such a division, particulaly since scripture tells us that all things are spiritual (and thus, I assert, moral) to God. Our writing is certainly moral to Him, even if it doesn't seem like it is to us. In God's frame of reference, we can not make amoral choices (as opposed to immoral). To split art and morality is to make a bourgeois choice, one that can really only come about when the perception is that there is nothing to fight for or believe in. When art is emptied of its moral content and duties, I get nervous. It becomes art for art's sake, which is the point of alienation for lots of people. For me it is a point where I can't relly justify the time I put into it. Without some social function and the "risk" of didacticism, I feel like I'm frittering my time with mere diversions. I know that this tends to worry people who don't like didacticism, but to call something didactic is actually to position oneself against it more than it is a claim about the work itself. One must say, "I am above the lesson, more refined than the lesson being given here" in order to claim it as didactic, which is a particularly venomous breed of pride. Granted, some works are simply beautiful or grotestque or whatever. But The Pieta is beautiful AND didactic. It teaches us about Christ. Some people don't like it for that reason, even though it is a magnificent sculpture. This is beause they say that such messages are too loudly presented, not subtle enough, they interfere with the art, etc. Well, Eliot's THE WASTE LAND is didactic in another way. It is teaching about the fragmentation of what people thought was a grand and unified culture. Dada was bizzaro didactic. Didactic in its refusal to participate in didactisim. Punk rock is didactic in it refual to submit to authority, even to the authority of tuning your guitar. Now degree is another matter entirely. Some things, like bad landscape paintings are less didactic than say, the illustrations in religious tracts. Still a postition is being taken. I guess what I'm saying is that everyone takes a political position, even if they think they aren't. And taking a position is a kind of didacticism. Helene Cixous says that when someone announces that they have no politics they're just saying that they are just submitting to somebody else's. That's true. The gospel teaches us that there is no neutrality, not in the pre-existence and not here. That would go for art as well, I should think. For example, if some children in America are going hungry, and you chose to write poems about the sunset rather than figure out some way to relieve their poverty, then you are making a political/ethical--even a moral choice in some ways. To defend that "right" to turn away from social problems in order to pursue art is to begin a kind of didactic stance. To position oneself as an artist is to do the same thing in a different way. To pursue art as a Christian has always been a kind of schizoid behavior. It bothered Donne a great deal. The question becomes, "How can I praise God with my art when the people checking it our end up praising me, the artist and not you, God?" The ideal of consecration requires LDS people to dedicate our time and talents to the building up of the kingdom. We who are committed to the idea of Zion should be trembling a little as we write, wondering if we are living up to it. At any rate, I worry about that all the time. This is a moral position. An hour painting sunflowers or an hour ministering to the sick? What would Jesus do? So if nothing is neutral or free of politics, then everything is taking a position and therefore is acting in a didactic way on some level, even if it is a very quiet dadacticism. Also, everything is moral, since nothing can be neutral. Oh dear, I've drifted. I'll end saying this: didactic is not the same thing as dogmatic. -- Todd Robert Petersen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric D. Snider" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Eric Snider Date: 05 Sep 2000 22:25:36 -0700 Hi. I'm another on this list (the venerable and mighty Eric Samuelsen being one, Eric Dixon being another, and possibly more being others), Eric D. Snider. I'm a 1999 BYU graduate with a degree in journalism, and I'm currently Features Editor at The Daily Herald in Provo. In addition to my feature-editing duties, I write theater and film reviews, as well as a weekly humor column called "Snide Remarks." (I also wrote this column for the BYU paper when I was there, and self-published two compilations of columns, the first of which, I'm proud to say, was the BYU Bookstore's number-one bestseller for the year 1998 -- and it didn't even come out until July of that year. And that's all the boasting you'll hear from me.) I also write a movie-humor column called "In the Dark" for list-member Quinn Warnick's White Shoe Irregular ( http://www.whiteshoe.org ) Web site. I founded The Garrens Comedy Troupe, which has performed sketches and improvisations every week at BYU since January 1993, and of which I am currently director and head writer. Let's see, what else. I'm single, I'm originally from Lake Elsinore Calif., and I enjoy music, theater, movies and eating. My connection with Mormon letters is that "Snide Remarks," being written first for BYU and now for Utah County, often addresses Mormon culture. The Garrens Comedy Troupe, too, while not a "literary" endeavor, nonetheless often involves Mormon-related writing in the form of parody and good-natured ribbing. (We recently watched "Johnny Lingo" during a show and heckled it, scripted, "Mystery Science Theater"-style.) I've met several list members, and hope to meet more someday in a non-e-mail setting. Eric D. Snider -- *************************************************** Eric D. Snider www.ericdsnider.com "Filling all your Eric D. Snider needs since 1974." - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Paynecabin@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 06 Sep 2000 12:17:18 EDT Eric wrote << I can't say for an absolute fact that George Washington never knelt in prayer at Valley Forge; it's just not possible to prove that kind of negative. >> Forgive me for intruding on this thread, but Eric's observation reminded me of the beloved story of Benjamin Franklin standing up (with difficulty, he was lame) in a difficult moment at the constitutional convention and imploring his brethren to pray a way out of their difficulties. He observed that during deliberations in that very room, years earlier, about declaring independence, they had prayed often, but not once during this convention had they sought the guidance of "the Father of Light." So far, so good. What's never told is the next part of the story. One delegate was quick to suggest that if the people in the street saw a clergyman hurrying into the convention, rumors would spread that the delegates were in trouble. Another delegate pointed out that there was no need discussing it anyway, because there was nothing provided in the budget wherewith to pay a clergyman. On to other business. Many sober historians, and even many of the delegates themselves, looked back on the success of the convention, which at many points nearly self-destructed (self-destroyed?), as "a miracle." But it's not evident that anyone asked for one. Or knew Whom in particular to thank. Marvin Payne - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jason Steed" Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 06 Sep 2000 09:32:45 PDT I agree very much with what Eric (via his post mentioning Schiller) is saying. Finally. We agree. :) Jason _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Andrew Piereder" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Andy Piereder Date: 06 Sep 2000 11:36:46 -0700 I haven't been active on the list recently, but enjoy reading it. I'm Andy Piereder currently living in Lehi, UT, but formerly from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. I grew up in Montreal, Quebec. I am 41 years old, married to Donna with three children Mickey-12, Leia-15 and Dan-17. I served in the Belgium Brussels mission and am that mission's site owner. I attended Rick's College (where I met bunny) and Brigham Young. I demonstrated interest and talent for writing even as a boy, but my parents being immensely practical people from working class backgrounds in Europe, encouraged a more technical elan. I have worked in various engineering and technical marketing capacities in my own businesses and for others over the course of my career. I currently own my own distribution and systems integration business in East Lehi. Some years ago it began to dawn on me that I was a literary soul trapped in a businessman/engineer. My literary resume is comprised of articles I have written for technical journals, but I am actively experimenting with less prosaic forms. Unlike Thom Duncan though, I am even nastier in person... Andy P. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 06 Sep 2000 12:43:19 -0600 "Eric R. Samuelsen" wrote: > Get the facts right. And the result, I predict, will be better fiction, more interesting, > because more complex, fiction. I'm going to jump in once again with my disagreement about "getting the facts" right. I just finished re-reading Peter Shaffer's _Amadeus_. The very turning point of the play is an incident that never happened in history. Salieri didn't dress up like Mozart's dream-father and scare him to death, as happens in the play. Salieri DID confess in his old age that he had poisoned Mozart, but no one ever believed him. (And that scene IS in the play). So why didn't Shaffer stick more closely to the facts, especially in the climactic scene? Shaffer wasn't writing a play about Mozart as much as he was writing about the conflict between the banal and the sublime. Salieri prays for God to bless him (a righteous man) with the talent that the crude Mozart has, but he never does get it. So the play is also about what constitutes talent. Is it something you can strive for, or is just something you receive, whether or not you are "worthy" of it. This latter of course, is of great importance to us LDS artists. Can we be better artists the more righteous we are? Or, despite our best efforts, are we destined to be the subjects of Salieri, who self-identifies as the Patron Saint of Mediocrity? Shaffer is also well-known for several other plays based on historical realities but with which he takes considerable license: _Equus_, _The Royal Hunt of the Sun_. Shaffer uses history, but is not wedded to it. He'll invent characters to succeed dramatically; he'll ignore certain well-known events in a subject's life for dramatic purposes. To Shaffer, his characters, real people all, serve a theme greater than reality. Considering the awards and acclaim Peter Shaffer has received, I've got to believe he knows something about the proper relationship between history and drama which, if I understand him correctly, is not slavish adherence to historical fact over dramatic substance. -- Thom Duncan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Darlene Young Subject: [AML] Introductions: Darlene Young Date: 06 Sep 2000 13:24:13 -0700 (PDT) My name is Darlene Young. I have a degree in English and Humanities Teaching from BYU, and I am married to the kindest person and best listener I ever met, Roger Young, who just barely graduated from optometry school at UC Berkeley (anyone looking for a new optometrist?). Before moving on to my career in home and child management, I worked for a few years as a technical writer. My connection to Mormon Letters is mostly one of curiosity, which began in high school in Salt Lake City. There, I noticed that while almost all of my teachers were LDS, practically none of my English teachers were active. This fascinated me. Having always loved literature, especially the classics, and suspecting that I might someday teach English myself, I felt an affinity toward my English teachers. But why were most of them so turned off from the church? Is there something about literature that conflicts with the gospel? Or something about the study of literature that breeds the pride that leads to apostasy? Adding to my perplexity was the dearth (I thought) of thoughtful LDS fiction. (At the time, "LDS fiction" meant Jack Weyland and Shirley Sealey to me.) Luckily, in college I discovered Card, Whipple and other LDS writers who didn't fit my previous conception of LDS fiction. "Aah. There are LDS writers who don't dodge painful issues, whose characters wrestle with evil inside themselves, whose writing is filling like wheat bread and not just whipped cream." (Don't get me wrong! I like whipped cream, too!) Anyway, besides eagerly sampling all sorts of LDS and non-LDS fiction, lately I have been trying out myself as a writer and have been published here and there. I'm actually a better writer (or re-writer) of other people's ideas than creator of my own stories. (My dream job: editor at Signature!) And then when I finally do find a story idea that grips me, I have to be careful because I tend to ignore my beautiful little boys, Alex and Benjamin when I am writing. And they will not be ignored! (I still chuckle when I remember the picture of Rachel Nunes that appeared in Irreantum alongside her interview. There's her sweet baby in the baby swing, happily gazing off into space as Rachel works at the computer. Where can I get a baby like that?) Having recently moved back to Utah after spending four years in Berkeley, California, I am so glad to have discovered AML. Imagine, a ready-made group of people who love to discuss literature and ideas as much as I do! I only wish we could meet in person and talk up a storm weekly! ===== Darlene Young __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tom Matkin Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art (was: History and Fiction) Date: 06 Sep 2000 14:52:10 -0600 "Todd Robert Petersen (by way of Jonathan Langford )" wrote: > > > The ideal of consecration requires LDS people to dedicate our time and > talents to the building up of the kingdom. We who are committed to the idea > of Zion should be trembling a little as we write, wondering if we are living > up to it. At any rate, I worry about that all the time. > I agree with the way Todd has put this question. We ought to be aware of our covenants at all times and in respect to everything we do. And especially as it may relate to our talents or gifts. > This is a moral position. > > An hour painting sunflowers or an hour ministering to the sick? What would > Jesus do? Keeping in mind that answering rhetorical questions is foolish behaviour of the highest order. Here's my answer. I would speculate, and no one could probably ever know, but if Jesus had a gift for such things he would spend the hour painting sunflowers and then give the painting to a hospital to bless the sick. Or failing that, supposing that he was an artist by profession, he would use a significant amount of the profits from his sunflower exhibit to assist the sick and the needy. If he didn't paint the sunflowers he might run afoul of his lesson in the parable of the talents. What he would never do is say. "I'll do as I please because my decision is an artistic decision, not a moral decision." Tom - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Eric Samuelsen Date: 06 Sep 2000 15:59:19 -0600 Okay, since I'm now being called venerable and mighty by none other than = fellow Eric, that Snider fellow. . . . Eric Samuelsen. I'm a playwright, theatre historian and dramatic = theorist, teaching the same at BYU. Previously I taught at Wright State = University, after finishing a PhD at Indiana. I'm a native Hoosier, an = avid baseball fan, an exceptionally untalented actor, but a pretty fair = country playwright, if I have to say so myself. Married, with four = kidlings. My Dad's an opera singer. I'm an opinionated cuss, and hope = y'all will forgive me. =20 Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 06 Sep 2000 15:56:42 -0600 (MDT) Eric said: > Isn't that what we historians are trying to do? We know that our source = > documents are inadequate, and that the past is unknowable, and that our = > interpretations are biased. We know that we'll never know 'what really = > happened.' We just want to get as close as we can. > > So historians spent a lot of time talking about American history, for = > example, by focusing on the deeds of Presidents and politicians, while = > promoting the myth that America was the greatest country ever, a bastion = > of freedom and so on. Later historians chose to include the histories of = > women, slaves and native Americans, and inevitably came up with a picture = > that wasn't anywhere near as rosy. But both are in the same business; = > trying to use a finite number of sources to discover what the truth was. = > All histories are inadequate, of course, and some are also inaccurate. = > But we're still trying to figure out what really happened. We will always = > fail, but that's also okay, because the effort is itself valuable. > I try to think of the process of discovering history as a take on Zeno's paradox. As we open ourselves to more viewpoints (slaves, women AND the formerly used but still valid presidents, plus Indians, congressmen and tourists), we are always getting half the distance to the goal, never quite reaching it, but getting halfway there each step. So we can never discover ultimate causality. That is a rather obvious statement, since half the time my own motives are hidden to myself and when I try to reconstruct myself, I'm too full of self-spin doctoring to ever see what I really did. But by peeling away my layers, I'm fairly sure I can get close enough to my own motives to keep on existing and acting and responding to life. As Zeno's paradox implies, we can never truly reach our goal, but we can get infitesimaly close. When a writer chooses to blatantly ignore or go against anything well documented in history, it's a viable artistic choice, but as has been stated by others on the list, it carries baggage - sometimes a lot of baggage. If I choose to write a story with Joseph Smith as a lecherous, ignorant fool with no real charisma and merely the pawn of his brother Hyrum, I can choose to do that. But when LDS and non-LDS historians decry me and the public at large (LDS or non-) refuses to read the book, I have no recourse to complain. I would have made a bad choice that had too much baggage and flew in the face of any history we have. --Ivan Wolfe - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 06 Sep 2000 16:00:53 -0600 Jason wrote: >I agree very much with what Eric (via his post mentioning >Schiller) = is=20 >saying. >Finally. We agree. :) Hooray! Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Derek1966@aol.com Subject: [AML] Latter-Day Foundation for the Arts Website Date: 06 Sep 2000 18:50:20 EDT I am sending out a plea to all my friends to help me launch my new Internet site for LDS Artists. The address is www.ldsartists.org. and it is now the homebase for Latter-day Foundation for the Arts. I've enclosed a news release that will show up in several Internet publications. Here's what I'm asking you to do: 1. Sign up -- it's free! 2. Go to the Members area. Click on Discussions. Add a discussion or reply to one. Then click on Announcements. Maybe you have or know of a new product or an event that should be announced. 3. PLEASE email your friends on your email list and tell them about the site. This is very grassroots and I need you help in getting the word out. This is NOT just for professional artists, but anyone with an art interest. Thanks so much for your help. Please let me know what you think. Some construction is still going on, but we are far enough along to announce the launch. We are making affiliations with several groups to provide them ongoing news about LDS arts. I appreciate your help! Larry Barkdull Here's the news release: New Internet Home Announced for LDS Artists! The Latter-day Foundation for the Arts, which has been in existence since 1990, has just launched its website for LDS arts enthusiasts: www.ldsartists.org. According to Larry Barkdull, foundation president, the website is intended to have a community feeling while allowing like-minded artists to come together and discuss topics of specific interest. Therefore, the site has Discussion areas for both general and community-related subjects. Likewise, members of the foundation can post news on events, product releases, etc. Members can correspond with each other, network, and share ideas. As you browse through the site, make special note of the PROJECTS section. Few people will be aware at just how active the foundation has been over the years in helping to beautify major LDS sites. In ABOUT LDFA, you can read the mission and philosophy statements. Under MANAGEMENT, you can read about the seasoned staff that have put this all together. In COMMUNITIES, a member can become a part of an art area that he loves. In MEMBERS, you can discuss, announce, correspond. Best of all, there are major benefits coming for members! Several major announcements coincide with this website's birth. Members will notice that ALMA (Associated Latter-day Media Artists) is now part of the foundation. ALMA was started in 1977 in Southern California as an association of LDS filmmakers, actors, and media people. Now that ALMA is folded into Latter-day Foundation for the Arts, we should be able to stay much more abreast at what is happening among fellow Latter-day Saints in the media arts. Another major announcement is the foundation's huge initiative in Nauvoo: The Nauvoo Legacy Gardens. Having just completed Phase I on this project, the foundation has begun to solicit donations for the beginning part of Phase II -- Dee Jay Bawden's exquisite sculpture of the First Vision called, "Face to Face -- 1820." Once completed, the Nauvoo Legacy Gardens, located across the street from the Nauvoo Temple, will be a two-acre testimony in art of the Savior and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Barkdull says, "This is real grassroots. Word-of-mouth is how the foundation membership is growing. We need you help. Membership is free. Join. Send out an email to you list. This site is for anyone with an art interest, not just the professionals. Join in the discussions. Post arts news. Tell us what is happening in your area. The Internet makes the world a little smaller." - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric D. Dixon" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Eric D. Dixon Date: 07 Sep 2000 11:20:15 -0400 I may as well complete the series of introductions by the list's "Troika of Erics," this despite that I'm usually not much more than an apparition around here and haven't even had time to read almost any list traffic since early July. (I've been directing all the messages to their own folder, planning to get to them later -- I've stopped kidding myself that I'll ever get around to reading them all, but I still harbor a little hope that I'll figure out which threads are best and make my way through that stuff, at least.) I was born in Salt Lake City, but moved to Portland when I was one. I grew up an avid reader, and loved juvenile fantasy and SF, but have never had much of a taste for them as adult genres, with a few exceptions. Listmember Rex Goode was my scoutmaster for several years, and I first found out about this list from him. I've been on the list for almost five years; I first subscribed on October 6, 1995, if I recall correctly, just a few months after the list was formed. Although I post occasionally, I'm a lurker at heart, at least around here -- this is the first time I've formally introduced myself to the list during my five-year tenure. At the time I subscribed I was working as a lowly Daily Universe reporter at BYU, in the Lifestyles section. My beat included campus music (for some reason my editor had me write about a billion articles about the battle of the bands -- nice way to consistently fill space, I guess), and I went out of my way to write about just about every jazz performance that took place at BYU that semester (no journalistic bias here, I tell you what). A year later I got a job as the Lifestyles section editor (like another Eric D. (Snider, that is) later would), and found that my writing dropped off dramatically. That was, however, the first semester that editors helped maintain their sections on the Daily Universe web site (then newsline.byu.edu, now newsnet.byu.edu), and I learned enough from the experience to make a living out of it (I'm currently the webmaster for U.S. Term Limits in Washington, DC). (Vaguely interesting aside: my first post-BYU full-time job was as the webmaster for the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association, whose executive director was LeRoy Yorgason, brother of BYU jazz professor & bass player Lars Yorgason, who I had taken an incredibly good jazz history class from, and whose performances I had written about more than a couple of times in the DU. None of us knew about the connection until after I was hired, though. Tenuous Mormon lit. connection: both of them are cousins of Blaine & Brent Yorgason.) I also spent the fall of 1996 as webmaster of the Student Review, during my last few months at BYU (I had spent my freshman year, '90-'91, working on their production staff), before both SR and the web site collapsed almost entirely (they've had a few gaspingly abortive resurrections since, which is hard to watch). Because of my experience on both papers, I felt qualified in some small way to review Bryan Waterman and Brian Kagel's book _The Lord's University_ (the authors were editors at the Student Review and the Daily Universe, respectively), which I did for the libertarian monthly _Liberty_ magazine (available at larger newsstands near you, particularly Borders and Barnes & Noble), where I'm a contributing editor. For the curious, the review is on one of my drastically incomplete websites (www.shrubwalkers.com), in the "Prose" section. I first becamse interested in Mormon literature when I was a kid. I'd read books, see films, and watch TV shows that included Judaism, Catholicism, Protestantism, etc., as ordinary characters in all kinds of genres, and wondered why Mormons weren't ever portrayed that way. I grew up in Portland, OR, outside of Happy Valley, where Mormons were a minority, sure, but we were also just ordinary people living in the world, living lives that had storytelling potential just like everyone else. I decided I wanted to be a writer while I was in high school, and this was always in the back of my mind -- how could I write about Mormon characters without doing Jack Weyland-type stuff? This was uncharted territory as far as I knew. While I was on my mission (Jacksonville, FL, 1/92-12/93), I noticed a copy of _Bright Angels and Familiars: Contemporary Mormon Stories_ (edited by Gene England) in the catalog for some Mormon bookstore in Florida. Fascinated by the description, I ordered a copy, and reading it was a revelation. Who knew that there were Mormons writing experimental fiction a la Donald Barthelme (Darrell Spencer's "I Am Buzz Gaulter, Left-Hander," from _Woman Packing a Pistol_)? Who knew that there was speculative fiction treating a specifically Mormon potential future (Orson Scott Card's "The Fringe," from _Folk of the Fringe_)? Who knew that Mormons were writing solid fiction that dealt with moral choices and ambiguity in a non-cloying way (something by Doug Thayer from _Under the Cottonwoods_). This was all news to me. Another powerful discovery: Brian Evenson's _Altmann's Tongue_, which was published after I had returned to BYU and remains a favorite to this day. I had hoped to arrange my schedule to take a class from him at some point, but he was sadly drummed off campus before I had a chance (better for him in the long run, probably, much worse for BYU). I don't know too many other listmembers personally, but there are a few connections. I took classes from Doug Thayer (creative writing), Susan Howe (fundamentals of literary interpretation), Gideon Burton (I forget the title -- something to do with rhetoric and argument construction), and long-absent former listmember Joe Staubhaar (journalism research methods). Eric Samuelson gave a guest lecture once in Alf Pratte's opinion writing class, with a good perspective on reviewing theatre (and he was sitting just a row ahead and a few seats to the right at my graduation). I have an aunt & uncle who know Gene England from their time working on the first few issues of Dialogue (and I've been to his house a couple of times -- once for a Student Review party hosted by his daughter Jane, once for a poetry reading). Ardis Parshall wrote the tremendously useful Retro-Link Associates style guide that I used when I worked there, and where I met her a few times. I met Morgan Adair once at a dinner gathering in SLC. I also have probably the longest-overdue review in the list's history. Not that I ever meant to set a record or anything. Eric D. Dixon "There is nothing less interesting than a fact unilliminated by a theory." -- Steven E. Landsburg - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Scott and Marny Parkin Subject: [AML] Galaxy Quest wins Hugo Date: 07 Sep 2000 13:34:20 -0600 The Hugo Awards were presented at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention in Chicago on September 2, 2000. Galaxy Quest won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, beating The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, The Iron Giant, and Being John Malkovich. Galaxy Quest was written by Mormon David Howard, who co-wrote the screenplay with Robert Gordon, and was directed by Dean Parisot. The Hugo Awards are presented annually by the World Science Fiction Society and are awarded by popular vote of the members of WorldCon. The Hugos were first awarded in 1953. The Hugo Award has been won previously by Orson Scott Card (four times), and three other Mormons have been nominees. Galaxy Quest also won a Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film Silver Raven for best screenplay earlier this year. For a list of current and past winners, see http://www.wsfs.org/hugos.html or see http://home.airswitch.net/MormonBib/awards.html for Mormon winners and nominees. See also http://filmforce.ign.com/interviews/11.html for an interview with David Howard. Marny Parkin - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 07 Sep 2000 13:28:33 -0700 On Wed, 06 Sep 2000 09:35:18 -0500 "Todd Robert Petersen" writes: > Why do morality and art have to be split at all? It occurs to me > that LDS people in particular ought to shudder at such a division, > particulaly since scripture tells us that all things are spiritual (and > thus, I assert, moral) to God. Our writing is certainly moral to > Him, even if it doesn't seem like it is to us. In God's frame of > reference, we can not make amoral choices (as opposed to immoral). I agree with this, but I have quibbles with the way Todd develops the implications. > When art is emptied of its moral content and duties, I get > nervous. It becomes art for art's sake, which is the point of > alienation for lots of people. I recently interviewed Grant Speed, world-famous (whatever that means) western artist, about his latest sculpture, a life and a quarter size "half cowboy, half bandito" galloping on horseback--"The Red Raider," mascot of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He took me on a tour of the Metal Letters foundry in Lehi and talked a lot about the process and problems of bronze casting, particularly shrinkage. "After the Korean mess I had some GI bill coming and I came to BYU [from Texas] and married a Provo girl and we stayed." During that time BYU nearly closed its foundry because they couldn't control the shrinkage. "Shrinkage is the big bugabear." I love that word, bugabear, so I'll say that 'art for art's sake' is the big bugabear I always hear when people talk about morality in art. I hear a lot of people using 'art for art's sake' as shorthand for 'amoral art' or 'art that doesn't accept its social responsibility,' but I rarely hear people question the enthymeme--the unstated assumption--in that shorthand: creating art for its own sake is not a moral activity. Indeed, one of the few people I've heard address that enthymeme isn't even an artist, though his satires--like "The Loyalty Oath Controversy," "How to Have a Nice Quite Campus Antique Style," "Leadership to Management: The Fatal Shift," "Work We Must But the Lunch is Free," and "But What Kind of Work?"--are certainly artful and may well be remembered longer than his other scholarship. Hugh Nibley has several times used Aristotle's concept of first-order goods, things that are good in themselves and don't need any further justification than the fact that they _are_ good, and said that both art and education are first order goods. I'll save for another post the way Todd collapses the distinction between the didactic and non didactic. Collapsing distinctions can be a democratic thing, but also a troubling thing in leaving us no way to talk about differences in emphasis and style that may be vital to the way an artist or critic creates, but that's too long a discussion for this post. Instead, in this post I want to relate what Todd says about "everyone tak[ing] a political position, even if they think they aren't," and taking a moral position by deciding to create art rather than, say, relieve hunger, to the idea of art being a first-order good, and all things being spiritual and moral to God. If creating art is a moral activity it is possible, as with any moral activity, to do it for immoral purposes--but if done well and with moral awareness the art will be moral whether it relieves hunger or leads to anyone's baptism or fulfills any other end--or not. I love the opening words of Reynold's Price's devotional essay, "A Single Meaning: Notes on the Origins and Life of Narrative," which opens his collection of Bible story translations, _A Palpable God_: "A need to tell and hear stories is essential to the species _Homo sapiens_--second in necessity apparently after nourishment and before love and shelter. Millions survive without love or home, almost none in silence; the opposite of silence leads quickly to narrative, and the sound of story is the dominant sound of our lives, from the small accounts of our days' events to the vast incommunicable constructs of psychopaths." Art may relieve something much deeper than hunger in a child and for a longer time. That does not mean an artist should "leave the other undone" (Matt. 23:23), but a choice to create poetry doesn't mean that, say, my father can't also raise gobs of tomatoes and other produce and take them to the food bank, or that my brother can't create lovely poems--for their own sake and to feed starving souls--and invite someone to his garden to pick tomatoes and peaches to feed hungry bodies. Harlow S. Clark ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jacob Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 07 Sep 2000 12:34:27 -0600 On Wed, 06 Sep 2000 15:56:42 -0600 (MDT), Ivan Angus Wolfe wrote: >So we can never discover ultimate causality. Sure we can. Any time you find the word 'because' in the scriptures, underline it. You have just found ultimate causality. Outside of divine revelation, though, you have a point... Jacob Proffitt - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] Galaxy Quest wins Hugo Date: 07 Sep 2000 18:01:33 -0600 Scott and Marny Parkin wrote: > > The Hugo Awards were presented at the 58th World Science Fiction > Convention in Chicago on September 2, 2000. Galaxy Quest won the Hugo > Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, beating The Matrix, The Sixth > Sense, The Iron Giant, and Being John Malkovich. > I'm happy for David but I'm sorry ... but Galaxy Quest over The Matrix? Is there not justice in the world (or is the world really the matrix)? -- Thom Duncan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] MN LDS Author David Howard Wins Hugo Award for "Galaxy Quest": Date: 07 Sep 2000 20:57:55 EDT Space.com News 4Sep00 A2 [From Mormon-News] LDS Author David Howard Wins Hugo Award for "Galaxy Quest" CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- Author David Howard wrote a story that made hard core science fiction fans its heroes, and now the fans have returned the compliment, giving Howard, his co-author Robert Gordon and director Dean Parisot a Hugo award for the Best Dramatic Presentation in 1999."Galaxy Quest" beat out critically acclaimed films like "Being John Malkovich" and "The Matrix" to win the award, perhaps the largest of the three major awards in science fiction. Howard wrote "Captain Sunshine," the story on which "Galaxy Quest" is based and co-wrote the screenplay with Gordon. However, unlike Gordon and Parisot, Howard did not attend the World Science Fiction Convention in Chicago, where the award was presented. "Galaxy Quest" is a spoof of the Star Trek TV series and of the actor's attitudes toward the seemingly innumerable fan conventions held for decades after the show was cancelled. In the movie, aliens turn out to also be fans of the show, although they are unable to distinguish between the fictional show and reality. Howard is not the first Mormon author to win the Hugo award, however. Well-known LDS science fiction author Orson Scott Card has won the award four times; in1986 for his novel "Ender's Game," in 1987 for another novel, "Speaker for the Dead," in 1988 for a novella, "Eye for Eye," and in 1991 for his non-fiction book "How to write Science Fiction and Fantasy." Sources: Vernor Vinge, Galaxy Quest Win Hugos Space.com News 4Sep00 A2 http://www.space.com:80/sciencefiction/books/worldcon_hugo_winners_000904.html By Jonathan Lipman and Robert Peterson Galaxy Quest Creators Talk Hugo Space.com News 4Sep00 A2 http://www.space.com:80/sciencefiction/movies/worldcon_galaxy_quest_000904.html By Robert Peterson and Jonathan Lipman Worldcon 2000: The Hugo Nominees Space.com News 2Sep00 A2 http://www.space.com:80/sciencefiction/books/worldcon_hugos_000902.html By Jonathan Lipman >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ Send join and remove commands to: majordomo@MormonsToday.com Put appropriate commands in body of the message: To join: subscribe mormon-news To leave: unsubscribe mormon-news To join digest: subscribe mormon-news-digest - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "jana bouck remy" Subject: [AML] Late Reviews Date: 07 Sep 2000 20:51:29 -0700 A quote from a recent post..... > > I also have probably the longest-overdue review in the list's history. Not > that I ever meant to set a record or anything. FYI....Better late then never on your review . I've had lots of embarrassed folks admit to me that they've got a review that's weeks, months (even years) overdue. While I always appreciate reveiwers who stick to their deadline (and it helps to maintain good relations with the publishers who provide the books), I'd rather the review be late than non-existent. The review guidelines even offer an option for a "minimal review" (refer to http://www.xmission.com/~aml/reviews/guidelines.html). Thanks, Jana Remy Review Editor - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Alan Mitchell" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Alan Mitchell Date: 07 Sep 2000 19:51:25 -0600 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_002D_01C01905.014B0B00 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Alan Mitchell, another Oregonian. =20 I was born and raised in rural Oregon (Ontario, Oregon City, Madras), = not in big metropolis centers like Monmouth or Tigard or where ever = Johnathan is from. I have also lived in rural southern California as = well. And Vienna Austria on my mission. My wife and I have the five = smartest and best children in the world except when they are not. We = named the youngest boy Frost after the poet and the first thing we saw = the day he was born. We reside at the historic Bennion Ranch near Vernon = in Utah=92s west desert and have never really liked or lived in the = suburbs for extended periods. I consider myself a farmer by instinct, a = scientist by training, and a writer for fun. But I think I'm being = rearranged. =20 I=92m the author of the newly released novel Angel of the Danube, which = was one of the winners in the AML unpublished novel competition in 2000 = under the name Barry Monroe=92s Missionary Journal. Marilyn Brown called = it a winner saying that all of them were winners. I spent the $30 award = on a new ink cartridge for my HP printer. Bonneville Books is publishing = it and I have been very pleased with them. Richard Cracroft called it = "Mormon literature's answer to ...." I'll let you read that later. I = would love to praise my own work, but I=92m planning on taking a lower = seat at the feast and waiting to move up.=20 I=92ve been on the list since last fall and am mostly interested in = ideas about how we are doing Mormon Art and what we think it means. I = seldom read the esoteric literary discussions of who=92s best because = they are so much like arguing for which sports team you like=97or used = to play for. Tell me what made them good or bad. Alan Rex Mitchell ------=_NextPart_000_002D_01C01905.014B0B00 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Alan Mitchell, another Oregonian. 

I was born and raised in rural Oregon (Ontario, Oregon City, Madras), = not in=20 big metropolis centers like Monmouth or Tigard or where ever Johnathan = is from.=20 I have also lived in rural southern California as well. And Vienna = Austria on my=20 mission. My wife and I have the five smartest and best children in the = world=20 except when they are not. We named the youngest boy Frost after the poet = and the=20 first thing we saw the day he was born. We reside at the historic = Bennion Ranch=20 near Vernon in Utah’s west desert and have never really liked or = lived in=20 the suburbs for extended periods. I consider myself a farmer by = instinct, a=20 scientist by training, and a writer for fun.   But I think I'm = being=20 rearranged. 

I’m the author of the newly released novel Angel of the Danube, = which=20 was one of the winners in the AML unpublished novel competition in 2000 = under=20 the name Barry Monroe’s Missionary Journal. Marilyn Brown called = it a=20 winner saying that all of them were winners. I spent the $30 award on a = new ink=20 cartridge for my HP printer. Bonneville Books is publishing it and I = have been=20 very pleased with them. Richard Cracroft called it "Mormon = literature's=20 answer to ...."  I'll let you read that later.  I would = love to=20 praise my own work, but I’m planning on taking a lower seat at the = feast=20 and waiting to move up.

I’ve been on the list since last fall and am mostly interested = in ideas=20 about how we are doing Mormon Art and what we think it means. I seldom = read the=20 esoteric literary discussions of who’s best because they are so = much like=20 arguing for which sports team you like—or used to play for. Tell = me what=20 made them good or bad.

Alan Rex Mitchell

------=_NextPart_000_002D_01C01905.014B0B00-- - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ed Snow Subject: [AML] Introductions: Edgar (Ed) C. Snow, Jr. Date: 08 Sep 2000 07:40:12 -0700 (PDT) Hi I'm Ed Snow. As you probably know, I'm the humor columnist for AML-List. Shows you just how really desparate they are for columns nowadays. [MOD: Not so!] Also shows you how desparate publishers are nowadays. My old humor columns from AML-List were recently published by Signature Book called _Of Curious Workmanship: Musings on Things Mormon_, a book that's more slender and co$tly than some people prefer. I promise my next publication will be 30% (i) longer, (ii) cheaper, and (iii) funnier.=20 What am I working on now, you might wonder? =20 1. A special humor issue for _Irreantum_ featuring an interview with Robert Kirby, essay by Elouise Bell, something from Eric Snider that he kind of promised me but hasn't sent yet, etc. Anybody got any funny Mormon poems? No limmericks, please. 2. A Mormon TV channel, "All Mormon, All The Time" featuring these shows: "Who's Line is it Anyway?" (A Mormon Genealogy Quiz Show); "Wrestling with Mormon Doctrine Federation Presents" (Missonaries Bash With Anti-Mormons using Bible, chairs, tables, etc.); "The Y Files" (2 Visiting Teachers investigate dating and other paranormal BYU incidents); "Church Commerical Pop-Up Videos"; "Book of Mormon Hour" (Pages Literally Turn on the Screen=97Turn TV time into Scripture Reading Time!); "Cohabs & Skunks" (light-hearted sitcom about the misadventures of two affable polygamists on the run from federal marshals--think "The Fugative" meets "The Odd Couple"). Ed =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Among best sellers, Barnes & Noble ranks _Of Curious Workmanship: Musings on= Things Mormon_ in its top 100 (thousand, that is). Available now at 20% off= http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=3D5SLFMY1T= YD&mscssid=3DHJW5QQU1SUS12HE1001PQJ9XJ7F17G3C&srefer=3D&isbn=3D1560851368 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jason Steed" Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Alan Mitchell Date: 08 Sep 2000 08:24:50 PDT I don't know why, but I love it that there are so many fellow Oregonians on this list. I have such a strong sense of pride in my Oregonian-ness, whenever I meet another Oregonian it is not unlike the feeling of meeting another member of the Church...there's an instant connection, respect...it's sort of like sharing a secret. The secret of rivers and evergreens, and the smell of wet wood and pavement. But Alex, I have to tell you that Monmouth (where I'm calling from--or would be, if I wasn't stuck in Vegas) is rural as well. In fact, I grew up on 21 acres of hillside, 3 miles outside of Monmouth (pop. 5,000), and 1/2 hr. drive from Salem (our nearest 'big' city at 100,000 people). We used to play other rural high schools like Madras in the basketball state tournament... My only connection to Mormon lit: So far, all of my short stories (only a couple of which have been published) are set in Hinkley, my fictional version of Monmouth. Jason _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jason Steed" Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Alan Mitchell Date: 08 Sep 2000 08:25:58 PDT Whoops. I think I typed 'Alex,' when I meant to type 'Alan.' Sorry. Jason _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Andrew Piereder" Subject: RE: [AML] Galaxy Quest wins Hugo Date: 08 Sep 2000 11:33:50 -0700 > > I'm happy for David but I'm sorry ... but Galaxy Quest over The > Matrix? Is there not justice in the world (or is the world > really the matrix)? > I have to agree with Thom. While Galaxy Quest was a very amusing spoof of the Star Trek universe, Matrix was positively ground-breaking in every aspect. GQ was funny the first time, mildly amusing the second time and then it sat of the shelf. The Matrix has been screened at my home more times than I can count. Andy P. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jacob Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] Galaxy Quest wins Hugo Date: 08 Sep 2000 13:37:08 -0600 On Thu, 07 Sep 2000 18:01:33 -0600, Thom Duncan wrote: >I'm happy for David but I'm sorry ... but Galaxy Quest over The >Matrix? Is there not justice in the world (or is the world >really the matrix)?=20 I'll have to second that sentiment. I *love* Galaxy Quest (and appear to= be in the minority on the list based on earlier comments) and my kids have = seen it literally dozens of times. But the Matrix and Sixth Sense left Galaxy Quest in the dust as quality sci fi. I just can't show those movies to = my kids... Is the Hugo a kid-safe award? Jacob Proffitt - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: Re: [AML] History and Fiction Date: 08 Sep 2000 13:55:14 -0600 (MDT) > On Wed, 06 Sep 2000 15:56:42 -0600 (MDT), Ivan Angus Wolfe wrote: > > >So we can never discover ultimate causality. > > Sure we can. Any time you find the word 'because' in the scriptures, > underline it. You have just found ultimate causality. > > Outside of divine revelation, though, you have a point... > > Jacob Proffitt > which is what I meant but I still feel we can get [darn] close to ultimate causality - perhaps even actually discover it - but until we have a perspective like God's - we can never know for certain. But I was talking about what historians do - researching old documents, movies, records, and folktales to try to recover the past. Sometimes it becomes a fashion thing - For a long time, it was popularly thought the only cause for the Civil War was moral crusade against slavery. Then a backlash occurred and it was popular to claim slavery had NOTHING to do with it. Any explanation besides slavery was accepted and put forth. Now it's generally accepted there were various causes, slavery being one and certainly the most visible one (since many of the debates and issues of those days centered around it). However, humans are complex beings and we all have various motives for everything that we do. Historians only err when they claim they have "the one true reason" why an event occurred. But others err when they claim they can never truly know what happened, so why bother? Getting there is half the fun. As we cover half the distance towards "ultimate causality" with each new discovery, we make tremendous strides and learn more about ourselves and others, which is the point of all forms of art and science anyway. --Ivan Wolfe - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Scott and Marny Parkin Subject: Re: [AML] Galaxy Quest wins Hugo Date: 08 Sep 2000 14:36:24 -0600 Thom Duncan wrote: > > The Hugo Awards were presented at the 58th World Science Fiction > > Convention in Chicago on September 2, 2000. Galaxy Quest won the Hugo > > Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, beating The Matrix, The Sixth > > Sense, The Iron Giant, and Being John Malkovich. > > > >I'm happy for David but I'm sorry ... but Galaxy Quest over The >Matrix? Is there not justice in the world (or is the world >really the matrix)? I agree that _The Matrix_ probably deserved to win over _Galaxy Quest_ as both a better story and a better-made film. However... Remember that the Hugo is voted on by the attendees of WorldCon--in other words, by science fiction fans. GQ's depiction of fans as the good guys made it the obvious choice of fandom everywhere. Every award has its politics. This time, the little guys won. Scott Parkin - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] Galaxy Quest wins Hugo Date: 08 Sep 2000 15:27:13 -0500 > > The Hugo Awards were presented at the 58th World Science Fiction > > Convention in Chicago on September 2, 2000. Galaxy Quest won the Hugo > > Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, beating The Matrix, The Sixth > > Sense, The Iron Giant, and Being John Malkovich. > > > >I'm happy for David but I'm sorry ... but Galaxy Quest over The >Matrix? Is there not justice in the world (or is the world >really the matrix)? > >-- >Thom Duncan These were my sentiments exactly, Thom! I enjoyed Galaxy Quest, but it was somewhat . . . forgettable. Whereas The Matrix will be the first DVD I ever buy (which I may do anyway, before I even own a player--we don't plan on getting one for a while yet.) Mormon Lit connection to the Matrix: I've considered that "taking the blue pill" in the Matrix can correlate to taking the step of baptism, or, learning the whole truth about the way things Really Are. Our truth is not horrifying like the truth of the Matrix--but the concept is similar. Once you've made your choice, learned the truth for yourself (gaining a testimony) you can't really go back to the way you were. This movie really made me think, and be amazed, and want to see it over and over again. (Realize this plug is also coming from someone who rarely, RARELY, watches any R-rated movies. I *still* can't figure out why it carries that rating.) It contained so many other things that could be related to Mormonism. I don't have time to go into them right this minute, but it would be an interesting thread (any takers?). [I've been lurking, and I realize it's time for me to work on a new intro, too. I should probably get busy and post more . . .] OTOH, Galaxy Quest's only Mormon connection, however, would seem to be that the author is LDS. Unless I'm forgetting something. Which is possible. =========== Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com Writing Page: http://members.xoom.com/adamszoo Little Ones Lost: http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo My new book, _Prodigal Journey,_ is now available online! Go to: http://deseretbook.com/products/4066899/index.html - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Christopher Bigelow" Subject: [AML] CARD, _Ender's Game_ Date: 08 Sep 2000 10:40:55 -0700 I noticed in BusinessWeek a public service ad for "Get Caught Reading" with Jake Lloyd in a boat reading _Ender's Game_. Does anyone have any updates about the movie of _Ender's Game_? Chris Bigelow - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: John Bennion (by way of Jonathan Langford ) Subject: [AML] AML Call for Papers Date: 08 Sep 2000 15:41:24 -0500 Here is the announcement of the AML Annual Conference. =20 Note that the submissions deadline has been extended. AML Annual Conference February 24, 2001 Zion and New York: Bridges and Innovations In 1982 Gene England heralded the =93Dawning of a Brighter=20 Day=94=96a wave of Mormon writing inside and outside Utah that=20 went beyond all anticipations in terms of volume and quality. I=20 am interested in receiving proposals which describe the various=20 crests of that wave: What are the major trends in Mormon=20 writing, past and present? What writing by Mormons is=20 succeeding with New York publishers? What regional presses=20 and writers are producing excellent work? Please submit proposals for creative work and critical essays=20 concerning any genre=96historical fiction, poetry, short fiction,=20 devotional literature, writing for children and young adults,=20 science fiction, mystery writing, drama, film, and others. Proposals should be sent to:=15=14 John Bennion 3170 JKHB BYU Provo, UT 84602 phone: (801) 378-3419 fax: (801) 378-4720 e-mail: john_bennion@byu.edu =09 =15=14 Must be postmarked by October 20, 2000 ________________ Professor John Bennion 3117 JKHB English Department Brigham Young University Provo, UT 84602-6280 Tel: (801) 378-3419 Fax: (801) 378-4705 - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: [AML] LABUTE, _Nurse Betty_ Date: 08 Sep 2000 15:18:09 -0600 A few of you have turned me on to Salon magazine recently, and today's is = a doozie. Charles Taylor reviews Neil Labute's Nurse Betty, and gives it = as harsh and negative a review as I can ever remember any film getting = ever. Wow. What's interesting about this review is how personal it gets. He accuses = Neil of the ugliest kind of nihilism, precisely because Neil's film is so = dismissive of popular culture. And that's interesting, because it seems = to me that Neil is simply reflecting something of the Mormon take on pop = culture. Taylor attacks Neil for what he perceives as Neil's attack on, = for example, the sorts of bubble brained idiots who watch soap operas. = (That's not my wording, BTW; that's Taylor paraphrasing Labute). Or the = kind of bubble-brained idiots who watch television period, of which count = me as one, since I'm on record as really liking TV a lot. =20 I find this all very interesting. Step by step, it might go as follows: 1) Neil's work is, I think, not work Mormons tend to like. I'm generalizin= g like a madman here, but I think that the harsh kind of naturalism Neil = represents is precisely the sort of work that many Mormons of my acquaintan= ce would mean when they say they 'don't watch R-rated movies.' =20 2) A lot of Mormons are pretty dismissive of popular culture. Our culture = really does include a kind of ascetic rejection of television. TV is = frankly sort of a guilty pleasure, that we'd rather not admit liking too = much. And someone who announces, in tones of ringing finality, that s/he = doesn't own a TV and won't allow one in his/her home is often seen as = representing a higher standard, which we weaker TV likers just aren't up = to.=20 3) That's a point of view that Neil, despite his position as an outsider = in relation to mainstream LDS culture, is now seen as representing. If = we're to believe Taylor (and I haven't seen Nurse Betty, though I plan to = and will review, dratted foot permitting), Neil is in fact a kind of = flinty moralist, heartless in his sour detestation of pop culture, which = is, after all, uh, popular. =20 4) In essence, Taylor takes Neil to task for judging unrighteously. He = doesn't put it in those terms, but Taylor seems to suggest that Neil's = direction of this script (which he didn't write BTW) makes all its = pop-culture-loving characters look like complete idiots, that Neil holds = the characters of his own film in contempt. =20 5) So maybe Neil's a better cultural Mormon than we give him credit for. = I'm reading a lot into Taylor's review, but that's implied, at least. = Neil's a representative of the sourest, most judgmental parts of our = culture. Now, this is the perfect time for me to, once again, argue against the = moral judgments we often make in regards to pop culture. I think, as = y'all know, that morally based criticism is very very dangerous, and that = we should avoid at all costs judging those who like works of pop culture = we may dislike. And, as I've said before, any work of art can be = defended, and if it can be defended, we ought to at least hear out its = defenders. I think it's our obligation to think long and hard before = condemning anything. =20 I don't much like daytime soap operas, but I do watch ER every week, and = it's basically a soap. I like sitcoms, and think that's a form that can = really be defended. But I also kinda want to defend Neil. The one thing = I can definitely say about this whole thing is that I absolutely must see = Nurse Betty ASAP. Make up my own mind. But I think this whole thing is = very very interesting. Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tom Matkin Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Edgar (Ed) C. Snow, Jr. Date: 08 Sep 2000 16:10:57 -0600 [MOD: I'm going to bend the rules on submission of creative work to the List for this one... Technically, I guess, we could call it "verse commentary" on Ed's post.] Ed Snow wrote: > >Anybody got any funny Mormon > poems? No limmericks, please. Against gays, jews or others inferred It's a fact that you can't breath a word But I sense a Snow job Being done by a snob! Cutting limericks out of the herd. Sure it may be politically right To give limerick verses the blight But the Irish gave birth To this strange form of verse And this might, in them bring out the fight. And we know when the Green get their ire Up in arms, that they just never tire So I beg Ed to change His restrictions arrange To allow limericks in his choir. He can safely assure none will win In his contest for publishing "whim" If he just says each verse Must be witty and terse That eliminates lims and their kin. Or he could make a rule about smut And declare that a poem gets the butt If it comes from a style That embraces the vile And is mired in in*u*endo rut. So I guess in the end I agree With our Ed and his clever decree Be urbane and classy Not profane and brassy And let's keep Irreantum lim-free. Tom -- Tom Matkin www.matkin.com (1 Jn. 4:8) 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Alan Mitchell" Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Alan Mitchell Date: 08 Sep 2000 20:01:12 -0600 Jason wrote: >I don't know why, but I love it that there are so many fellow Oregonians on >this list. I have such a strong sense of pride in my Oregonian-ness, >whenever I meet another Oregonian it is not unlike the feeling of meeting >another member of the Church...there's an instant connection, respect...it's >sort of like sharing a secret. The secret of rivers and evergreens, and the >smell of wet wood and pavement. >But Alex, I have to tell you that Monmouth (where I'm calling from--or would >be, if I wasn't stuck in Vegas) is rural as well. In fact, I grew up on 21 >acres of hillside, 3 miles outside of Monmouth (pop. 5,000), and 1/2 hr. >drive from Salem (our nearest 'big' city at 100,000 people). We used to play >other rural high schools like Madras in the basketball state tournament... You must realize that Oregon has more "dry" land than rivers and evergreens. That 90 percent of the population resides in the drizzle is no excuse to neglect the pretty side of the state. And Monmouth is huge at 5000! Besides, they have culture--a teachers college! But I concur with the feeling of comradery with those who have spent months in the rain and can share Oregon rain jokes, compare white skin, tell how they went swimming in the Pacific (only as far as the ankles), and recall what the sun looked like. Alan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Galaxy Quest wins Hugo Date: 08 Sep 2000 23:52:35 -0600 Andrew Piereder wrote: > Matrix was positively ground-breaking in every aspect. Oh, it wasn't _that_ groundbreaking. The special effects were great, but there weren't as many groundbreaking ones as I expected with all the hoopla that preceded it. As for the story itself, it was anticipated by a similar concept in the film _Dark City_. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Todd Robert Petersen" Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions Date: 09 Sep 2000 08:26:09 -0500 Jason et al. > I don't know why, but I love it that there are so many fellow Oregonians on > this list. I have such a strong sense of pride in my Oregonian-ness, > whenever I meet another Oregonian it is not unlike the feeling of meeting > another member of the Church...there's an instant connection, respect...it's > sort of like sharing a secret. The secret of rivers and evergreens, and the > smell of wet wood and pavement. One more. Portland, West Hills, Jesuit High School, University of Oregon, Powell's (1970-1991). Rivers? Evergreens? I have no idea what you're talking about. The Northwest is rainy, gloomy, and the people there are unkind . Houston is much nicer . Make sure you spread the word so I can afford to move home. -- Todd Robert Petersen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ruth Starkman Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Nurse Betty_ Date: 09 Sep 2000 11:12:42 -0700 "Eric R. Samuelsen" wrote: > A few of you have turned me on to Salon magazine recently, and today's is a doozie. Charles Taylor reviews Neil Labute's Nurse Betty, and gives it as harsh and negative a review as I can ever remember any film getting ever. Wow. > > What's interesting about this review is how personal it gets. He accuses Neil of the ugliest kind of nihilism, precisely because Neil's film is so dismissive of popular culture. And that's interesting, because it seems to me that Neil is simply reflecting something of the Mormon take on pop culture. Taylor attacks Neil for what he perceives as Neil's attack on, for example, the sorts of bubble brained idiots who watch soap operas. (That's not my wording, BTW; that's Taylor paraphrasing Labute). Or the kind of bubble-brained idiots who watch television period, of which count me as one, since I'm on record as really liking TV a lot. I too reeled when I read the review, but then again, it's also standard Salon fare...a diatribe against those arid cultural elitists, who reject the "evils" of TV culture . My guess--and forgive me for speculating here, since I've not seen _Nurse Betty_ , I'm at home with an infant and small child and thus haven't the vaguest hope of seeing a film in a theater anytime soon--is that the review and its film are like ships in the night: Taylor either doesn't like or doesn't understand LaBute's dark hyperbole; and LaBute may be somewhat guilty of an all-too-easy derision of pop culture. (Is he? Has anyone seen the film??) What I can say with a little more certainty is this: Taylor's position on LaBute strikes Eric as so "personal" because it seems more an occasion to defend the virtues of TV culture (what was this about television having " better writing than films" these days?) than to critique the film. As such, the review runs the danger of becoming simply the flipside of all those arguments against TV "culture industry" as mindless and mind-controlling sop. Now, is LaBute's position against TV a culturally Mormon one? Not if it comes as an apology for high culture, which would be no less suspect than Taylor's position. Cheers, Ruth - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Pat Wagman" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Pat Wagman Date: 10 Sep 2000 09:58:55 -0600 Name: Pat Wagman Age : 30s Gender: Male Family: Married to Donna. Currently 5 kids. 3 that are ours, 1 foster child that may, we pray, get to be ours and 1 rental child that we have to give back when his mom gets home from Korea. Home Town: Cartersville GA. Currently stationed in Great Falls MT. Occupation: Pay check come from the Air Force. By disposition computer, math and science geek. Connection to Mormon lit and in fact arts in general: Reader/Connoisseur. Very little active contribution. (Just ask the choir directors I've worked with :) Pat "It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Nurse Betty_ Date: 11 Sep 2000 09:07:04 -0600 Ruth Starkman wrote: > What I can say with a little more certainty is this: Taylor's position on LaBute strikes Eric as so "personal" because it seems > more an occasion to defend the virtues of TV culture (what was this about television having " better writing than films" > these days?) An example: _The West Wing_. Hands down the best written and acted drama to come down the pike in years. Consistently good. -- Thom Duncan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: [AML] Beaten to the Punch (was: Galaxy Quest wins Hugo) Date: 11 Sep 2000 09:04:16 -0600 "D. Michael Martindale" wrote: > > Andrew Piereder wrote: > > > Matrix was positively ground-breaking in every aspect. > > Oh, it wasn't _that_ groundbreaking. The special effects were great, but > there weren't as many groundbreaking ones as I expected with all the > hoopla that preceded it. As for the story itself, it was anticipated by > a similar concept in the film _Dark City_. Or my now-abandoned screenplay UR:TH begun in 1991 but then reluctantly set aside when I saw the same story in _The Matrix_. To date, that has happened with several of my projects: A musical on Cyrano de Bergerac A grand series of novels based on Church history and another one on the BofM A play about the trial of Joseph Smith's assassins (abandoned because Tim Slover is doing one) A play about the trial of Senator Smoot (because Eric Samuelsen's already done it) Has this happened to anyone else? You have a killer idea but just as you're starting on it, you learn that someone else more prominent than you, has already completed it? -- Thom Duncan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Benson Parkinson Subject: [AML] PARKINSON, _Into the Field_ cover copy Date: 11 Sep 2000 09:37:24 -0700 (MST) In _The MTC: Set Apart,_ four elders from very different backgrounds are thrown together in the pressure cooker of the Missionary Training Center in Provo. There they struggle to learn the language, overcome themselves, and love each other, and each manages small miracles. The MTC seemed almost a mission in miniature, and the four, standing on the rainy platform waiting for the Bordeaux train, feel transformed and eager. But the stakes are higher now with their "real" missions beginning, and Elders Wilberg, Rignell, Anthon, and Jeppsen are about to learn just how complete their transformation has been. In _Into the Field,_ Benson Parkinson continues his exploration of missionary life, which since President Kimball's call for every worthy young man to serve a mission has become the defining experience for a generation. _Into the Field_ takes the reader there with rich, evocative language and vivid characterization, with special attention to the minute-by-minute of spiritual life. Parkinson, in his missionary cycle, combines the spiritual and literary in a way that readers will find uniquely satisfying. Praise for _The MTC: Set Apart:_ "[This] novel has innate appeal for anyone who ever served a mission, and it's the best thing I've encountered thus far on the subject." ---Thomas F. Rogers "[Parkinson evokes a feeling] of aesthetic richness, of characters being fully and realistically developed, [and] a sense of honesty in depicting who these young men are and where they're coming from. . . . I was hooked on them in the same way that Willa Cather hooks me on her characters." ---Robert M. Hogge _"The MTC: Set Apart_ tackles the most difficult challenge facing LDS fiction: Can spiritual experience be depicted in simplicity and power without resorting to light-minded sentimentalty? . . . Parkinson shows us quiet moments of grace . . . that ring absolutely true to every believer's testimony and experience." ---Neal W. Kramer "[This book] is a wonderful examination of young and thoughtful and spiritual missionaries undertaking their missions---the MTC as Ship of Fools, and it works. . . . [I] love _The MTC;_ it's an important book." ---Richard H. Cracroft *Coupon* Print and clip this and mail it to the address below to receive the AML-List discount for Benson Parkinson's _Into the Field_ (regularly price $12.99). Name: ___________________________________ Address: ________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ E-mail: _________________________________ Send $10.00 x ______ (quantity) + $1.00 shipping = __________ to: _Into the Field,_ 696 E. 4500 S., South Ogden, UT 84403-3844 - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Christopher Bigelow" Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Nurse Betty_ Date: 11 Sep 2000 10:22:55 -0700 I saw the movie on opening night. It didn't really work for me. Too queasy = a mix of sentimentality and violence, and not overall convincing. It = surprised me how much it tried to be a crowd pleaser. The performances = were interesting at times but did not redeem the movie for me. The plot = was about as plausible as a soap opera--which I suppose was the clever = point, but not my kind of film. Of all the several national reviews of the = film I've read so far, many surprisingly positive, I agree most with = Newsweek: "Up to a point, we happily suspend our disbelief. But the script = . . . pushes its luck too far. Kinnear's blindness to Betty's madness goes = on too long; Freeman's obsession with the woman he's chasing neatly = parallels her romantic fantasies, but it doesn't ring true. Swerving from = viciousness to whimsy to dubious feminist fable, "Nurse Betty" doesn't = jell." Chris Bigelow - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Benson Parkinson Subject: [AML] PARKINSON, _Into the Field_ announcement Date: 11 Sep 2000 09:33:45 -0700 (MST) AML-List Friends, I launched AML-List about the time I published my first novel, _The MTC: Set Apart_ (Aspen, 1995). The idea of the list wasn't to promote my book but to raise interest in Mormon literature in a way that would benefit all of us. For the next five years I moderated the list, edited AML-List Magazine, and worked on the sequel, _Into the Field_, which is finally available, also through Aspen. We've never wanted AML-List to be used for commercial purposes, but we've generally allowed press releases and one-time offers to list members. So with Jonathan's permission, here's mine. The first novel, _The MTC: Set Apart_, followed four young men through their conversions, decisions to go on missions, and time in the MTC. The novel is written in a realistic style with emphasis on the character's psychology, including their spiritual life. (If the novel breaks any new ground, it's probably here.) _Into the Field_, the just-released sequel, follows the same four elders through their first year in the field. Both novels are available through online outlets like Amazon.com and through LDS bookstores, though you may have to ask for them. (_The MTC: Set Apart_ is in print but most stores have sold through their stock. As with a lot of literary novels aimed at LDS readers, we've had trouble getting _Into the Field_ in stores, but they can order it through Aspen or Origin.) My contract allows me to sell _Into the Field_ to friends (and I consider all AML-List subscribers friends). The book lists for $12.95. I can let subscribers have them for $10.00 each, plus $1 shipping. I'll post the cover copy separately, and I'll include a coupon at the bottom of this message--just print it and send it in. If you'd like me to sign copies or include a note, please let me know what you'd like me to put. Thanks for 5 great years on AML-List, and many more to come! Benson Parkinson *Coupon* Print and clip this and mail it to the address below to receive the AML-List discount for Benson Parkinson's _Into the Field_ (regularly price $12.99). Name: ____________________________________ Address: __________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ E-mail: ___________________________________ Send $10.00 x ______ (quantity) + $1.00 shipping = __________ to: _Into the Field,_ 696 E. 4500 S., South Ogden, UT 84403-3844 - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: debbro@voyager.net Subject: [AML] _Matrix_ (was: Galaxy Quest wins Hugo) Date: 11 Sep 2000 12:58:33 -0400 I myself was quite bored with the film, and still don't understand what all the hoopla was about. But, my husband loved it. Debbie Brown Andrew Piereder wrote: > Matrix was positively ground-breaking in every aspect. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Terry L Jeffress Subject: Re: [AML] Galaxy Quest wins Hugo Date: 11 Sep 2000 11:21:34 -0600 Scott and Marny Parkin wrote: > > Remember that the Hugo is voted on by the attendees of WorldCon--in > other words, by science fiction fans. GQ's depiction of fans as the > good guys made it the obvious choice of fandom everywhere. > > Every award has its politics. This time, the little guys won. > > Scott Parkin So how did you vote Scott?? -- Terry Jeffress - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "mcnandon" (by way of Jonathan Langford ) Subject: [AML] re: LABUTE, _Nurse Betty_ Date: 11 Sep 2000 17:33:51 -0500 Read more about _Nurse Betty_ and Neil LaBute by David Edelstein on http://slate.msn.com/MovieReview/. I found this very interesting. Nan McCulloch - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Neal Kramer Subject: Re: [AML] PARKINSON, _Into the Field_ announcement Date: 11 Sep 2000 13:10:59 -0600 As all of you read in my review of _Into the Field_ , I think this is a very fine novel, one which deserves broader advertising and a broader readership. Let me plug the book once again. For ten bucks, this novel is a steal. So "steal this book!" If this is allowable on the list, I'd encourage Benson to bring copies of both his novels to the AML Distinguished Lecture series so many of us can buy more copies there. Neal Kramer - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: [AML] Introductions: Ivan Wolfe Date: 11 Sep 2000 13:12:18 -0600 (MDT) Okay - Name: Ivan Amgus Wolfe Marital Satus: married to Alexandra McKenzie Wolfe. I have one daughter - Kara Morgan Wolfe, who is 14 1/2 months old. Occupation: Graduate student at BYU. I currently teach English 115 and I am also a research assistant on the Mormon Folksongs project with Professor Jill T. Rudy. Other stuff: I play the following insruments - Guitar, Bass Guitar, Irish Bouzouki, Bodhran, Mountain Dulcimer and Ukulele. I have an Irish/American/Jewish/Celtic Folk band called ORGANIC GREENS. http://organicgreens.freyellow.com My fiddle player (Nathan Christensen) and I both write original songs, which our band occassionaly play. I have a few rejection slips for some Science Fiction short stories I've written. My hometown is Homer, Alaska. I graduated from Ricks College before finishing my undergrad work at BYU. That's about all. --Ivan Wolfe - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Benson Parkinson Subject: [AML] PARKINSON, _Into the Field_ (erratum) Date: 11 Sep 2000 15:51:05 -0700 (MST) Folks, Somebody reminded me of something I left out in my offer to send list members a copy of _Into the Field_ for $11. This offer is from me, not Aspen, so make checks to me personally. Thanks, Benson Parkinson Formerly moderator, presently author and editor - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ViKimball@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Beaten to the Punch Date: 11 Sep 2000 18:21:40 EDT In a message dated 9/11/00 1:12:27 PM Central Daylight Time, tduncan@zfiction.com writes: << Has this happened to anyone else? You have a killer idea but just as you're starting on it, you learn that someone else more prominent than you, has already completed it? - >> Or, you propose a book to Deseret and they rave about what a great idea it is and then say "it doesn't fit our needs." Two years later you learn that someone is writing a series of books about that subject for Deseret. It happened to the Kimballs. Violet - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ruth Starkman Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Nurse Betty_ Date: 11 Sep 2000 20:27:30 -0700 Thom Duncan wrote: > Ruth Starkman wrote: > > > What I can say with a little more certainty is this: Taylor's position on LaBute strikes Eric as so "personal" because it seems > > more an occasion to defend the virtues of TV culture (what was this about television having " better writing than films" > > these days?) > > An example: _The West Wing_. Hands down the best written and > acted drama to come down the pike in years. Consistently good. > > -- > Thom Duncan > Thank you, a good case in point. And there are surely howlers on either side of the film/ tv fence as well. For that reason, I think I was trying to say that the opposition was (increasingly) spurious. --Ruth BTW: there's a NYtimes Magazine interview with Labute on Sunday 9-10. http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000910mag-qalabute.html - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Richard Johnson Subject: Re: [AML] PARKINSON, _Into the Field_ (erratum) Date: 12 Sep 2000 01:35:00 -0400 At 03:51 PM 9/11/2000 -0700, you wrote: >Folks, > >Somebody reminded me of something I left out in my offer to send >list members a copy of _Into the Field_ for $11. This offer is >from me, not Aspen, so make checks to me personally. > >Thanks, >Benson Parkinson >Formerly moderator, presently author and editor > I was in the west for six weeks (just returned a week ago). I went to four LDS bookstores looking for _Into the Field_, finally finding it at a Beehive bookstore in Idaho Falls. It sure isn't being marketed as well as _MTC Set Apart_ which seemed to be in all the bookstores- - even out here in the sticks. I recommend the book. Richard B. Johnson Husband, Father, Grandfather, Puppeteer, Playwright, Writer, Director, Actor, Thingmaker, Mormon, Person, Fool I sometimes think that the last persona is the most important http://www2.gasou.edu/commarts/puppet/ Georgia Southern University Puppet Theatre - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Beaten to the Punch Date: 12 Sep 2000 01:17:13 -0600 Thom Duncan wrote: > Has this happened to anyone else? You have a killer idea but > just as you're starting on it, you learn that someone else more > prominent than you, has already completed it? I also had the idea of writing a play based on _Carthage Conspiracy_, which of course was preempted by Slover. I once attended a workshop on writing Star Trek scripts, which gave you an in above and beyond the regular schmuck having your spec scripts looked at. But every great idea I came up with became an aired episode within two weeks. I don't _think_ they implanted a mind-reading chip into my brain during the coffee break. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Scott and Marny Parkin Subject: Re: [AML] Galaxy Quest wins Hugo Date: 12 Sep 2000 08:40:42 -0600 Terry L Jeffress wrote: >Scott and Marny Parkin wrote: > > > > Remember that the Hugo is voted on by the attendees of WorldCon--in > > other words, by science fiction fans. GQ's depiction of fans as the > > good guys made it the obvious choice of fandom everywhere. > >So how did you vote Scott?? Unfortunately, I didn't. As is my wont, I left my ballot sitting on the counter and didn't think to fill it out until two days after the deadline. Had I voted, though, I would have voted for _The Matrix_. I thought it was the best made film of the bunch (I did see all of them), that it made the most spectacular use of the medium, and had the most complex story (which isn't saying much since none of them were particularly complex). The best acting was done in _Sixth Sense_, but pretty much everything else goes to _The Matrix_, imo. I thought _Being John Malkovich_ was clever and quirky, but it just didn't fly for me overall; it was a one-trick pony whose trick got stale for me. (And it was mainstream, not sf, but that's a different discussion.) Despite the glowing praise it's received on this list, I didn't think _The Iron Giant_ was all that good. In fact, the movie deeply troubles me in ways that I'm having a hard time articulating. So there you go. I agree that _The Matrix_ was a better film, but see nothing wrong at all with _Galaxy Quest_ winning an award given by fans. Scott Parkin - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tony Markham Subject: Re: [AML] Beaten to the Punch Date: 12 Sep 2000 10:12:49 -0400 Thom Duncan wrote: > > > Has this happened to anyone else? You have a killer idea but > just as you're starting on it, you learn that someone else more > prominent than you, has already completed it? > The same exact year my book came out, so did a cheesy little direct-to-video movie, that, if you took away any of the artistry I might have aspired to and filled it in with gratuitous nudity, then they bore a pretty fair resemblance to each other. The main character in this bit of fluff (the movie, not my book) was "Tony Markham." It was called "Dinosaur Valley Girls" and I don't recommend it. The book was better. Tony Markham (no relation) [MOD: So, what was the book title?] - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Ivan Wolfe Date: 12 Sep 2000 10:11:12 -0600 (MDT) I must make two corrections to my intro post: (both due to embarrasing misspellings) > > Name: Ivan Angus Wolfe > I have an > Irish/American/Jewish/Celtic Folk band called ORGANIC GREENS. > http://organicgreens.freeyellow.com --Ivan Wolfe - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Terry L Jeffress Subject: [AML] Review Archive Update Date: 12 Sep 2000 10:57:21 -0600 New reviews added to the archive: 374 The Fiction by R. A. Christmas 375 Driving on the Lakebed by R. A. Christmas 376 My Servant Brigham: Protrait of a Prophet by Richard Holzapfel 377 Moroni: Ancient Prophet, Modern Messenger by H. Donl Peterson 378 Between Husband and Wife by Stephen E. Lamb 379 Stone Tables by Orson Scott Card 380 Scripture Scouts by Janice Kapp Perry, et al. 381 The Trial by Lindsey Phillip Dew 382 Latter Days: A Guided Tour Through Six Billion Years of Mormonism by Coke Newell 383 Images of a Mormon Prophet by Richard Holzapfel 384 One More River to Cross by Margaret Blair Young 385 The Principle by Kathryn Smoot Caldwell 386 Love Beyond Time by Nancy Campbell Allen Reviewer stats: 42 Jeff Needle 26 Harlow S. Clark 26 R. W. Rasband 14 Katie Parker 12 D. Michael Martindale 11 Benson Parkinson 10 Melassa Proffitt 10 Jana Bouck Remy This update should cover all reviews posted to AML-List up through 10 September 2000. If your review isn't archived, let me know and I'll make sure to electronically imortalize your work. -- Terry Jeffress AML-List Review Archivist - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Andrew Hall Date: 13 Sep 2000 03:32:02 JST I'm finally getting settled in from my travels around the world, and am ready to introduce myself. I've been married for almost 10 years to Jenifer Larson-Hall, and we have a 20-month old son, Lachlan, who we adopted as a newborn through LDS Social Services. He is a bundle of fun. Jen and I are both at the University of Pittsburgh, working on our PhDs. I'm getting a degree in Japanese History, and Jen is in Linguistics. We spent the last 16 months in Japan, not far from Tokyo, doing research for our dissertations. We got back to the States about three weeks ago, visited family in Washington and Utah, and just got back to Pittsburgh. My connection to Mormon Lit is as a fan. My parents had lots of Mormon books, including novels, lying around while I was growing up, and I read several of them. I became a serious fan in 1990, when Jenifer took Eugene England's Mormon lit class at BYU. I sat in on several of the classes, and read most of the texts. After we moved to Pittsburgh we had study groups with friends in the ward, and several times we read and discussed Mormon fiction. I wrote up a bibliography of Mormon lit of note for the study group, and have been adding to it ever since. With all the reccomendations that I hear on AML-List, I think it is up to 25 pages now. Whenever we go through Utah, I stock up on books from the used book stores and BYU. I've built up a pretty big collection. On the list I run the monthly poll, called, for lack of a better name, Andrew's Poll. Thanks to all who have participated. September's poll will be on Mormon drama. That's the end of my intro. For those interested enough to continue, a review of what I have read and seen lately follows: We spent a week in Provo at the end of August which was full of Mormon lit activities. They included: 1. We saw a production of Tim Slover's "A March Tale" at the Castle Theater in Provo. What a neat theater, whith a great view of the valley. Scott Bronson directed the play, and I briefly met Tim and Scott before it started, that was fun. Thom Duncan played Thomas a Kemp, and did a great job. Thom certainly looks different than I imagined--I immagined a skinny, beardless man, not the robust, bearded giant that he is. The play was lots of fun, most of the actors did a great job. I liked how Scott had them leave props on the state at the end of the scene, which would then be incorporated into the next scene. Only the sub-plot about Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway didn't work very well, I thought. It didn't engage me, and the resolution felt limp. The actor who played Shakespeare very much looked the part. 2. We saw God's Army at the dollar movie. We loved it, and even got the CD. Oh, the actor who played "Benny" in the movie was in A March Tale as well. 3. I watched the baby and went to Sam Weller's while Jen and our friends saw the new "Testaments" movie. They liked it, and I didn't find any good books, so that was a bummer. I'll see it next year. I did enjoy the Book of Mormon art exhibit at the Church Art Museaum, especially the monochrome paintings by Chinese artists. 4. Listened to the first volume of Dean Hughes' _Children of the Promise_ series while driving by myself from Utah to Pittsburgh (the others flew). What a great story! I'm going back to read the parts the CD cut out, and will soon move on to volume 2. Hughes' prose worked well, not very literary or anything, just clean and clear. The charachters are very interesting, especially the father and mother. I had never realized that WWII was such a watershead time in ending the cultural isolation that the Mormons had kept themselves in for so long. Hughes' portrayal of President Thomas' difficulty in dealing with this change was magnificant. Good for Hughes for having such success with the series. The actor who read the CD was fine, nothing special, but the editing was done very well. I didn't feel like anything was left out (although a lot was, I now see). 5. Bought the Dialogue issue on Mormon lit and the Irreantums that I didn't have at BYU bookstore. Fun stuff. I like what the Chandlers are doing with Dialogue. Too much was either negative or boring the last few years. I may have to resubscribe to it. 6. Bought the new books by Benson P., Margaret Y./Darius G., and Eric Sam. I look forward to them all. Jen is currently reading Margaret and Darius' book, and she loves it. We have lots of black members in our ward, so we'll probably buy some copies of the book as gifts. 7. BYU Studies asked me to submit a version of my AML-list review of Tom Rogers' book on his mission in Russia for their "Reviews in Brief" section. Cool. Well, that was a fun week, but now I've got to get back to Japanese history, so my time for reading literature will go back down to its normal level. If I find anything good, I'll tell you about it. Andrew Hall Pittsburgh, PA _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Melissa Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] Review Archive Update Date: 12 Sep 2000 12:46:33 -0600 On Tue, 12 Sep 2000 10:57:21 -0600, Terry L Jeffress wrote: > 10 Melassa Proffitt Love the new spelling of my name. :) Melissa Proffitt - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Brandi Rainey" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Brandi Rainey Date: 12 Sep 2000 13:47:13 -0700 due to a nagging idea that i may just be the AML underachiever of the year = ... i've been avoiding sending my response to the "introductions" vein. i = do little more than linger here, but i figure i can, at the very least, = say hello. i am a recent graduate of BYU, currently employed as a marketing project = manager for one of the myriads of multi-level marketing firms in the utah = valley. (i get to tell chris bigelow what to do on occasion - does wonders = for my sense of well-being). i'm originally from North Carolina and was blessed to serve a mission in = northern Italy. i am the single mother of three water frogs ... rozencrantz= , guildenstern, and ophelia. all of which, make me very proud. my association to mormon letters was inspired by Eugene England's LDS lit = class the last semester he taught at BYU. Emma Lou Thayne came to read her = poetry, and i have never been the same.=20 - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tony Markham Subject: [AML] Introductions: Tony Markham Date: 12 Sep 2000 15:50:37 -0400 Born and raised in Arkansas, a member of what was left of the Campbellites after missionaries to Kirtland raided this sect for much leadership of the early LDS church. I'm the only member in my family. After my baptism in Missouri, I loaded everything I owned into a Chevy panel wagon and headed west. Sort of my tribute to everyone else's pioneer ancestry. I stopped in Provo with less than $100 to my name, and thought I'd try BYU. Majored in Theater and Cinema, and consider myself a product of Tad Danielewski's workshop, where I met and worked with such notables as Chris Heimerdinger (sp?) and Neil LaBute. I always thought Kim Wright was the one destined for stardom (Apartment on the Dark Side of the Moon). Anybody know his whereabouts? I was a member of Doc Smith's "Class that wouldn't die" and I guess that makes me a charter member of the SciFi writer's group Xenobia, and the magazine "The Leading Edge." I have fond memories of both, mostly of Barbara Hume singing "Love Me All Night Long" in a low-cut red silk dress, stiletto heels, in a smoky bar in Springfield. Or maybe that was someone else. Other stuff happened, and now I'm teaching for SUNY, at a small branch in beautiful upstate. If I won a million dollars, I wouldn't change a thing. My connection to Mormon Literature is twofold. I taught in Rapid City, South Dakota for four years and was a colleague and weekly raquetball partner with Jack Weyland. Before he was asked to relocate to Rexburg. Invoke Lloyd Bentsen here: "I know Jack Weyland, I worked with Jack Weyland, and believe me, Mr. Quayle, you're no Jack Weyland." While there, I gave a presentation at the RMMLA creative writing session where speaker after speaker bashed Jack. I love him and it was hard to sit through. I'm glad he's collaborating with Card, and may get a bit more of the respect this decent and wonderful man deserves. Second, I wrote a book called "The Jackson Files" published in 1996 that may qualify as Mormon Literature. If anybody ever reads it they will let me know. I had the honor of a Pulitzer nomination for the novel, but the more you know about the nominating process, the less of a distinction that becomes. Currently I'm working on reading "Middlemarch," "The Bluest Eye," and "The Violent Bear It Away." I had resolved not to make another post until I'd finished those and the complete works of Alice Walker, but what with school starting and lots of other things, I bagged that resolution along with losing weight. Tony Markham - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Ryan Orrock" Subject: [AML] Plug for the LDS Authors List Date: 13 Sep 2000 09:20:11 +0200 Hi everybody, Just wanted to let all you "published LDS authors" know that we still have spots on the "published LDS writers list" at http://www.writerspost.com/mormonj/mjauthor.htm. LauraMaery Gold of "Mormons and the Internet" fame owns the site and I do all the work. :) Anyway, if you would like to contribute to another growing community of LDS writers, feel free to send a short bio with links to anything you have published to: Ryan Orrock - mailto:editor@ldswriters.net Thanks everybody! Ryan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ViKimball@aol.com Subject: [AML] Introduction: Violet Kimball Date: 13 Sep 2000 08:04:16 EDT Most people know me as the wife of Stanley B. Kimball, but just wait, I expect to have my fifteen minutes of fame any day now. Sometimes I think I'll change my name to Labute or Card or even Brown or Young so the literary elite of Mormondom will have a clue. I am a one of the "mature" writers on the list, and you can take that a lot of ways. My early ambition was to be an opera singer. I did a little of that, but not exactly at the Met. I started writing for local papers in the St. Louis area 20 years ago. I moved into the national arena with articles on a variety of subjects. I often submitted my own photographs. I once wrote an article on quilts for Quilt World. They used 13 of my slides and about 1500 words. I got paid $125, which next to The Ensign, pays about the least of any national publication. I did three articles for Women's World and was well-paid. They used three of my slides. I came to the writing life fairly late in life, but I intend to be the Grandma Moses of the literary set. I co-authored a tourist book on The Mormon Trail with Stanley, and my book on young pioneers was just published. It was five years of hard labor. Since it seems permissible to do a little self promoting on this list I will end with some comments by a past-president of the Oregon\California Trails Association. He read two of my first draft chapters five years ago. I plan on being in the SLC area for a week the last of Oct, and early Nov. The sales rep at Mountain Press is going to set up a signing and maybe I'll see some of you then. My book is geared to the teenage market and those who like to read have made some great comments. Violet. What a beautiful book! My copy arrived yesterday afternoon. I've been reading ever since and enjoying it thoroughly. Of all the books I've read on the emigration yours bring the story to life like no one else. You show a remarkable understanding of young people, not to mention this old timer who surely feels young as he reads some of the best human interest stories in memory. Good organization may not produce by itself good writing, but it certainly makes good writing possible. Your book is very well organized, exceptionally well written, and beautifully illustrated. The cover is striking. I'm especially delighted that you have looked up from the customary Mormon point of view to see and address a much wider audience of young readers. If this doesn't interest them in history nothing else ever will. Even though your kind mention of me is undeserved, you have honored me greatly by including my name in your acknowledgments. It is a pleasure to be identified with such a fine book. Dave Bigler I might point out that Dave Bigler is working with Will Bagley on some of the "Kingdom in the West" series for Arthur Clark Publishers. I had a contract to do a volume on Women's Trail Narratives, but had to pull out. Violet Kimball - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art (was: History and Fiction) Date: 12 Sep 2000 13:02:02 -0700 On Wed, 06 Sep 2000 09:35:18 -0500 "Todd Robert Petersen" writes: > To pursue art as a Christian has always been a kind of schizoid behavior. > It bothered Donne a great deal. The question becomes, "How can I > praise God with my art when the people checking it out end up > praising me, the artist and not you, God?" Might I suggest Donne's concern is arrogant, though perhaps less arrogant than worrying that if he doesn't write well people will refuse to believe? Donne arrogates to himself a responsibility he can't possibly fulfill. He cannot respond to his work for me. Whether I end up praising him or praising God is not something he can control. The only logical response to his concern is to stop writing, but it is death to hide that one Talent. (Hey, that's kind of catchy. Someone ought to write a sonnet around that line. Maybe I could ere half my days are done.) Why can't I praise both the compass/phallus image in "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning," and the Being who will finally rob--has already robbed--death of its pride? Donne should worry instead about his own motives in writing. As should we all. Now that sounds rude, 'Mind your own business, Johnny-boy.' I think what I mean is that if he's going to worry about anything he should worry about responses and desires that come from him, not responses toward him. But I'm not sure he should examine his own desires either. All of us want to be praised for doing well what we do well. Who of us wouldn't want to win the Literary Moronian Associates Unfinished Brown Novel Award? (LMA chose an awkward name for itself. I suppose it's _Moronian_ because the normal English adjective form of _Moroni_ would be _Moronic_. Maybe a name change would be in order?) I'd sure like to win that special chicken dish Aunt Pearl Farley gives out each year to award outstanding performance, the Pullet Surprise, or that literary award the Association of Noble Gas Scientists & Technicians set up--a real dynamite award. I imagine most of us would--but that doesn't mean our motives for writing are suspect, or morally questionable. > The ideal of consecration requires LDS people to dedicate our time > and talents to the building up of the kingdom. We who are > committed to the idea of Zion should be trembling a little as we > write, wondering if we are living up to it. At any rate, I worry > about that all the time. It is true that our consecration requires artists and lawyers and doctors and students and homemakers and dentists and plumbers and cement layers and network administrators and nurses and home health aids and all manner of other professionals to help build the kingdom. But I'm not sure it requires people to justify developing their talents--beyond simply developing them. I suggest that developing our talents _is_ the justification for using them based partly on the Parable of the Talents. In the guise of a deeply sarcastic comment it makes a very, very generous statement about what uses of a talent are acceptable. Maybe 1000 years ago, and maybe 8 or 900 years before that, some priest rose up in Mass to give his homily after first reading the Parable of The Talents, and changed the parable's metaphorical sense from a story about stewardship for physical goods to a story about stewardship for mental, spiritual, or physical abilities. "Now each of us has a talent. Some may have a talent for stone work, some for plowing a field, some for making wheels or fletching arrows. Some may have a talent for making things of wood or metal or words. Some may have a talent for hearing the Lord's word and letting in grow in our souls. Our Lord desires that we develop these talents and return them to him, some tenfold, some fivefold, some twofold." That interpretation of the parable is so much a part of our culture that we rarely stop to wonder how the name for a measure of money came to denote a physical or intellectual gift. And I think we miss some of the astonishment we ought to see in the parable. I'm not sure how else to react to the suggestion that any use, even an evil use, of our talents is better than hiding them. The servant with one talent accuses the Lord of being a usurer, of taking something that was not his to take and profiting from it. "Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou has not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed" (Matthew 25:14). He's accusing his Lord of a deep evil, apparently hoping the Lord will be too stunned to reply. The Lord replies that if he is a usurer the servant should have loaned out his talent and returned it for profit. It's hard for us to understand the emotional content that reply would have had for 100s of years of Christians because, as Eric D. Dixon (16-MAR-2000 Re: Artist's Influence) reminded us a few months back, our current economy depends heavily on credit. The point of giving the servants money, rather than, say, real property, is to give them something essentially dead and have them return it as a living thing, something that can increase. If you want a better sense of how iconoclastic the Lord's reply is, of the emotional content that reply might have held for earlier audiences, recast the parable: <<<<< And the great Editor called her writers to her and to the first she gave a taste for words, an eye for imagery, an ear for rhythm, a feel for figures of speech, and the bouquet of rich style. To the second she gave a keen sense of story and narrative pacing, and the ability to work long hours creating engaging characters. To the third she gave a love of words, and took her leave. Straightway the first went and recorded her observations in notebooks and began writing lyrics of surpassing beauty, which often made their way into college classrooms. The second wrote long novels that attracted wide readership, though critics often remarked that his imagery and rhythm were a bit clunky, and there weren't a lot of memorable phrases. The third went and hid his talent, afraid of the problems his love of words might cause. After a time the great Editor returned and asked her writers what they had done with the gifts she had given them. The first presented five volumes of poetry, a work of criticism, a memoir, a play, a collection of personal essays and some short fiction, each containing something written by her children. "Well done, thou good and faithful savant. You have done well with your talents and greatly blessed your family. I will give you world enough, time, and many words to write." The second presented 4 blockbuster novels and a check to fund a little magazine he hoped would chart many new literary waters. "Weldon, you good, faithful servant, you've toiled long and well in my literary vineyards. I now give you a finer sense of imagery, better style, more depth in your characterization." The third said, "I know you for an exploitive employer, who like Amazon.com and Guru.com demands 'a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicenseable (through multiple tiers) right to exercise all copyright and publicity rights, in any media now known or not currently known,' to my work, without any recompense, so I buried my talent, unwilling to work under those conditions. Have your talent back." "So you heard about my plan to profit from your words and leave you nothing. Well at least you could have set up a child-porn website with a little sadism thrown in and given me some profit on the talent I gave you." And the great Editor turned to her personal assistant and said, "Throw him into the bottom of the great dark slush pile, and take his love of words and give it to the novelist." (And the assistant said, "Ma'am, he has five talents already.") "I tell you truly, those who worry that their offerings will not be acceptable will never be allowed to offer them." >>>>> Of course the Great Editor is being deeply sarcastic, no one makes money off a website. It's obvious the third writer's accusation is dishonest. The Great Editor (unlike Guru.com and Amazon.com) has laid no claim to work she didn't produce. Similarly, in the original parable it is obvious that the 3rd laborer's accusation is dishonest. When the Lord was dispensing talents he made no conditions, and we know from how he treats the first two that his manner is gracious, not hard. What I find wonderfully generous is that the parable does nothing to counter the Lord's suggestion that even the most evil thing we can do with our talent is better than hiding it. There's no commentator to say, "Of course, you really shouldn't go out and lend your talent for usury (or use it to build a child porn website) that's just a little bit of hyperbole." (I'll save for another post my comment on a story that does have a narrator commenting on every action, so we can't enjoy the story.) The parable trusts us to understand that if we are using our talents with a sense of where they come from we won't use them badly, and suggests that even if we don't use them as well as we could developing them will be more acceptable than not. If all things are spiritual to God, surely it's possible that all gifts from God have the capacity to pull us Godward if we use them, even if we don't use them very well. Harlow Soderborg Clark ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 12 Sep 2000 23:51:02 -0600 I caught the first two of the three plays in Neil Labute's _Bash_ that was aired on Showtime. I was only able to watch snatches of the third and didn't get enough of it to even be sure what was going on, let alone comment intelligently about it. So I don't consider this an official review and won't write it as such. What I learned from viewing _Bash_ is, you really can separate aesthetics and morality in art. Aesthetically, the two plays were magnificent. The writing sang, and the gradual, almost seductive descent from casual conversation into bone-chilling tragedy was perfection in its timing. No one could come away from these two plays without deep thoughts and troubled emotions. But in both plays there were LDS references--heavily in the first, very lightly in the second. The way these references were handled did not reflect positively on LDS people. In fact, they reinforced ugly stereotypes of religious people that non-religious people often entertain. Choices in art are trade-offs and come at a price. If the results are worth the price, a disturbing choice can still be accepted. The price for negative LDS references that reinforce ugly stereotypes is high, and I saw no value coming out of that artistic choice that came close to making the price worth it. The second play would have not been affected one iota by deleting the references. The references in the first play were more intimately intertwined in the story, yet I feel that they contributed very little to the effectiveness of the overall theme. Nothing was gained by making the references specifically LDS. A little was gained by having the characters be religious, but not enough, in my opinion, to warrant the price. There is one exception that I hesitate to dismiss so easily. At one point, an off-screen character that had just committed a horrible act of violence pulled out his vial of consecrated oil and blessed his victim. That moment clearly required the religious, and even specifically LDS, reference to have its full impact. No other moment in either play came close to requiring the LDS references to the degree of that particular moment. But the play would still have been a powerful and troubling statement without any religious references, and indeed may have been more universally applicable without them, since the references give non-religious audience members an out: those horrible religious bigots, look what they are capable of--but not me! The added impact afforded the play by making the characters LDS was not worth the price. One could argue that such violent people do exist among LDS members, and therefore such a story needs to be told. But how will this play--even in the form of a film on Showtime--reach such an audience? The chances of that happening are negligible. The audience it _is_ reaching are those who in many cases already have a certain preconception of religious people, a preconception which is neither flattering nor universally accurate, and this play only reinforces it. Rather than attacking bigotry, which I assume was Labute's intent, his play ends up feeding it. Even jaded New York critics pointed out that unintended effect. Artistically, _Bash_ is a great success. Morally, it fails its own purpose and therefore falls short, causing harm where harm was not needed for the artistic success. _Bash_ is a prime example of good art that is at the same time morally dubious. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Christopher Bigelow" Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Tony Markham Date: 13 Sep 2000 13:22:21 -0700 Tony wrote of Weyland: <<>> To what does this refer, exactly? Chris Bigelow - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ViKimball@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Brandi Rainey Date: 13 Sep 2000 15:54:53 EDT In a message dated 9/13/00 2:17:59 PM Central Daylight Time, BrandiR@enrich.com writes: << i'm originally from North Carolina and was blessed to serve a mission in northern Italy. i am the single mother of three water frogs ... rozencrantz, guildenstern, and ophelia. all of which, make me very proud. >> I am LOL. Anyone from N.C. who is a single mother of anything gets my cheerful hello. I am a tar heel myself. Violet - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Brent J. Rowley" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Brent "BJ" Rowley Date: 13 Sep 2000 16:29:55 -0600 I guess I should (re)introduce myself, instead of just sitting here lurking all the time. My name is Brent Rowley. I was on this list a couple of years ago, but dropped off when my life got complicated. (actually it was mostly because of an unfavorable review my book received from a couple of members ...... but I'm over that now ...... NOT!) I live in Orem, Utah, where I work full-time as a Network Engineer. I've spent most of my life here, with the exception of a couple of years in Central America working for the church. (and a couple of years in South America as a missionary.) ((and a couple of other years in Wyoming...)) (((and then there was North Carolina ...))) ((((and, ...)))) Okay, so I get around. I don't know if I really fit in with this group of obviously well educated, totally-immersed-in-literature types of folks. I certainly don't consider myself very literary at all. But I DO enjoy reading all the posts by the regulars--on just about every subject imaginable. It IS very entertaining, and maybe even educational at times. So I guess I'll hang around and lurk for awhile. My connection to Mormon Lit is dubious, at best. I was fortunate enough to have a pair of books published, which landed me in the official "published LDS authors" club, for what that's worth. We sold several thousand and thought we were really on a roll--and ready for book three--when the rug was suddenly yanked out from under, and my publisher gave me the pink slip. (long, sad story) I was instantly out-of-print and out-of-commission for a couple of years. (coincidentally this happened at the exact same time that my first book was nominated, and became one of the five finalists, for the Golden Duck Award For Excellence In Children's Science Fiction Literature [awarded annually at WorldCon] ... go figure.) Recently, however, I have decided to take the plunge and do the self-publishing thing, in spite of Scott Card's best efforts at convincing me otherwise. Gradually, I'm beginning to see the wisdom in his arguments. This is ONE SCARY UNDERTAKING. But what's done is done, and now all that's left is to make the best of it. I have re-published my original two books, with new covers and extensive re-writes, and have added book three to the series. With Evans Book handling the distribution, we're making headway ... gradually. I'm still writing, every chance I get, and plan to publish a couple more books next year, if things work out this season. At any rate, that's me. Thanks for letting me lurk. -BJ Rowley * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Have you gone "Inviz" lately? Check out "Missing Children," Volume Three in the "Light Traveler Adventure Series." Exciting and Action-Packed Out-Of-Body Adventure -- by BJ Rowley http://www.bjrowley.com - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Richard Johnson Subject: Re: [AML] Review Archive Update Date: 13 Sep 2000 19:03:16 -0400 At 10:57 AM 9/12/2000 -0600, you wrote: >New reviews added to the archive: > Checking the archives I found two that I could remember writing which were not listed. The first:_ "something" re The Blood Tribunal_ I have not yet found in my own archives. The second was a review of _The Gathering_. I have found it in my zip drive, and am sending it for archival purposes. If I have received a "free" book, I feel that the publisher deserves his (or her) money's worth. Review, _The Gathering: Mormon Pioneers on the Trail to Zion_ by Maurine Jensen Proctor and Scot Facer Proctor. 1996 Deseret Book Company. 226 paged, $ 49.95. Reviewed by Richard B. Johnson, Statesboro, GA> I have never begun a review with a personal odyssey story, but in this case, I feel that I must . I volunteered for a review early in the spring because I knew I would have some spare time to do a review during the summer. Benson has said to expect our books soon and to get them back within thirty days. No book arrived during summer. When I finally received the book, in the fall, school had started and I was deep into projects that included a full rewrite of the university curriculum in preparation for a shift from the quarter system to the semester system. (No, I don't have to do it ALL, but I am suddenly on four new committees that meet weekly, all of them waiting impatiently for some dumb report I have written in the mean time). The time press has converted me from a contributor to a lurker on the list. When I opened the package, I found a COFFEE TABLE BOOK. I wouldn't want to put down coffee table books, I own several, mostly about Unicorns, Dragons and Angels, and when my children were younger and when Was more faithful about family home evenings, some of our evenings were taken up sitting in a circle as daddy or mommy turned the pages of a coffee table book, but I had never _thought_ about reviewing a coffee table book. =20 It isn't that reviews are unfamiliar to me. I have written reviews for professional books, novels, short stories, journal articles, and more than a hundred plays (both scripts and performances). I even supplemented my family income at one time by doing oral book reviews for women's literary societies (which really dates me to people who remember when that phenomenon was popular), but I realized, when I removed this book from its cover, that I didn't have the vaguest idea how to critique a "coffee table book". What is most important, the photography, the text, what? My immediate reaction was to place it in the appropriate place (the coffee table/ --should those be herbal tea tables, or soft drink tables in good Mormon homes?). Once or twice a day I would walk by it- primarily to reinforce some good Mormon guilt, reminding myself that soon Benson would be tapping his toe wondering when I was going to get at it. (I had been foolish enough to let him know when the book finally arrived, so that I couldn't just assume that he wouldn't know it had come.) Finally, I sat down on the loveseat by the "coffee table" and determined to read the darn thing through. I did it. It was a remarkably painless experience. The pictures were pretty. Some of them seemed a little anachronistic: I wasn't sure what a pile of newly cut oak trees told me about Council Bluffs, or another row of felled oak trees said about Locust Grove, in fact I became aware gradually that the authors really liked oak trees and that many of the pictures were either of, or framed by, oak trees. As I read the historical text, I was caught by the very personal nature of much of the narrative, but the thought occurred that as church history, it sure wasn't Leonard Arrington. The only really enduring sensation of that first reading as a sense of "tone" in the language. It is difficult to define, but as I read the text, I heard it in my mind as if it were read aloud by Richard L.. Evans or Charlton Heston, or Michael Rennie (the voice of Peter and of Christ in many 1940's and 50's biblical movies). I felt like I had heard the text as much as read it, a quite remarkable sensation. I still had no idea how to write about this, or even if I really wanted to be affirmative or negative. I began to get an involuntary feel for my own opinions when I rode with my son to Orlando where he spent his time auditioning for _Jeopardy_ and I spent mine doing some temple sessions followed by a prowl through the Orlando LDS Bookstore. On my prowl, I found myself looking for _The Gathering_. Not finding a copy, I mentioned it to the lady behind the counter, who felt sure that they had some. She went out into the stacks with me and on a "coffee table" in the front of the store she found three copies, covered up by some other Mormon coffee table books. She looked at me expectantly and I blushed, realizing that I had put her out to find a fifty dollar book that I didn't want to buy because I already had a free copy. I then talked her into a more attractive display with the book standing, open. She probably thought I was one of the Proctors, especially because, by the time I left the store I had sold two of the visible copies to people who probably had come into the story looking for "Leonard Arrington" books. As I listened to my own sales pitch to these poor souls who didn't know, when they came into the store, that the answer to all their needs would be a coffee table book about the trek of saints from England to Utah, I realized that I really liked the book. When I got home I decided to get right at this review and ran into another problem; one of habit. If you could see copies of things I have reviewed in the past you would see that they look disgusting. I use highliters (in the old days it was colored pencils), marking passages that I wish to quote affirmatively with blue, "more analysis" is marked yellow (becoming green if they ever get the blue mark) and Pink is YUKKY. I also fold over pages, insert multiple book marks torn from yellow legal pads clipped in with paper clips, etc. I sat down with my tools, looked at this book and said to my self in Richard L. Evens tones. "I'm not going to mess up this book, not unless they are going to send me another when I am through, and I don't consider that likely. I Xeroxed some pages that I could mark appropriately and proceeded to toil through a somewhat stiffly written generally favorable review of the book, noting a little about each of the six segments taking us from the Apostolic callings in America to the missions of Wilford Woodruff and Dan Jones in Great Britain, the arrival of British Saints a Nauvoo and the travel by wagon and handcart to the west. I particularly enjoyed vignettes, many of them already familiar, taken from the journals and lives of the saints of the time. I came to the office this morning determined to send off this review as soon as my classes were finished for the day. As I loaded my mailer program to send this away, messages began to come in, and one of the first was the Deseret Book Company publicity release for the book. As I read the two side by side I knew that I couldn't send the first review. In some ways they were too similar, yet didn't say enough (although the PR release is mostly verbatim from the inside cover of the book=97the use of which was an idea that had come to me in my early dealings with the book) The final stop on my odyssey has been to spend two hours scrapping and rewriting what had been done before. By the way, the press release brought to my attention a fact that I missed in reading the dust cover, that Maureen Jensen Proctor had been a writer for _The Spoken Word_ a fact that could explain the sense of "tone" that I mentioned earlier. Here it is, I recommend the book, I am glad I have it, I have even learned to love the oak trees. I look forward to reviewing another book, in a less hectic quarter (and hope it is not a "coffee -punch, herbal tea - table"= book Richard B. Johnson Richard B. Johnson Husband, Father, Grandfather, Puppeteer, Playwright, Writer, Director, Actor, Thingmaker, Mormon, Person, Fool I sometimes think that the last persona is the most important http://www2.gasou.edu/commarts/puppet/ Georgia Southern University Puppet Theatre - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Todd Robert Petersen" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 14 Sep 2000 08:28:37 -0500 Harlow wrote: > It is true that our consecration requires artists and lawyers and doctors > and students and homemakers and dentists and plumbers and cement layers > and network administrators and nurses and home health aids and all manner > of other professionals to help build the kingdom. But I'm not sure it > requires people to justify developing their talents--beyond simply > developing them. But I was not speaking of developing them but pointing out that we're told in no uncertain terms that we are to dedicate our time and talents "to the building up of the kingdom." Justification is part of that, has to be part of that. Just to develop them means nothing really. I think that simply "having" talents but not using them in a social or community way (which of course means to better your friends, neighbors, etc.) is very much like the old candle and bushelbasket issue also brought up in the scriptures. I tell my students that it is not enough to know what you're doing, but you need to know what it IS that you're doing, WHY you're doing what you're doing, and What the world gets from what you're doing. To not be concerned with these kinds of things makes an artist a kind of hobbyist--happy, to be sure--or doing right as Harlow suggested--but really just someone who is pursuing a high, often very high, level of self-amusement. Now, self-amusement has never been part of the gospel. So, how could it be part of an art we choose to call LDS? -- Todd Robert Petersen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tony Markham Subject: Re: [AML] Weyland/Card Collaboration? Date: 14 Sep 2000 10:23:25 -0400 --------------CE2BD6B445C27AE53AEC2C30 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Christopher Bigelow wrote: > Tony wrote of Weyland: > > << of the respect this decent and wonderful man deserves.>>> > > To what does this refer, exactly? > It was just an item I read on one of the lists, maybe even this one, that Jack W. and Scott C. were involved in some project. Probably as co-editors, but the details slip away (as with so much else) with time. Maybe someone else knows more. Or if you were asking about what kinds of decency and wonderfulness I was referring to, I'll try to come up with some telling examples. Tony Markham --------------CE2BD6B445C27AE53AEC2C30 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit  
Christopher Bigelow wrote:
Tony wrote of Weyland:

<<<I'm glad he's collaborating with Card, and may get a bit more
of the respect this decent and wonderful man deserves.>>>

To what does this refer, exactly?
 


It was just an item I read on one of the lists, maybe even this one, that Jack W. and Scott C. were involved in some project.  Probably as co-editors, but the details slip away (as with so much else) with time.  Maybe someone else knows more.

Or if you were asking about what kinds of decency and wonderfulness I was referring to, I'll try to come up with some telling examples.

Tony Markham
  --------------CE2BD6B445C27AE53AEC2C30-- - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ViKimball@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Introduction: Violet Kimball & Tony Markham Date: 14 Sep 2000 20:17:33 EDT In a message dated 9/14/00 1:20:43 PM Central Daylight Time, wwbrown@burgoyne.com writes: << I was so impressed to read about Violet Kimball's work--and Dave Bigler's comment! Is the book in the local bookstores yet, Violet? >> Thanks, Marilyn. I don't know if it is in local stores there, but it's at Barnes & Noble, 10% discount. It's paperback and only $14.00, so I think their price was $12.80. I know Deseret Book has ordered some copies but I don't know if they have been delivered yet. Violet Stories of Young Pioneers: In Their Own Words, Mountain Press. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 15 Sep 2000 00:05:39 -0600 Todd Robert Petersen wrote: > Now, self-amusement has never been part of the gospel. So, how could it be > part of an art we choose to call LDS? I must have missed that official declaration. When was self-amusement made a sin? I could have sworn that taking time for personal recreation was an important part of a human's mental and physical health. Last time I checked, life was for being happy, not denying ourselves everything that could possibly be enjoyable. That's an old apostate notion. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Todd Robert Petersen" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 15 Sep 2000 10:29:37 -0500 D. Michael Martindale had the following objection: > I must have missed that official declaration. When was self-amusement > made a sin? I could have sworn that taking time for personal recreation > was an important part of a human's mental and physical health. I think my point has been missed here in a way that this point is often missed. Self-amusement and personal recreation are not really the same thing, but people often try to conflate them for fear of drifting toward the puritanical or for fear that their liberties might be enfringed upon by some lurking hybrid of Matthew Arnold, John Ruskin, and Jesse Helms. (Let me assure you that I bear no resemblence to any of the above). In the above reaction, D. Michael, you put forth "personal recreation" as a step in a process that leads toward some kind of virtuous (or in the jargon, sublimated) goal, namely health. So let me ask this question: why IS our health important to God? Does He wants us to be healthy only for the sake of being healthy or is so that we can participate in the gospel plan at a higher level? Do we eat only because things taste good? Do we make love only because it feels good? Do we have children only to ensure the survival of the species? No, we do not. The best things in this life have some kind of virtuous goal behind them, or rather at their end. I don't think the brethren would have any problem with a statement like that. So I don't imagine that it's an "old apostate notion." Self-amusement is merely killing some time, like most television watching, like most video game playing, like most of the attention paid to sporting events, like most of the pulp writing that passes for art (or tries to assert itself as such). D. Michael Martindale again: > Last time I checked, life was for being happy, not denying ourselves > everything that could possibly be enjoyable. Yes, this is true to a certain extent; however, we are supposed to "put aside the natural man" and "be in the world but not of it" among other things. Just because life is for being happy doesn't give us license to welcome all things into our lives that could possibly be enjoyable. In fact, part of life is learning to navigate the narrow path between the life of the puritanical aescetic and the hedonistic glutton. I know people who like looking at pornography, one could even say that they enjoy it. I know people who get enjoyment from cocaine, bourbon, heroin. So mere enjoyment is not sufficient for gospel growth. In fact, sometimes "enjoyment" doesn't lead to health. There is a middle path, to borrow from the Taoists, and that is what I'm really trying to describe. -- Todd Robert Petersen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jacob Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 15 Sep 2000 11:35:00 -0600 On Fri, 15 Sep 2000 00:05:39 -0600, D. Michael Martindale wrote: >Todd Robert Petersen wrote: > >> Now, self-amusement has never been part of the gospel. So, how could = it be >> part of an art we choose to call LDS? > >I must have missed that official declaration. When was self-amusement >made a sin? I could have sworn that taking time for personal recreation >was an important part of a human's mental and physical health. Last time >I checked, life was for being happy, not denying ourselves everything >that could possibly be enjoyable. That's an old apostate notion. There's a quote by Brigham Young that I love to drag out enough that I should probably memorize the reference. When asked how to best regulate your day, he cut the day into 8 hour chunks. One chunk for sleep, one = for work, and one for casual pursuits. Everyone thinks that just because he = was such a brilliant businessman that he fits the modern concept of that distinction. Jacob Proffitt - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jason Steed" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 15 Sep 2000 11:14:07 PDT >Todd Robert Petersen wrote: > > > Now, self-amusement has never been part of the gospel. So, how could it >be > > part of an art we choose to call LDS? > >D. Michael Martindale wrote: >I must have missed that official declaration. When was self-amusement >made a sin? I could have sworn that taking time for personal recreation >was an important part of a human's mental and physical health. Last time >I checked, life was for being happy, not denying ourselves everything >that could possibly be enjoyable. That's an old apostate notion. I haven't been following this thread too closely, but I want to interject a few comments. 1) I take Todd's "self-amusement" as referring, or at least being related, to "loud laughter and light mindedness"--and if taken in this way, then Todd's right: these things are not "part of the gospel" and we have been cautioned, even commanded to avoid them. So, if going against a directive/commandment is considered sin, and we accept my linkage of self-amusement with loud laughter and light mindedness, then self-amusement HAS been made a sin. 2) On the other hand, "self-amusement" might refer to all kinds of things that are not necessarily linkable to "loud laughter and light mindedness." Michael attempts, for instance, to equate it with "personal recreation." Certainly we would not want to call this a "sin"--but notice that Todd doesn't do this. Michael is the one who introduces the concept of "sin" into the discussion. Even if we accept Michael's linkage of "self-amusement" with "personal recreation," it is possible for Todd to make his claim: that "personal recreation" was never a "part of the gospel." Not being part of the gospel does not necessarily mean "sin." After all, going swimming is personal recreation; it is not a sin; but it is also not really part of the gospel. 3) So, if self-amusement (whatever that may refer to) is not a part of the gospel, as Todd asserts (though this may still be disputable, depending on how we define it), and if we are trying to concentrate our lives on the gospel, then perhaps self-amusement ought to be avoided. Note: this is a far cry from asserting that we should "deny ourselves everything that could possibly be enjoyable," as Michael suggests. Presumably, we will find the gospel enjoyable (we are not a masochistic religion, like some). And, in fact, (this is where arguments against Todd's assertion might be made) I think that much of what is done within the gospel may become a source of self-amusement. IOW, I may experience self-amusement (depending on how we define it) from, or at least in the course of, serving others. Jason _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jonathan Langford Subject: [AML] AML Writer's Conference: Announcement, Call for Volunteers Date: 15 Sep 2000 15:38:46 -0500 The AML Writer's Conference is to be held on Saturday, November 4 of this year at UVS. Anyone in the area close by who is interested in helping us with it should contact Michael Martindale, 943-8988, or John Bennion, 489-4061 or 378-3419, or Scott Bronson, 226-7876 or 225-474?. We need people to make signs, preside over sessions, tape sessions, etc. Marilyn Brown - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] 90s Mormon plays Date: 16 Sep 2000 04:05:41 JST I'm going to do a poll of our favorite Mormon plays (by, for, or about Mormons) from the 1990s next week, and I figured there are probably not so many that we can't try to list them all first. I have jotted down in my bibliography whenever one has been mentioned on this list, but I'm sure I've missed several, especially from before 1995. So I'd like those in the know to please glance over this list, and tell me what I've missed or gotten wrong. I was planning on limiting it to plays that have been produced and/or published, but I have let a few slip through that have just had public readings, say at a Sunstone symposium or Mormon Arts Festival. So if you know of any others like that, I'll include them. I try to include where it has been published, when applicable, and where it was performed. Also, who has won AMl-prizes for drama in the 90s? I just know about a couple. NON-MUSICALS Arrington, James. "Wilford Woodruff: God's Fisherman" (with Tim Slover). Sunstone Feb. 1992. "The Prophet". Ricks, 1996. Several contrasting views of Joseph Smith. "Tumuaki! Matthew Cowley Speaks". Hawaii, 1997. BYU 1998. Bell, Elouise. "Aunt Patty Remembers -- An Evening with Patty Bartlett Sessions, 1795-1891". c.1995. One-woman show of a pioneer sister's life. Bell, James. "Prisoner". BYU, 1994. National award for best new student play. About a Vietnam POW. Blackwell, Adam. "Blind Dates". BYU, 1995. About date rape. Boulter, Adam. "Prodigals". BYU, 1994. Free agency SF. Brady, Josh. "Joyce Baking". BYU, 1998. "Great Gardens!". BYU, 1998. Inscape, 1999. Bronson, Scott. "Quietus & Other Stories". BYU, 1996. Orson Scott Card stories. "Confessions", Wasatch Review International, 1994. "Alters". Sunstone, Sept. 1997. Abraham and Isaac. One act. Chandler, Neal. "Appeal to a Lower Court". Sunstone, Dec. 1990. The Heubener story from the POV of the Branch President. Christiansen, Alisha. "Minerva Teichert". One woman play at the BYU Museum. 199?. Hales Harding, Marianne. "Never Mind the Forecast". 1997, Ohio U. Ohio/Missouri era saints. "Hold Me". One-act performed at the 1999 Mormon Arts Festival, at festivals in NYC in 2000. Hammond, Wendy. "The Ghostman" 1991. About sexual abuse by a local priesthood leader. "Julie Johnson". Dramatists Play Service, 1995. Woman chooses gay independence over marriage. Based on Hammond's experiences with choosing whether to remain in the Church. "The Hole". CMU, 1997. Mormon couple moves from innocence to cynicism. Retitled "Absence". Hanson, Elizabeth, "A High and Glorious Place". BYU, 1996. One woman play on Eliza R. Snow. A version of the play appeared on KBYU in 1997 as "Eliza and I". "A String of Pearls". BYU, 1996. About a group of women during WWII.. Hawkins, Lisa. "Change the Night to Day". 1996. BYU. Kidnapped sister missionaries. Howe, Susan. "A Dream for Katie". 1992 BYU Women's Conf. Jensen, Julie. "Two-Headed". 1999. About the Mountain Meadows Massacre and polygamy. Non-Mormon, from Beaver. Kimball, Jim. "Remembering Uncle Golden". One-man show. Kushner, Tony. _Angels in America: A gay Fantasia on National Themes. Part 1: Millennium Approaches; Part 2: Perestroika._ Theatre Communications Group, 1993, 1994. Pulitzer prize winners. LaBute, Neil. _Bash : Latterday Plays_. Overlook, 1999. Off-Broadway and London. Three one acts. One, "A Gaggle of Saints", appeared as Bash in Sunstone, December 1995. About gay-bashing youth. Also "Media Redux" and "Iphigenia in Orem". "Sanguinarians (& Sycophants)". BYU, Chicago, 1990. "In the Company of Men". BYU, 1992. 1993 AML Prize. Later a successful film, which he wrote and directed, in 1997. Screenplay published in 1997, by Faber & Faber. "Men of God". 199?, BYU. Directed by Scot Bronson. A profile also listed the following plays: "Filthy Talk for Troubled Times", "Rounder", and "Ravages". Laguna, Alfredo and Alejandro. "Los Santos y sus Suenos". GRETA Hispanic theater in SLC. Larsen, Paul. "The Raid and Trial of George Q. Cannon". 1996 at the Utah State Bar. 1997 at U of U. Livingston, Scott. "Free at Last". Performed at BYU, Spring 1996. About black investigators and missionaries in Tennessee in 1978. Newbold, Bruce. "In Him was Life" 1998. One man reenactment of incidents from the life of Christ. Pace, David and Paul Toscono. "Hydrogen Bond". Read at 1996 Sunstone. About an excommunication. Paxton, Robert. "A Sense of Things". Inscape, 1991. "A Dream Deferred". BYU thesis, 1991. "Pricing Tomatoes". 1993. Abram and television at Ur. "Brother Joseph" 1992. One man, two-act, performed at UNLV. "What Wondrous Things". 1993. Full-length comedy on Nephi and Laban. MFA thesis. 1998 Mormon Arts festival production. "Heir to the Covenant". 1995. Polygamy in Nauvoo, read at Ceder City. AML discussion. Pearson, Carol Lynn. "Mother Wove the Morning". 1990. A one woman play. (or was it first produced in the 80s?) Rogers, Thomas. _Heubener and Other Plays._ Poor Robert's, 1992. Includes "Heubener", "Fire in the Bones", "Gentle Barbarian", "Frere Lawrence", and "Charades". "First Trump." 1998. Available on Gideon Burton's Mormon Literature site. Samuelson, Eric. "Accommodations". A family deals with grandpa's decline. BYU, 1993. Sunstone June 1994. 1994 AML Drama prize. "The Bottom of the Ninth". Apocalyptic comedy, Workshopped in PDA, 1995. "The Seating of Senator Smoot". BYU, summer 1996. "Gadiation". BYU 1997. Corporate greed, Utah members, uses BofM imagery. "Without Romance". 1998 Mormon Arts Festival production. (Same as The Way We're Wired?) "The Way We're Wired". 1999, BYU. Singles in the church. Loved it. 1999 AML prize for drama. "Bar and Kell". 1999. One act, done at Sunstone. Reactivation of a new ward member causes unintended consequences. Irreantum, Spring 2000. Part of the three one-act program "Three Women", BYU, 2000. Slover, Tim. "Wilford Woodruff: God's Fisherman", with Arrington. 1987, Sunstone, Feb. 1992. -------, "A March Tale". 1995 About Shakespeare. Won national and AML prizes. -------, "Joyful Noise". 1996. Handel's composing The Messiah. AML prize. Performed in San Diego and New York by the Lamb's Players. Smith, Stuart E.W. "Mormon Island". 1998. Non-Mormon author. About Sam Brennan and the Mormons at Sutter's Mill. Sacramento. Whitman, Charles. "Montpelier Farewell". BYU, 1995. Explores Mormon theology and social issues in his hometown of Montpelier, Idaho, from the perspective of a non-Mormon family. Young, Margaret Blair. "Dear Stone". BYU PDA, 1997. BYU Studies Playwriting Contest winner. MUSICALS Arrington, James. "The Trail of Dreams". With Steven Perry and Michael Payne. UVSC, 1997. Card, Orson Scott, Kevin and Khaliel Kelly, and Arlen Card (music). "Barefoot to Zion". PVP, 1997. Davis, Pat (playwright/lyricist) "Bands of Iron, Rings of Gold", 1996. Music by Kenneth Plain. Coming of the railroad, for 1996 Utah centennial. Songs by Bishops and Bar Girls. Duncan, Thom. "The Prophet", 1999, SCERA. Music by Mark Steven Gelter. Update of a version done at BYU in the 70s. Grain. "A Place in the Son". Rock opera about Alden Barrett's suicide. Am. Fork. 70s music. Music from the show appears in their two CDs, "Grain" and "A Dirge Appealing", which came out in 1997 and 1998. Lambson, Jack and Roger. "Guadalupe", 1991. LDS colonies in Mexico. McColm, Reed. 1997 rewrite of "Utah!". McLean, Michael. "The Ark". with Kevin Kelly. 1998. Noorda, Tye. "Experience". SCERA, 1999. Plane crash victims talk about life choices. Paxton, Robert. "Utah!" 1995. Outdoor musical. Jacob Hamblin and the settlement of Southern Utah. Tuachan. Lyrics by Doug Stewert. Perry, Steven Kapp. "Polly, A One Woman Musical". Pioneer story, BYU, 1992. "The Trail of Dreams" with James Arrington and Marvin Payne, UVSC 1997. "Wedlocked ". 1999. With Marvin Payne. BYU Entr'Acte series, then at a dinner theater. Ross, Aden (libretto) David Carlson (music), "Dreamkeepers", 1996. Utah Centennial opera. State history seen from the perspective of the Ute Indians. Samuelson, Eric. "Emma". BYU, 1992. (was that the first time?) Music by Murray Boren. "The Christmas Box". BYU, 1997. Musical adaptation, music by Murray Boren. Williams, Joshua and Erik Orton (music). "The Drummings". BYU, 1998. Also produced at a DC festival. About 19th century Irish nationalists. Andrew Hall Pittsburgh, PA _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Andrew Piereder" Subject: RE: [AML] _Matrix_ (was: Galaxy Quest wins Hugo) Date: 15 Sep 2000 16:55:42 -0700 Hmmm. Do you know much about gnosticism? There is no spoon... Andy P. > -----Original Message----- > I myself was quite bored with the film, and still don't understand what > all the hoopla was about. But, my husband loved it. > Debbie Brown > > Andrew Piereder wrote: > > > Matrix was positively ground-breaking in every aspect. > > > > - > AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature > http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm > - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Andrew Piereder" Subject: RE: [AML] LABUTE, _Nurse Betty_ Date: 15 Sep 2000 16:55:45 -0700 > Ruth Starkman wrote: > > > What I can say with a little more certainty is this: Taylor's > position on LaBute strikes Eric as so "personal" because it seems > > more an occasion to defend the virtues of TV culture (what was > this about television having " better writing than films" > > these days?) > > An example: _The West Wing_. Hands down the best written and > acted drama to come down the pike in years. Consistently good. > Other than Martin Sheen, the acting is pretty much run of the mill, Law & Order-type. It the original premise that makes the show watchable. Its been in heavy rotation this summer (does that qualify as soft money?) and I watched a number of shows but soon found them rather pedantic. The show is so self-righteously liberal and doesn't even attempt to get down to the heart of political issues that one would expect would be a the meat of the show. Perhaps it will get better, but probably not considering the emmys and the ratings. I found it a little sad that so many good shows last year were overshadowed by the west wing in the awards. Andy Piereder - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Alan Mitchell" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 15 Sep 2000 14:42:06 -0600 I want to weigh in on this one. Let's take Todd's statement in context. You will see below that the context is the question of the artist pursuing self-amusement. >To not be concerned with these kinds of things makes an artist a kind of >hobbyist--happy, to be sure--or doing right as Harlow suggested--but really >just someone who is pursuing a high, often very high, level of >self-amusement. >Now, self-amusement has never been part of the gospel. So, how could it be >part of an art we choose to call LDS? >Todd Robert Petersen I think this is what we all disagree with. If art is self-amusement, then we are all just playing by ourselves with no good created. I like to think that because art involves the creative process, it is a very spiritual, self-learning, and self-actualizing activity. It is saying, HERE I AM world. It is making a object that somehow takes on a spirit of its own. How can we call that form of self-amusement _not part of the gospel_? Alan Mitchell - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tony Markham Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 15 Sep 2000 20:01:27 -0400 Marilyn wrote: > Michael wrote: "Bash is good art which is at the same time morally dubious." > > I think this post of Michael Martindale's hits it on the head. I know we've talked about this many times, but still, it's good to take note. Good to be reminded. Skill in art is not the same thing as skill in life-giving. I keep hoping "Mormon letters" will be successful reflecting the "peculiar values." I agree with practically all of Michael's review of "Bash," but would add a couple of things. While it is always a risky business to impute intentions to an author, I think one of the things Neil attempts, consistently, is to teach by negative example. The first of the "Bash" vignettes takes deadly aim at homophobia within the LDS community and if the play is cruel and unflattering, then maybe that's what it will take to get the message through to some, that church membership, and pointedly exercising the priesthood, are at odds with feelings of hatred towards gays. Second, the overriding consideration that Tad Danielewski tried to instill in all of his students was what he called "Quality Y." To put something in our work as BYU alumni that would separate it from the crassness and cheapness of the world. He said we would recognize Quality Y when our skin tingled. Mr. D was not a Mormon but he was clearly describing that chill of the Holy Ghost speaking or prompting. "Bash" had a lot of that for me, both as I watched it and as I recalled scenes and performances days and weeks later. People resonate to different frequencies and not everyone will feel the same promptings from the same stimuli. But for me, "Bash" was one of the most powerful and moving dramatic presentations in recent memory. It will offend many and probably send the wrong message about Mormons to others, but there is a narrow spectrum of audience who will blink, shiver, and say, "A Mormon wrote -that-? Holy Moley!" Tony Markham - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Dallas Robbins" Subject: Re: [AML] AML Announcements Date: 16 Sep 2000 05:45:07 GMT Marilyn, Just curious, what is the Silver Foundation? Dallas Robbins editor@harvestmagazine.com http://www.harvestmagazine.com >From: "Marilyn & William Brown" >IMPORTANT NOTE: >I'm talking too much today, but I have something else important to say >here. A generous and wonderful benefactor--the Silver Foundation--has just >given us a sum of money which far exceeds any amount we have ever earned at >any fundraiser of AML! >Cheerio! Marilyn Brown _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] MN LDS Church Will Keep Promised Valley Playhouse, Will Become Date: 16 Sep 2000 00:33:28 EDT Shops, Offices: Salt Lake Tribune 13Sep00 A1 [From Mormon-News] LDS Church Will Keep Promised Valley Playhouse, Will Become Shops, Offices SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- Promised Valley Playhouse, a 95-year-old theatre, will be redesigned with office and retail shops and additional parking spaces by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Talk of donating it to Salt Lake County never materialized despite hopes for a $24 to $30 million dollar project to transform it into a fine-arts facility. LDS Church Presiding Bishop, H. David Burton, said the church needs the space after all. "We feel that the addition of these elements will contribute to a vibrant and active downtown Salt Lake City," church spokesman Michael Purdy said. Salt Lake County has since hired consultants for a review of the need for another downtown theatre. Ballet West director Johann Jacobs said, "We need a permanent home." Ballet West is no different from other performing companies trying to squeeze into limited spaces. "Space is at a premium for all of us," Jacobs added. "The solution to another theater is going to be pushed back probably for several years," Overson said. "I don't know what else we can do. We could build a new theater ourselves. This is just a longer process now." Source: Old Theater Will Become Shops, Offices Salt Lake Tribune 13Sep00 A1 http://www.sltrib.com/09132000/utah/21705.htm By Rebecca Walsh: Salt Lake Tribune >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ Send join and remove commands to: majordomo@MormonsToday.com Put appropriate commands in body of the message: To join: subscribe mormon-news To leave: unsubscribe mormon-news To join digest: subscribe mormon-news-digest - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 16 Sep 2000 00:09:03 -0600 Todd Robert Petersen wrote: > I think my point has been missed here in a way that this point is often > missed. Mine too. You say I accused you of one extreme. Then you accuse me of the other extreme. Your messages sounded to me like you were somewhere near the extreme in your admonitions: that unless something has a direct Gospel tie-in, time shouldn't be wasted on it. > Does He wants us to be healthy only for the sake of being healthy or is so > that we can participate in the gospel plan at a higher level? Why wouldn't he want us to be healthy for the sake of being healthy? Does he wish those who are not participating in the Gospel to be sick? > The best things in this life have some kind of virtuous goal > behind them, or rather at their end. This is sounding like the extreme to me again. I do believe there are things worth doing simply for their own innate goodness or pleasure, and that we are not going against any Gospel directive if we indulge in them wisely. > Self-amusement is merely killing some time, like most television watching, > like most video game playing, like most of the attention paid to sporting > events, like most of the pulp writing that passes for art (or tries to > assert itself as such). Again, to suggest we can never do these things, as it seems like you're doing, strikes me as an extreme. It would be foolish to kill a lot of time, but humans need moments of relaxation that serve no other purpose than to "kill time" in an eternal sense. > we are supposed to "put > aside the natural man" and "be in the world but not of it" among other > things. Just because life is for being happy doesn't give us license to > welcome all things into our lives that could possibly be enjoyable. In > fact, part of life is learning to navigate the narrow path between the life > of the puritanical aescetic and the hedonistic glutton. > > I know people who like looking at pornography, one could even say that they > enjoy it. I know people who get enjoyment from cocaine, bourbon, heroin. So > mere enjoyment is not sufficient for gospel growth. In fact, sometimes > "enjoyment" doesn't lead to health. What did I say that suggested I was encouraging this sort of behavior? > There is a middle path, to borrow from the Taoists, and that is what I'm > really trying to describe. I haven't been picking up on that description. You seem to be stoically denying any pleasure that doesn't have a direct connection to the Gospel, including art. Some on the list have expressed guilt over using time to develop their artistic talents, because it's such a waste of time? self-indulgent?--I don't know what to put there, because the concept is foreign to me. Why isn't art as noble as any other profession? -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tony Markham Subject: [AML] Nominated for Pulitzer? Date: 15 Sep 2000 20:01:27 -0400 Marilyn is unfailingly supportive and congratulatory to any and all of us who achieve some measure of recognition, She's the best! But I don't want to leave the wrong impression. In a post this summer on the thread "Where's our Pulitzer winner" I asked if anyone knew who the LDS Publishers were nominating. And explained that (as I understand it), every reputable (and some marginally so) publisher gets a ballot. If you have a small publisher your chances of getting a nomination are high. Undoubtedly Deseret, Covenant, Bookcraft, Signature, etc. have all nominated from their own stable of authors. To me it is inconceivable that there would not be people on this list who have also been nominated for Pulitzers. I suppose they are just too modest to step forward. Not me! I've even got it on my vita. Tony Markham - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Gae Lyn Henderson" Subject: RE: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 17 Sep 2000 01:55:18 -0600 Todd Robert Petersen said: > > Does He wants us to be healthy only for the sake of being healthy or is so > that we can participate in the gospel plan at a higher level? Men and women are that they might have joy. The gospel exists to bring us to joy. That is the ultimate purpose. What would be the point of cutting ourselves off from the marvelous things of life that give us pleasure, if our final and ultimate goal is to fully feel, experience, even "become" joy? > > Do we eat only because things taste good? Do we make love only because it > feels good? Do we have children only to ensure the survival of > the species? > No, we do not. The best things in this life have some kind of > virtuous goal > behind them, or rather at their end. Why do we make love? Only because it feels good? I think that is reason enough! Yes, it feels good, it allows us to understand the joy that God wishes for us, the joy that we were sent here to learn about. "The best things in life have some kind of virtuous goal . . . at their end." I would describe the virtuous goal at the end as allowing us to experience the Universal Yes! I guess we could tack onto it the virtuous goal of giving our mate happiness. I guess we could tack on the virtuous goal of keeping the family together. But these are the tacked-on goals. Why do we have such a hard time believing that God may want us to enjoy things--smell, taste, physical sensation? When I got married I was advised by various well-meaning church members that sex should be restricted to producing children. Early church leaders made comments along those lines--we seem to carry a lingering distrust of our bodies. Now the church says sex in marriage is for expressing love, finding mutual joy and satisfaction. > Yes, this is true to a certain extent; however, we are supposed to "put > aside the natural man" and "be in the world but not of it" among other > things. Just because life is for being happy doesn't give us license to > welcome all things into our lives that could possibly be enjoyable. If we define "enjoyable" as bringing us closer to God's purpose for us then I think we want to seek after and welcome all things into our lives that could bring us such feelings. In > fact, part of life is learning to navigate the narrow path > between the life > of the puritanical aescetic and the hedonistic glutton. This sounds reasonable. But don't make the path so narrow that we can't balance ourselves on it. We need art and literature and health and sex to give us happy reasons for existence. > > I know people who like looking at pornography, one could even say > that they > enjoy it. I know people who get enjoyment from cocaine, bourbon, > heroin. So > mere enjoyment is not sufficient for gospel growth. In fact, sometimes > "enjoyment" doesn't lead to health. Things that bring pleasure but separate us from other human beings are not ultimately going to bring us happiness. We may find temporary distraction in such pleasures, but eventually they probably will teach us that something is still missing. We then are going to seek for deeper joy, fulfillment, in relationships, art, literature, service, caring about others, finding God. > > There is a middle path, to borrow from the Taoists, and that is what I'm > really trying to describe. I agree with you completely. Gae Lyn Henderson - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Gae Lyn Henderson" Subject: RE: [AML] Defending the Romance Genre Date: 17 Sep 2000 04:29:00 -0600 Lisa Peck asked me (a long time ago!) to summarize on the list Tania Modleski's _Loving With a Vengeance: Mass-Produced Fantasies for Women._ Sorry I’ve taken so long to respond to you, Lisa! Modleski’s book looks at three genres: Harlequin romances, Gothic novels and soap operas. (LDS romance novels don’t fit perfectly into any of those categories, but do bear resemblance to each of them.) First of all, a stereotypical feminist response to romance novels is that women are participating in their own repression. By purchasing and consuming millions of books that retell the same Cinderella story over and over, women define themselves as victims who need to be rescued by powerful men to have a hope of happiness. Modleski takes a more complex approach. First of all, these stories apparently are doing something important to help countless women cope with their lives. And yet they are particularly disparaged, even in an age that valorizes other types of pop culture. Romantic fantasy sometimes becomes a secret pleasure--women students skip their women’s studies classes at the university to watch soap operas (113) and intellectually-trained academics may escape their literary persona for unmentioned moments of pleasure. So what Modleski wants to do is give careful critical attention to these feminine genres that have been dismissed or mocked, despite their "centuries-old appeal" (14). These texts address women’s real emotional needs! Women use romance to ease the "tensions" of their lives; Modleski admires women’s (authors and readers) psychological struggle to dignify their existence via story (15). The romance reflects women’s real concern (anxiety) about male-female relationships. In Harlequin Romances one sees a hero who is typically rather frightening. He may be angry, or mocking, or dismissive. The heroine usually actively dislikes him at first, and is upset that she, through accident or other weakness, is forced to depend on him. What the reader knows, of course, is that the male’s mocking superiority hides his growing intense passion for her. This story tells women psychologically that although men may appear to have little interest in their activities, may even ignore them, that underneath it all is lurking an attraction that will make women emerge supremely important. The satisfying ending brings the reader to a reinforcement of her own power, even in her apparent weakness. The Gothic paints a more twisted psychological picture. Again the hero is angry, but in addition, danger, violence, murder are in the air. The question becomes who to trust--the dark, angry anti-hero, whom the evidence points to--or a polite, nice-guy, who apparently is safe. "The reader shares some of the heroine’s uncertainty about what is going on and what the lover-husband is up to. The reader is nearly as powerless as is the heroine" (60). This fear breeds paranoia; the woman fears the man is trying to kill her or drive her insane. Critics believe that in both the character and the reader such paranoid feelings derive from social isolation. Eventually, the story allows women to give "expression to women’s hostility toward men while simultaneously allowing them to repudiate it" (66). Interestingly this allows women to separate themselves psychologically from their mothers. "This difference is usually established through the discovery of what really happened to the victimized woman with whom the heroine has been identified" (71). Hostility against men and against women (mothers) who are apparently repressed by men is resolved. The more dangerous and black the hero-lover, the more sexually appealing ultimate submission to him becomes. His strength eventually assures her safety. Soap opera is a training ground for reading other human beings. At all times relationships must be examined. To assure their safe place in home and family, women must be constantly vigilant in understanding other people so that the work of pleasing them can be accomplished. Close-ups give the viewer every slight nuance of expression. And the story never ends. Relationships last--these characters provide a permanence that divorce statistics belie. In addition, the permanent unending story is a satisfying reflection of the unending daily tasks of motherhood and homemaking. [These brief summaries are way too reductive.] But her more complex and satisfying analysis leads Modleski to conclude her book, "It is useless to deplore the texts for their omission, distortions, and conservative affirmations. It is crucial to understand them, to let their very omissions and distortions speak, informing us of the contradictions they are meant to conceal and, equally importantly, of the fears that lie behind them" (133). I don’t think it is even slightly surprising that in Mormon culture, in which marriage and family reign as supremely important goals for women, LDS romance novels are best-sellers. The question we might want to ask is: do any of Modleski's psychoanalytic interpretations apply to LDS-women readers? Gae Lyn Henderson - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Cherry Silver" Subject: [AML] Postponing Chieko Okazaki Lecture Date: 18 Sep 2000 06:09:18 -0600 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0013_01C02136.FA7E36A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable With the approval of the AML Board, we are postponing the Chieko Okazaki = fund-raising lecture from Thursday, September 21, 2000, at the = University of Utah to the Annual Conference of AML on Saturday afternoon = February 24, 2001, at Westminster College. She has agreed to talk about = her life and the shaping of her work under the topic "Expressing Faith: = A Literary Legacy." AML awarded her its annual prize for devotional = literature several years ago. Since she reaches audiences all across = the United States and elsewhere in the world, John Bennion concurred = that she might appropriately be included in the Annual Conference with = its Bridges and Innovations theme. ------=_NextPart_000_0013_01C02136.FA7E36A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

With the approval of the AML Board, we = are=20 postponing the Chieko Okazaki fund-raising lecture from Thursday, = September 21,=20 2000, at the University of Utah to the Annual Conference of AML on = Saturday=20 afternoon February 24, 2001, at Westminster College.  She has = agreed to=20 talk about her life and the shaping of her work under the topic = "Expressing=20 Faith: A Literary Legacy."  AML awarded her its annual prize for = devotional=20 literature several years ago.  Since she reaches audiences all = across the=20 United States and elsewhere in the world, John Bennion concurred that = she might=20 appropriately be included in the Annual Conference with its Bridges and=20 Innovations theme.
------=_NextPart_000_0013_01C02136.FA7E36A0-- - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] 90s Mormon plays Date: 18 Sep 2000 09:40:29 -0600 Great list Andrew. A few minor corrections: I spell my name Samuelsen, BTW, and FWIW. Bar and Kell is part of three = one acts I call Three Women--the other two plays of that trilogy are = Community Standard and Judgment. We recently produced my play A Love = Affair With Electrons, about Philo T.=20 Farnsworth and the invention of television. =20 Alisha Christiansen also adapted Little Women for the stage--I don't know = if your list includes adaptations, but hers are first rate. Jim and John = Bell also had a new play workshopped at Sundance; I'll see if I can find = the title. Tim Slover's March Tale is called just that, March Tale, not A = March Tale. I have several other corrections, which I'll get to ASAP. Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Scott and Marny Parkin Subject: Re: [AML] 90s Mormon plays Date: 18 Sep 2000 10:18:02 -0600 Here's a couple you've missed: Neville, David O'Dell. "Action Television's 'Meet the Poet.'" _Die Schrift_ 1 (1992): 13-17. [BYU student German journal] Wahlquist, Becca. "Nor Working Title Yet." _Inscape_, no. 1 (1993): 59-86. I'm not sure if these are plays or discussions of drama: Debenham, Patrick, and W. Hyrum Conrad. "Tamris Pioneers: Promised Valley." _Encyclia_ 68 (1991): 327-45. Hill, Leslie Anne. "The House Guest." Master's thesis, Brigham Young University, 1992. Marny Parkin - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Barbara@techvoice.com (Barbara R. Hume) Subject: RE: [AML] Defending the Romance Genre Date: 18 Sep 2000 10:06:07 -0700 >First of all, a stereotypical feminist response to romance novels is that >women are participating in their own repression. By purchasing and >consuming millions of books that retell the same Cinderella story over and >over, women define themselves as victims who need to be rescued by powerful >men to have a hope of happiness. You guys knew you were going to hear from me on this one, right? I'm glad to see a summary of this book, which I'd heard about but not purchased. Now I see that it doesn't address the aspect of the romance novel that appeal to me and to the readers and writers of the genre that I know. I don't read the Harlequins, so the book doesn't even deal with the kinds of romances I enjoy. The ones I read may include elements of the woman being rescued by the man, but often the heroine rescues herself, and sometimes him. The ones I read certainly don't feature helpless, foolish, weak women. The core of a satisfactory romance is for a woman who is strong but missing something in her life meets a man who is strong but missing something in his life. After all the various plot complications are settled, the two find that they fulfill each other and make each other happy. Together, they form a unit that is even stronger, and they can then proceed to build a family unit. > > First of all, these stories apparently are doing something important to help countless women cope with >their lives. Indeed they do. The romantic expectations that pervade our culture vanish in the face of mundane reality. And yet they are particularly disparaged, even in an age that >valorizes other types of pop culture. I think they are disparaged because they are by and for women. Romantic fantasy sometimes becomes a >secret pleasure--women students skip their women's studies classes at the >university to watch soap operas (113) and intellectually-trained academics >may escape their literary persona for unmentioned moments of pleasure. Many romance writers I know have PhDs. > >The romance reflects women's real concern (anxiety) about male-female >relationships. In Harlequin Romances one sees a hero who is typically >rather frightening. He may be angry, or mocking, or dismissive. The >heroine usually actively dislikes him at first, and is upset that she, >through accident or other weakness, is forced to depend on him. What the >reader knows, of course, is that the male's mocking superiority hides his >growing intense passion for her. This story tells women psychologically >that although men may appear to have little interest in their activities, >may even ignore them, that underneath it all is lurking an attraction that >will make women emerge supremely important. The satisfying ending brings >the reader to a reinforcement of her own power, even in her apparent >weakness. The heroes of this kind of romance are often big jerks, and that's why I don't read them. I like romances with heroes who are kind and compassionate men. > The more dangerous and black the hero-lover, the more sexually appealing ultimate >submission to him becomes. His strength eventually assures her safety. At the end of a good romance, the hero's strength does become something the woman can depend on. But bad-tempered? Yuck. Submission? Double yuck. As Jayne Ann Krentz has pointed out, the satisfaction of a romance novel comes in "bringing the alpha male to his knees" -- forcing him to admit that despite his strength and power, he needs her. This is something women often yearn for in real life, but never get. Men are trained not to admit to weaknesses, and they think that needing somebody is a weakness. They therefore often withhold the one thing that women really want from them. > >Soap opera is a training ground for reading other human beings. At all >times relationships must be examined. Relationships last--these characters provide a permanence that divorce >statistics belie. I disagree. I stopped watching soaps because couples would be put together into a satisfying relationship, then be torn apart a few months later. The writers can't seem to write interesting married people. In addition, the permanent unending story is a satisfying >reflection of the unending daily tasks of motherhood and homemaking. Why would anyone want a reflection of tedium? I don't get it. > >[These brief summaries are way too reductive.] But her more complex and >satisfying analysis leads Modleski to conclude her book, "It is useless to >deplore the texts for their omission, distortions, and conservative >affirmations. It is crucial to understand them, to let their very omissions >and distortions speak, informing us of the contradictions they are meant to >conceal and, equally importantly, of the fears that lie behind them" (133). Romance readers know they are fantasies. No one mistakes them for reality. >I don't think it is even slightly surprising that in Mormon culture, in >which marriage and family reign as supremely important goals for women, LDS >romance novels are best-sellers. The question we might want to ask is: do >any of Modleski's psychoanalytic interpretations apply to LDS-women readers? LDS women are not different creatures from other women. The question is, how valid are these interpretations\? barbara hume - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Rob Pannoni Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 18 Sep 2000 09:29:20 -0700 Gae Lyn Henderson wrote: > > Things that bring pleasure but separate us from other human beings are not > ultimately going to bring us happiness. This strikes me as a good operational definition for distinguishing between pornography and art. Pornography separates us from other human beings by becoming a substitute for, or a barrier to, genuine relationships. It leaves us feeling more alone. Art is a bridge between artist and audience, an attempt to connect and communicate something of beauty or mutual value. It brings us closer to others. Of course, with this definition, pornography isn't so much an attribute of a work itself, but of the relationship between the audience and the art. It isn't the subject matter or the degree of explicitness that makes something pornographic, but the role the art has in the life of its viewers. If sensual art serves to enhance the feelings of a couple in a committed relationship, if it brings them closer together, then I do not believe it can be considered pornographic (for them). On the other hand, I believe violence in art is usually pornographic. It separates us from the compassion we should feel for those around us. It turns people into objects without human feelings. I get perturbed when I hear someone say that a movies is okay for kids to see because it only contains violence. Violence is pornography of the worst sort. But occasionally, violence in art also holds the mirror up so that we can see and correct the violence in ourselves and our society. If that its the way someone experiences it, then it is not pornographic (for them). I also find most advertising pornographic, not because of sexual themes or nudity, but because it tries to convince us to find happiness in things rather than in relationships. It separates us from others in much the same way that traditional pornography provides an enticing substitute that leads to isolation rather than connection. I do believe that an artist can intend for a work to be pornographic. In that intention is explicit (rather than something we simply assume because of the way the art makes us personally feel), then I would agree that the artist has crossed a moral line. The work doesn't deserve the label "art" at all. But even in that case, the viewer still has the possibility of reinterpreting the art to suit moral purposes. Hitler's _Mein Kampf_ was intended to promote racism. By my definition, it is a classic work of pornography--its avowed purpose is to separate people. But the decision to read it does not make one a racist. In fact, reading the book may well have the opposite effect. It may lead us to an increased awareness of the moral bankruptcy of a world view based on hate. That doesn't make Hitler a good guy. But it takes away his power to create further hurt by fostering hate in us. On the other side of the coin, just because we perceive a work as being pornographic doesn't mean that was the author's intent. There are artists whose works center on sexuality or the beauty of the human body for whom these themes are genuinely life affirming rather than isolating. If a viewer chooses to create a pornographic relationship with such art, I believe that the pornography is in the viewer, not in the artist or the art itself. -- Rob Pannoni Rapport Systems http://www.rapport-sys.com - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Steve Perry" Subject: Re: [AML] 90s Mormon plays Date: 18 Sep 2000 10:31:55 -0600 Andew, Correction: > Arrington, James. "The Trail of Dreams". With Steven Perry and Michael > Payne. UVSC, 1997. Should be "with Steven Kapp Perry and Marvin Payne." Thanks. Also: >McColm, Reed. 1997 rewrite of "Utah!". I think there was yet another rewrite by Tim Slover with lyrics by Marvin Payne in '98 or '99. Steve - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Tyler Moulton" Subject: Re: [AML] Nominated for Pulitzer? Date: 18 Sep 2000 11:15:54 -0600 According to the (published by = Prometheus Books): "Anyone, including the author or publisher, may submit a book that is = eligible."=20 "Eligible" means that it was published in the U.S., in book form, for the = general audience, during the year being judged. For Fiction, Biography, = Poetry, and General Non-Fiction, the author must be an American citizen. = For the History category, the subject must be U.S. History (but the author = can be of any nationality). Sounds like we could be hearing of a lot more "Pulitzer nominees" in the = future. Tyler Moulton - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Linda Tekurio Subject: [AML] Help Finding a Play Date: 18 Sep 2000 12:45:54 -0400 I've been trying to find an old play that we put on in our ward 15-20 years > ago, and I'm not even sure of the title. I believe it's either: > > "Could It Happen to You?" or "It Could Happen to You". > > I've searched everywhere I know of and can't seem to locate the play. Do > you have any suggestions on where I might look next? I don't even know the > author's name, but it is a very poignant play about a man who dies before he > has his wife and children sealed to him. The play takes place in a heavenly > "waiting room" as characters come and go as their temple work is completed. > > In the end, the man's wife does get sealed, along with the children, but to > a new husband. The play ends. Quit a dramatic affect. > > I'd appreciate any suggestions you might have. Thanks! Linda H. Tekurio Regulatory Affairs MedEweb.com (305) 914-1020 www.medeweb.com - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Todd Robert Petersen" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 18 Sep 2000 12:22:30 -0500 [MOD: I'd like to insert a request that in going forward with this thread, we all turn away from the "what-I-said/what-you-said" dimension of the discussion, and instead focus on presenting our own thoughts as clearly as we can. There are some good things being said here, but I sense that we're running the risk of having the discussion's value disrupted by animosity.] D. Michael Martindale wrote: > You say I accused you of one extreme. Then you accuse me of > the other extreme. I was just looking at your words, which said: a. "Last time I checked, life was for being happy, not denying ourselves everything that could possibly be enjoyable." I was and am a little concerned that you said "everything," which is why I included my aside about drugs and pornography. You did make some correcctions in your last post on this topic, saying that we ought to choos= e wisely, and so forth, which are important provisions to make. Going for all possible enjoyment really is hedonism, and we know what the church position on that is. Going for some enjoyment, doing one's work and one's duty is also important. Some good things, in fact, many good things, are not immediately "enjoyable." I think it's important to draw some distinctions. b) You indicated that my position, as you characterized it, was an "old apostate notion." You decided the extremity of my position even before I articulated it. The reason that this happens is, I think, because of knee-jerk reactions simila= r to the pro- and anti-NEA arguments. It's the old slippery slope: if one puts forth the position that artists ought to be responsible and ethical, then we're just a few steps away from dictating what they ought to be doing= . At no point have I suggested that the best course is to deny everything, only that LDS artists, like everyone else--for we aren't exempted by virtue of our pursuits--must keep the gospel in the picture, which might mean, at certain times, not writing, painting, composing, etc, in order to home/visi= t teach, care for the sick, bear one another's burdens, do temple work, and s= o forth. LDS artists will, of course, be different kinds of artists by virtue of the demands of our faith. We can't hole up and write for forty days and forty nights, because we have duties to our spritiual communities that we must fulfill. It is the fact that I can't have it both ways all the time that gives me pause as a writer. At times I feel like the young man of the parables who came to Christ asking, "What one thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" When Christ outlines the commandments to him, he says he's done them his whole life. Christ then tells him--and you know the rest--to sell everything giv= e it to the poor and follow him. What gets me all the time is what follows: the fact that the young man left in sorrow. Imagine that an artist had the same conversation with Christ: if you want t= o seek perfection, give up your art and follow me. We tend to value art over material wealth, which we should do if it really is more than this "self-amusement" I've been talking about. But the question I am constantly in battle with is "what if I should have to give u= p writing at God's request." God trumped President Hinkley's desires to go t= o Columbia Journalism School, why not my writing career? But back to my own defense: Me: >> Self-amusement is merely killing some time, like most television watchin= g, >> like most video game playing, like most of the attention paid to sportin= g >> events, like most of the pulp writing that passes for art (or tries to >> assert itself as such). Martindale: > Again, to suggest we can never do these things, as it seems like you're > doing, strikes me as an extreme. It would be foolish to kill a lot of > time, but humans need moments of relaxation that serve no other purpose > than to "kill time" in an eternal sense. If you'll notice, I used the qualifier, "most" here in each case. The repetition of which I thought might curb potential responses that I was suggesting that we should never seek to amuse ourselves. Perhaps that did not work. > You seem to be stoically denying any pleasure that doesn't have a direct > connection to the Gospel, including art. > Why isn't art as noble as any other profession? Art can be noble, but it is not automatically such. An artist has to make it that way. And surely there is not one way to do it, but there are a couple of easy ways to keep art from being noble: 1) Become solipsistic and self-indulgent. This does happen (i.e. Pound, To= m Robbins, and others) This happens when artists lock themselves up inside themselves and give no care for their social world. 2) Say that you're making art for the sake of making art. Walter Benjamin is much more eloquent on this subject than I, so I refer interested parties to his essay "Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." Just as lawyering can be, but is not necessarily, a virtuous profession, artists can be, but aren't always, decadent. Just because the Conservative Right sometimes uses the word, "decadent" doesn't mean it's not a sometimes useful or accurate term. I shall perorate with a lengthy quotation from John Ruskin. It's connectio= n to the above is dubious, but humor me: "And you must remember always that your business, as manufacturers, is to form the market, as much as to supply it. If, in short-sighted and reckles= s eagerness for wealth, you catch at every humour of the populace as it shape= s itself into momentary demand=8B-if, in jealous rivalry with neighbouring States, or with other producers, you try to attract attention by singularities, novelties, and gaudinesses-=8Bto make every design an advertisement, and pilfer every idea of a successful neighbour's, that you may insidiously imitate it, or pompously eclipse-=8Bno good design will ever be possible to you, or perceived by you. You may, by accident, snatch the market; or, by energy, command it; you may obtain the confidence of the public, and cause the ruin of opponent houses; or you may, with equal justice of fortune, be ruined by them. But whatever happens to you, this, at least, is certain, that the whole of your life will have been spent in corrupting public taste and encouraging public extravagance. Every preference you have won by gaudiness must have been based on the purchaser'= s vanity; every demand you have created by novelty has fostered in the consumer a habit of discontent; and when you retire into inactive life, you may, as a subject of consolation for your declining years, reflect that precisely according to the extent of your past operations, your life has been successful in retarding the arts, tarnishing the virtues, and confusin= g the manners of your country." =8BJohn Ruskin, from a speech delivered at the Mechanics' Institute in March ,1859, and later published in The Two Paths I think the same is true of artists, particularly LDS ones. [Todd Robert Petersen] - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Terry L Jeffress Subject: Re: [AML] Review Archive Update Date: 18 Sep 2000 11:33:30 -0600 Richard Johnson wrote: > > At 10:57 AM 9/12/2000 -0600, you wrote: > >New reviews added to the archive: > > > Checking the archives I found two that I could remember writing which were > not listed. The first:_ "something" re The Blood Tribunal_ I have not yet > found in my own archives. The second was a review of _The Gathering_. I > have found it in my zip drive, and am sending it for archival purposes. If > I have received a "free" book, I feel that the publisher deserves his (or > her) money's worth. > > Review, _The Gathering: Mormon Pioneers on the Trail to Zion_ by Maurine > Jensen Proctor and Scot Facer Proctor. 1996 Deseret Book Company. 226 > paged, $ 49.95. Your review of _The Gathering_ appears in the archive as review 93. You can read the review at http://www.xmission.com/~aml/reviews/b/B199652.html. So far, I have not been able to locate a review of _Before the Blood Tribunal,_ and I have searched though the entire archive of the AML-List (60MB of files). If you can find an archived copy of the review, please post it here. -- Terry Jeffress AML-List Review Archivist - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jason Steed" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 18 Sep 2000 10:57:59 PDT > > Does He wants us to be healthy only for the sake of being healthy or is >so > > that we can participate in the gospel plan at a higher level? > >Why wouldn't he want us to be healthy for the sake of being healthy? >Does he wish those who are not participating in the Gospel to be sick? You make a leap here that doesn't follow logically: just because God may want us to be healthy for gospel-related reasons and not just for health's sake does not mean (or even imply) that he wants those "not participating in the gospel" to be sick. The fact is, everyone is participating in the gospel--some more than others, some participating in it if only to work against it, etc. The reasons for being healthy are none if they are not gospel related: 1) we should strive for good health because our bodies are gifts from God that ought to be treated as such; 2) our bodies are temples to house our spirits and the Spirit of God; and 3) by being healthy, as Todd points out, we are more capable of participating, physically (and spiritually), more fully in the gospel. And I'm sure there are other reasons, too. Bottom line: to God, "ALL things are spiritual" (i.e. ALL things are gospel related). > > > The best things in this life have some kind of virtuous goal > > behind them, or rather at their end. > >This is sounding like the extreme to me again. I do believe there are >things worth doing simply for their own innate goodness or pleasure, and >that we are not going against any Gospel directive if we indulge in them >wisely. Why resist an extreme commitment to the gospel? I think a great deal of good is left undone by most Mormons (including myself) because of a fear of appearing "too extreme." And I'd like to hear what there is out there that has this "innate goodness" Michael is talking about. The way I see it, there are VERY few things out there that are innately good; just about everything can be used either for good or for evil. > > Self-amusement is merely killing some time, like most television >watching, > > like most video game playing, like most of the attention paid to >sporting > > events, like most of the pulp writing that passes for art (or tries to > > assert itself as such). > >Again, to suggest we can never do these things, as it seems like you're >doing, strikes me as an extreme. It would be foolish to kill a lot of >time, but humans need moments of relaxation that serve no other purpose >than to "kill time" in an eternal sense. Says who? Where, exactly, is it written that humans *need* to kill time? I can point to a good number of places where precisely the opposite is written: "do not procrastinate the day of repentence," and so on. And I don't think Todd is suggesting "we can never do these things"--I think he's trying to suggest that we ought to reexamine how we spend our time, and whether our pursuits are rightly guided and worthy of the time spent. Show me a television show (on regular TV) that brings us closer to God, or involves us more fully in the gospel. Wouldn't that time be better spent reading the scriptures, or serving someone else? This doesn't mean the act of watching TV *can't* be used for good--I will watch TV with my kids and hold them and talk with them about what we're watching, and I believe we're using the act for good, as time spent building familial relationships, learning, etc. But I will also "kill" three hours watching a football game once in a while, when my wife could use more help around the house, or I could be doing something much more productive... >I haven't been picking up on that description. You seem to be stoically >denying any pleasure that doesn't have a direct connection to the >Gospel, including art. I think this is the main problem. Michael is resisting Todd's assertions because he interprets them as suggesting that the pursuit of art is merely self-amusement, and that perhaps the pursuit of art is time poorly spent because it is not related directly to the gospel. But I think, again, that most things can be used either for good or for evil, including art. I think the spirit of Todd's comments (that I agree with) is that we need to reexamine our pursuits. WHY "do" art? Personally, I believe the only real God-like trait that we have as humans is the ability to create. (All the other God-like traits are there, but they require constant maintenance and improvement, whereas we can create at the drop of a hat, with hardly any effort. Think about it: how hard is it for two teens to make a baby?) This God-like trait is a sacred thing (hence, the law of chastity, etc.), and ought to be treasured, revered, guarded...and pursued. In addition to "making babies", the ability to create includes the gift of language, which is itself an act of creation. Every word we utter is the creation of meaning, the creation of relationships, the creation of the Self and the Other, the creation of worlds. God himself created the world through language (he spoke and it was so), and we have that same ability (our language is our world, our reality). I see the pursuit of art as the pursuit of this creative ability--the endeavor to improve it, to explore it, to master it--and I believe that if the pursuit of art is undertaken in this way, with this sort of regard/reverence for it, and if the act of pursuit is used for good and not for evil, then it is in fact a pursuit worthy of our time. If, however, we abuse this gift--if we use it for evil, or without regard for its God-like nature, or if our pursuit of one kind of creation detracts from our creative efforts in other areas (family, friends, etc.)--then it can become a mere distraction, a digression, and it loses its gospel-relatedness. And this is not a good thing. >Some on the list have expressed guilt over using >time to develop their artistic talents, because it's such a waste of >time? self-indulgent?--I don't know what to put there, because the >concept is foreign to me. Why isn't art as noble as any other >profession? It IS as noble as any other profession. But I think Todd would probably agree that no other profession is exempt from the challenges he poses to the profession of art. IOW, every profession can prove itself worthy or not worthy of our time and pursuit. And WE are the ones who do the proving. Being a doctor is a noble profession that might be more readily seen as gospel related than art--you're helping others, right? You're healing, serving, etc. But don't suppose for a minute that it isn't possible to turn the medical profession into an unworthy pursuit. Many doctors get so wrapped up in their professions that they neglect family, church, etc.; and others go so far as to turn the profession itself into that which fights directly against the gospel (abortion clinics come to mind). I think Todd is simply saying (and I apologize for continually interpreting--Todd, if you disagree with what I'm attributing to you, please speak up) that we need to be extra careful that we don't become THAT doctor. If art becomes little more than self-amusement, it ceases to be the worthy pursuit or noble profession that Michael (and most of us) believes it to be. God didn't create the world for self-amusement. Jason (from the soap-box, now stepping down) _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jason Steed" Subject: RE: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 18 Sep 2000 11:13:16 PDT > > Do we eat only because things taste good? Do we make love only because >it > > feels good? Do we have children only to ensure the survival of > > the species? > > No, we do not. The best things in this life have some kind of > > virtuous goal > > behind them, or rather at their end. > >Why do we make love? Only because it feels good? I think that is reason >enough! Yes, it feels good, it allows us to understand the joy that God >wishes for us, the joy that we were sent here to learn about. "The best >things in life have some kind of virtuous goal . . . at their end." I >would >describe the virtuous goal at the end as allowing us to experience the >Universal Yes! I guess we could tack onto it the virtuous goal of giving >our mate happiness. I guess we could tack on the virtuous goal of keeping >the family together. But these are the tacked-on goals. Why do we have >such a hard time believing that God may want us to enjoy things--smell, >taste, physical sensation? When I got married I was advised by various >well-meaning church members that sex should be restricted to producing >children. Early church leaders made comments along those lines--we seem to >carry a lingering distrust of our bodies. Now the church says sex in >marriage is for expressing love, finding mutual joy and satisfaction. Personally, I half-agree, half-disagree with you. I think sex IS for expressing love and finding mutual joy and satisfaction. More to the point, I believe its purpose is for the husband and the wife to become *one*. IOW, I don't agree that the purpose of sex is *merely* expressing love and enjoying physical sensation. I agree that God wants us to find joy in physical sensations--I do NOT agree that the joy we may find in them is the end he has in mind. IOW, the joy we feel has a higher purpose, beyond itself. "Men are that they might have joy," but the only true joy will come from realizing our potential, and our potential is to become gods ourselves; thus, we are that we might become gods. The joy we feel along the way ought to propel us toward that goal. So, I disagree with the implication that sex ought to be enjoyed *simply* because it feels good. True joy comes from the realization that there is more to it than that. It is the literal union of two people. We cannot become gods without that union ("neither is the man without the woman or the woman without the man"). Thus, it is the momentary experience of something like godhood. I agree that sex is not just for having babies. But I disagree that "because it feels good" is "reason enough". Having sex just because it feels good is what the world does. We shouldn't reduce it to that. Jason (again, from the soap-box, now stepping down) _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jacob Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 18 Sep 2000 12:26:13 -0600 On Fri, 15 Sep 2000 10:29:37 -0500, Todd Robert Petersen wrote: >Self-amusement is merely killing some time, like most television = watching, >like most video game playing, like most of the attention paid to = sporting >events, like most of the pulp writing that passes for art (or tries to >assert itself as such). I'm sorry, but I'm going to object strongly to this one. I do all of the above. I watch television. I play video games. I watch very little sports, actually (and after watching BYU play MSU, I'll probably watch less...). And I indulge in many books that are most accurately referred = to as pulp (Anyone here ever heard of the Destroyer series?). In fact, not = a day goes by when I don't spend at least three hours indulging in at least one of the above. I'm probably a little sensitive to such comments because similar = sentiments have been used before in condemnation of my activities, and by inference,= in condemnation of me. Many members consider any activity that is not = directly self-improving or gospel-related as a sin. They put a terrible pressure = on our time that is unnatural and serves only to increase the guilt we will feel when we find that we cannot achieve this supposed ideal. I was once engaged to such a person. We thought we had a lot in common. She said, for example, that she loved to read. Well, so do I. Only, I = came to learn that when she said she loved to read, she meant only those books that are directly gospel related or dedicated to improving yourself. In fact, she deeply resented any time I spent reading 'recreational' literature. Life requires play. It is not the point in life to be driven to always perform at optimal levels. Our life is a stewardship. We have to = regulate our activities in order to best follow God's plan. A part of that plan = is to be happy. Not feel pleasure, that's not the point, and you know I'm = not saying that. But being happy can and should include times when we are = not productionally optimized. Additionally, there is some indication that = time spent in play helps us to achieve better results once we *do* turn our efforts towards more serious endeavors. I really like Brigham Young's advice on the matter. Unfortunately, I = cannot locate the original source. But the two secondary sources I found both emphasize that Brigham Young felt that eight hours of each day should = have stress-relief as it's aim. in Brigham Young: A Personal Portrait/Chapter Sixteen: Brigham Young at Home: "Brigham enjoyed entertainment and believed in the pattern of = eight hours to work, eight hours to rest, eight hours to relax from the = stresses and strains of the day." in Gospel Library/The Word of Wisdom: A Modern Interpretation/Chapter 17: "Prudence and Thanksgiving" Brigham Young's division of the twenty-four hours is fair and moderate: Eight hours for work; eight hours for recreation, including eating, light home duties, Church activities and actual play; and eight hours for = sleep. These things sound suspiciously like self-amusement to me. I'll go even further and say that not everyone is amused in the same way.= I like playing video games. I keep waiting to outgrow my gaming = tendencies, but I'm 31 now and it doesn't seem to be on the agenda. I spend some = time most days dedicated to play and/or stress relief in the form of video = games. And I'm going to go ahead and be presumptuous and tell you that my relationship to God and the gospel is doing fine. Jacob Proffitt - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "J. Scott Bronson" Subject: Re: [AML] 90s Mormon plays Date: 18 Sep 2000 16:14:55 -0600 > Bronson, Scott. "Quietus & Other Stories". BYU, 1996. Orson Scott > Card stories. > "Confessions", Wasatch Review International, 1994. > "Alters". Sunstone, Sept. 1997. Abraham and Isaac. One act. These were short plays -- so-called "ten minute plays" -- but since you included Marianne's ("Hold Me". One-act performed at the 1999 Mormon Arts Festival), I thought you might like to include these as well: Bronson, J. Scott. "Fata Morgana". A one-act play produced at BYU in association with the Mormon Arts Festival, 1998 -----, "On the Romance of a Dying Child", A one-act play produced at Utah Valley State College as part of the first annual 10 Minute Play Festival, 2000 There were other plays produced at both festivals but -- stupid me -- I don't have programs for either one. I do know that the playwrights on the program for the Mormon Arts Festival were folks like Eric Samuelsen, Tim Slover, Robert Paxton, Char Nelson, Marianne, me and I can't remember who else, and I don't remember the titles of any of those plays. Sorry. > LaBute, Neil. > "Men of God". 199?, BYU. Directed by Scot Bronson. It was actually 1987. It was a play work shopped at BYU (PDA) about a group of businessmen who decided that there was good money to be had in religion so they started a church. Just as profits began to dip one of the men (the one that had been chosen to be the figurehead of the church) started to develop a conscience and wanted to come clean with the public about their fraudulent religion. The others had done a market study and determined that profits would rise again if they martyred their figurehead. So, they killed him and the church flourished. It was a dark little fable. J. Scott Bronson--The Scotted Line "World peace begins in my home" We are not the acolytes of an abstruse god. We are here to entertain--Keith Lockhart - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] 90s Mormon plays Date: 18 Sep 2000 16:33:00 -0600 Andrew Hall wrote: > I was planning on limiting it to plays that have been produced > and/or published, but I have let a few slip through that have just had > public readings, say at a Sunstone symposium or Mormon Arts Festival. You'll want to include this, then: Duncan, Thom. "Survival of the Fittest." Sunstone Symposium (reading). 1997. Mormon Arts Festival (reading) 1997. > MUSICALS > And for this, I offer the following emendations: (No "the" in front of "Prophet" and the exact date it was performed at BYU.) > > Duncan, Thom. "Prophet", 1999, SCERA. Music by Mark Steven Gelter. > Update of a version done at BYU in 1973. Thom Duncan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church Will Keep Promised Valley Playhouse, Will Become Date: 18 Sep 2000 16:40:27 -0600 Larry Jackson wrote: > From: Rosemary Pollock > To: Mormon News > Subject: MN LDS Church Will Keep Promised Valley Playhouse, Will Become > Shops, Offices: Salt Lake Tribune 13Sep00 A1 > Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 21:20:00 -0400 > > [From Mormon-News] > > LDS Church Will Keep Promised Valley Playhouse, Will Become Shops, > Offices If I were a drinking man, this headline alone would be cause me to go get sloshed. Thom - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Annette Lyon" Subject: [AML] AML Writer's Conference: Announcement Date: 18 Sep 2000 21:38:14 -0600 Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 18 Sep 2000 23:27:45 -0600 Tony Markham wrote: > While it is always a risky business to impute intentions to an author, I think one of the things Neil attempts, consistently, is to teach by negative example. I think so too, and I think that's a valid form of art and of teaching, but a dangerous one that can easily be misunderstood. If there was ever a time for the artist to weigh pros and cons, gains and costs, it's when this form of teaching is employed. > [_Bash_] will offend many and probably send the wrong message about Mormons to others, but there is a narrow > spectrum of audience who will blink, shiver, and say, "A Mormon wrote -that-? Holy Moley!" And my response still is, is that narrow spectrum of audience worth the price of the offense and wrong message sent to the broad audience? I think a Mormon writing a strongly anti-homophobic play like the first part of _Bash_ in and of itself will cause the blinking and shivering and amazement that a Mormon wrote it, without the reinforcement of the stereotype that Mormons generally are homophobic. If the play had been targeted toward a largely Mormon audience, I would feel completely different. But it was targeted primarily toward an audience that already thinks homophobia is bad and that religious people are the main perpetrators of it. What part of the New York or Showtime audience needs to learn that being a priesthood holder and a gay-basher are incompatible? The message fell upon ears that had no use for it. LaBute's criticisms of Mormon culture are being done in poor taste--with poor manners. I guess it's a don't-display-your-dirty-laundry-in-public thing. I don't criticize my wife in front of strangers, and I guess I think LaBute is being rude by criticizing us before strangers. If he did in in a venue that would reach more Mormons, my attitude would turn 180 degrees. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Terry L Jeffress Subject: [AML] VAN WAGONER, _Dancing Naked_ (Review) Date: 18 Sep 2000 14:24:57 -0600 [MOD: Please be advised that this review speaks frankly about sexual situations that arise in the book.] Van Wagoner, Robert Hodgson. _Dancing Naked._ Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1999. Hardcover, 364pp. ISBN 1-56085-130-9. Suggested retail price $20.95. After reading Marion Smith's _Riptide_ and Robert Van Wagoner's _Dancing Naked_ you might think that modern Mormon fiction from Signature Books must follow a formula. In the first chapter a character dies. The subsequent chapters use the death as a pivot point, delivering in parallel the past events that led up to the death and the development of the protagonist's emotional state in the present. In the final chapter, the protagonist comes to an emotional denouement, a reconciliation with the the death. Fortunately, even with the similar plot structure, Van Wagoner provides a far more satisfying experience. _Dancing Naked_ starts with Terry Walker, a University of Utah math professor, coming home to find his fifteen-year-old son, Blake, hanging by a belt from the shower-curtain rod. The coroner lists Blake's death as an autoerotic asphyxiation -- a technical way of saying that Blake accidently hanged himself while simultaneously masturbating and choking himself. While the medical examiner explains his conclusions, Terry repeatedly insists that his son isn't queer. Often Terry's responses to situations such as these seem too extreme, but Van Wagoner, over time, builds a fairly thorough and convincing psychological profile for Terry. For example, Terry's extreme homophobic response become clearer once you read the the intertwined story about five-year-old Terry. Terry's father caught Terry examining an erection while bathing. His father toted naked Terry off to the basement workshop and started to lecture: "Only homoes play with their own dicks!" he hissed at Terry. "Fairies and sissies! Believe me, boy, there's no place for such in God's or this man's kingdom!" He gave the child's wilting penis a tug. Terry knew from the look on Father's face that whatever homoes and sissies and fairies were, to be one was as bad as it got. (32) And that just begins to explain Terry's multiple personality complexes. Even before losing his son, Terry dealt with a slew of problems. Terry's father served in the navy during World War II, and Terry turned five before he met his father. As a child, Terry desperately tried to please his father, but Terry alway failed: Terry refused to go on a Mormon mission, couldn't serve in the military because of abnormal bowel physiology, and married a non-member. Terry also worries constantly, usually in spite of evidence to the contrary. For example, Terry worries about spending money even though he has a huge savings account. Ultimately, Terry wants to live in a stable an controlled environment of his own making, but he must come to accept that he cannot control others or even certain aspects of himself. The title "Dancing Naked" refers to several aspects of the story line. Explicitly, it refers to the peak of Terry's happiness. At one point just after Terry delivered his Master's thesis, he felt unburdened from worry and he took his wife, Rayne, on a spontaneous vacation to the coast of Maine. There in a private bungalow, Rayne dances naked on the deck: Rayne's wild motions tempered, became smooth and constant like the ocean behind her. She seemed not Terry's wife, but a ghost, a specter of fundamental form and energy. Watching her placed Terry on the edge, almost within reach of an equation universally profound, a new Law of Relativity. A seduction was in progress. She offered him serenity and security -- things more alluring than her body. Like her clothing, she had stripped away the superfluities, the conveniences she might at other times offer. What remained was a denser substance, like dark marble. Rayne was outside and Terry was inside and she was inviting him into her world. (212) "Dancing naked" also describes the pivotal event that starts Terry's descent to his lowest emotional point, when Terry finds Blake. He knows now what has happened -- and he's determined to save his boy before it's too late. He . . . begins pulling on his son. He lifts Blake to relieve the pressure from his neck, to allow him to breathe. Terry wonders, with strange clarity, why he insisted on installing the finest of shower curtain rods, the strongest, the one that wouldn't break or tear free if, say, a mischievous teenager were to swing on it. (18) Blake's death causes such a shock to Terry and the other characters that they can no longer maintain their typical emotional distance from each other. Thus, "dancing naked" implicitly refers to the dance between the characters as they deal with each other's naked emotions. Van Wagoner so successfully portrays both the history of Terry's emotional state and his interaction with the other characters in the present, that he has created a psychological novel that resonates as deeply as Dostoyevsky's _Crime and Punishment_ yet deals with modern issues such as the effects of generational prejudice. -- Terry Jeffress - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Christopher Bigelow" Subject: Re: [AML] AML Writer's Conference: Announcement Date: 19 Sep 2000 09:50:59 -0700 The flyer was incorrect. The actual date of the AML writers' conference is = Nov. 4. Sorry for any inconvenience. >>> "Annette Lyon" 09/18 8:38 PM >>> Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 19 Sep 2000 10:20:05 -0600 >Self amusement is. . . . Oh, my gosh. Look at that! Did you see that dismount! How in the world = could someone pull that off, spin in the air like that and land in perfect = balance. =20 I'm sorry. You were saying? >Self amusement involves the way we waste time on sports. . . 50 Meters to go! Thorpe is gaining on Hall! Spectacular! And then he's = won, and the Aussies are playing air guitar--what a delicious response to = Hall's trash talking--and Hall's got that grin on his face. What an = amazing race. And look, for the first time in the history of her nation, = that Costa Rican girl has won a medal in the Olympics. That bronze means = more to her than anything. And that other girl, she broke her back and = came back and just won silver. Look at the tears on her face. .. . . =20 I am being rude. My apologies. Self amusement is. . . . >Ahem. Self amusement involves . . . . Okay, the Giants magic number is 6, which means that we can get to this = weekend series with the Diamondbacks only needing one win, maybe two, to = clinch. What a joyous season this has been, watching these extraordinary = athletes play their hearts out--Ellis Burks on knees so bad that he can't = walk up a flight of stairs--and how much joy my kids and I have enjoyed, = talking about it every day, racing to check out the standings in the = papers, excitedly chattering about Barry and Jeff and Woody Reuter and all = the rest of our favorites. Can't wait for my foot to heal enough to go = out with our mitts and have a catch. But back to self-amusement. You were making a point about the role of = self-amusement in God's plan. I promise to listen this time. >Just because life is for being happy doesn't give us license to >welcome all things into our lives that could possibly be enjoyable. =20 He's to the twenty, the ten, the five, touchdown! I swear, this Engemann = kid is something special. Okay, so the Cougars are only 1-3 so far this = season. I'm still hopeful. And look! I think Lavell actually smiled! = Seriously, I saw a smile! See, this is the point I've been trying to make over and over and over. = WE DON'T GET TO JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE'S TASTE IN ENTERTAINMENT. This is the = very heart of the problem I have with this discussion of morality in art. = Okay, art has moral dimensions. But we don't get to decide what those = moral dimensions are, and we'd better be darn careful when we try to guess = what they might be. And I'd get into it a lot more deeply, but men's = triathalon is coming up, followed by weightlifting, followed by women's = softball, and I just don't have time. And I fully intend to glory in the = amazing physical feats of my brothers and sisters, as they praise God = through their dedication and self-discipline and talent. So I really = don't have time. Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 19 Sep 2000 10:43:17 -0600 Jason wrote: >I take Todd's "self-amusement" as referring, or at least=20 >being related, to "loud laughter and light mindedness"--and if >taken in = this way, then Todd's right: these things are not "part of >the gospel" = and we have been cautioned, even commanded to >avoid them. So, if going = against a=20 >directive/commandment is considered sin, and we accept my >linkage of=20 >self-amusement with loud laughter and light mindedness, then >self-amuseme= nt HAS been made a sin. Okay, so what exactly are 'loud laughter" and what exactly is "lightmindedn= ess" and how do they manifest themselves today? Because "loud laughter" = in the scriptural sense is very clearly NOT the same thing as laughing = loudly. =20 How do I know this? Because President Hinckley has such delicious comic = timing. =20 Fact is, comedy is, I think, the healthiest of all art forms. I think = that the ability to find the human condition ludicrous is essential. I = think James Arrington is a very funny man, and I think seeing him perform = is a glorious thing. I love love love Ed Snow. I adore Calvin Grondahl. = And that's not all. I love the work of Brother Kelsey Grammar. (My stupid = spell-checker dealie won't let me spell his name properly! It keeps = correcting it! That's hilarious!). I think Frazier is hysterical, and I = think he's a superb comic actor. I like sit-coms. I think they're = terrific, and I think they're an art form we Mormons ought to get good at. I also think that crude, disgusting, scatalogical humor is hilarious. I = think the toilet scene in Dumb and Dumber is hilarious. I think the = 'caught in the zipper' scene in There's Something About Mary is hilarious. = I think fart jokes are hilarious. (So did Shakespeare) And I think all = those sorts of humor are not only funny, but healthy and moral. I think = it's healthy and moral to be reminded that we are here on earth with = physical bodies, and that those bodies sometimes emit unpleasant, = undignified odors, liquids and sounds. I think it's great to treat our = bodies with reverence, and it's also great to recognize that they're = bodies. And I think little kids' fascination with poop is particularly = healthy and vital and good. I like kids anyway. I like how messy they are. I think watching little = kids eat spaghetti is terrifically funny and wonderful. Especially if = they eat it with lots of sauce, and it gets all the way up their nostrils. = I can't imagine God not chuckling at the sight. =20 Okay, so we've touched a nerve here. I'm writing a farce right now, and = in one scene, a very uptight, proper Mormon guy walks around for an entire = scene unaware that his shirt tail is hanging out the fly of his trousers. = I think that's hilarious. And my beloved colleague and friend who's = helping run our workshop hates that scene. It's so silly, he said. It's = such a cheap laugh. It's just not very sophisticated humor. And I don't = care. I think it's funny, and I'm going to keep it. And I think it's = even funnier later on when he (the character, not my colleague) tries to = fix the problem and ends up hopping about with his pants around his = ankles. So, sure, we're warned away from 'loud laughter.' But what is that? = Mocking and jeering, I suspect. But one thing I am absolutely certain of. = 'Loud laughter' is bad. But laughing loudly is good. Good in every = possible sense of the word. =20 But then again, I'm notoriously lightminded. :) (My first emoticon! I = think I did it wrong.) Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 19 Sep 2000 10:52:05 -0600 "Bash is good art, which is at the same time morally dubious." =20 And I think saying this is what's morally dubious. We all know this, but how often do we forget: portrayal does not suggest = advocacy. Neil's characters are Mormon for a very good reason, to remind = us that we, even we, are capable of ultimate evil. Michael suggests that = some viewers might see this as a typical example of religion equaling = intolerance. Well, a lot of the time, religion does lead to intolerance = and self-righteousness, and not humility and meekness, so if some viewers = conclude this, they're not necessarily wrong. Besides, I suspect most = viewers are far more likely to see this play as a warning, and not as a = description of the typical way Mormon guys treat gay people. =20 I remember the debate in our faculty some years ago when we wanted to do = Sweeney Todd. This classical musical tells a horrific story of a barber = who murders, and then eats, his clientele. The argument against doing = this show was, as I recall, that some members of our audience might be = thereby inspired to eat their neighbors as a result, and that that would = be bad. I did not find the argument convincing. Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jacob Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church Will Keep Promised Valley Playhouse, Will Become Shops, Offices: Salt Lake Tribune Date: 19 Sep 2000 11:49:30 -0600 On Mon, 18 Sep 2000 16:40:27 -0600, Thom Duncan wrote: >> LDS Church Will Keep Promised Valley Playhouse, Will Become Shops, >> Offices > >If I were a drinking man, this headline alone would be cause me to go = get >sloshed. I've never been there, and wouldn't know the building if it fell on me, = but I almost cried, myself. Jacob Proffitt - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "jana bouck remy" Subject: [AML] Books Up for Review Date: 19 Sep 2000 11:11:16 -0700 Here are a few books up for review. If you'd like to apply to review one of these titles, send an email with your preferences to the list address . Please put "Private" in the subject line o= f your message. If you're new to AML-List, please refer to the Review Guidelines at for more information. Thanks, Jana Remy AML-List Review Editor ------------- _Missing Children_ from the Light Traveler Adventure Series by BJ Rowley "Her name is Jean," said Mrs. Jewell. "She was three and a half years old at the time. We were having a barbecue picnic in the park. I called her sister, Katie, and told her to bring Jean to the pavilion. But = she couldn't find her. "We looked everywhere in the rest rooms, up and down the streets, between all the cars. The men scoured the entire neighborhood for blocks around. But she was nowhere. We questioned everybody and finally found someone who remembered seeing a little girl leaving with a man. "Right then, I knew ... I'd lost my baby ... She was gone." And thus the search begins. Bart Elderberry and his new boss, private detective William G. Owens, are pressed into service in a frantic effort to solve a decade-old kidnapping and uncover an extensive black-market baby-snatching organization. Before long, Bart and his friends are dodging bullets, fending off tire-irons, and facing seemingly impossible odds in their desperate race against time. But along the way, Bart discovers some new and exciting ways to utilize his out-of-body abilities to help track down the dangerous and ruthless kidnapper/killers and to save himself and friends from certain death. Missing Children adds yet another exciting volume to the captivating Light Traveler Adventure Series-an action-packed episode that will have readers of all ages enthralled from beginning to dramatic and heart-touching end. _Worth Their Salt, Too: More Notable But Often Unnoticed Women of Utah_. Ed. By Colleen Whitley (no synopsis for this one) _The Dinner Club_ by Curtis Taylor Chris Young is a husband, father, truck driver, and convert to the Mormon Church. He is also part of a dinner club, a group of four couples who have dinner together each Saturday night. Life has been good, but Chris is about to get a wake-up call he will never forget. While his wife suffers a severe crisis of faith, he struggles with his= business, the needs of his three children, a mystifying father, and the possibility that his friends may not be friends after all. Through all thi= s, he keeps his chin up and his sense of humor intact. Journeying from woe to woe, Chris begins to learn what love and faith really are, and why they= become lasting only after severe trials. He also learns that another Frien= d is anxious to travel with us, if we will let him. >From its opening "accident" to its powerful conclusion, The Dinner Club becomes a powerful analogy for the greatest love of all--the love of a Savior for his beloved. Anita Stansfield, _Towers of Brierly_ Set in eighteenth-century Scotland, this fast-paced historical romance sweeps the reader into a world of suspense, intrigue, murder, vengeance and a love strong enough to conquer Brierley and all it stands for. Haunted by secrets and questions about his birth, Gavin leaves Brierley, returning years later to confront the lies of the past. To Anya Ross, Brierley is like the fairy-tale castle of her dreams. But when her great-uncle is murdered, and the remnants of the MacBrier family torment her at every turn, her dream turns into a nightmare. Anya and Gavin are drawn together by the bond of a mottled past they share. But this bond becomes a wedge that threatens to drive them apart as sinister forces confront them at every turn. Only Gavin holds the key to undoing an evil he doesn=92t even understand=97the key that can free Anya and himself from the chains of fear and hatred. Rachel Nunes, _Tomorrow and Always_ Anyone would think that Karissa and Malcolm have the perfect life. Young and successful, they=92ve built their dream home on beautiful Kodiak Island in Alaska. But behind closed doors it=92s a much different story. Unable to have children, and currently inactive in the Church, Karissa and Malcolm=92s marriage is beginning to fall apart. When Jesse and Brionney Hergarter move to Kodiak, Karissa senses a kindred spirit. With Brionney=92s friendship and support, Karissa feels = a growing desire to return to activity in the Church. But this means confessing the one sin that has haunted her for years=97the one that could drive Malcolm away forever. In Tomorrow and Always, best-selling author Rachel Ann Nunes has crafted another dramatic and emotional novel about heartache, hope, and one woman=92s urgent desire for the comfort of Heavenly Father=92s forgiveness. _Falling Toward Heaven_ by John Bennion Alone at the airport, Howard Rockwood considers two years spent away from home. He has said good-bye to his mission president, but now his head aches. Can he fall back into the routine and expectations of his parents in Utah? Can he muster the drive to follow his= instincts=97to figure out what he has been unable to wrap his mind around? He thinks of Allison, the young woman he met, who visits his dreams. She is educated, quick-witted=97the kind of "man-eating pagan" that his senile grandfather warned him about but who nonetheless makes him feel alive. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: [AML] Florence Child BROWN, _I Cannot Tell a Life_ Date: 19 Sep 2000 12:46:39 -0700 Way back on June 8 John Perry posted Jerry Johnston's "Waiting for a great Mormon novelist," in which Johnston says that great Mormon novels will probably be written in the magical realist tradition of stating supernatural or magical occurrences matter-of-factly. I was reading _I Cannot Tell a Life_ then (I'm shocked that I finished it so long ago and finally started my review just last week--or was it the week before. (Now, what was that old song lyric, "Time's tipsy at the still / In Harlow's world it takes a swill.")) and mentioned one of several descriptions of the interpretation of tongues. On 14 June Marilyn Brown replied. I thought I started my response sometime in August, but my drafts box dates it 6/20/00. Marilyn said: > I'm so glad I didn't miss Harlow's mention of I CANNOT TELL A > LIFE. > Too bad I have only five copies left and can't print more because > I'll be sued. You've mentioned this several times, Marilyn. I can't think of better publicity, especially if you get a good newspaper writer to write it as a follow up to last fall's Daily Herald story (AML-List, Mon, 22 Nov 1999). I imagine you could get it in several papers, including the hometown paper of whoever files the suit. It could make a fascinating magazine article. What would be the grounds for a suit? Libel? The traditional dictum is that in a libel suit "truth is an absolute defense." My librarian-brother Dennis says that doesn't always hold, depending on why someone is writing what they're writing. If the standard for libel is intent to defame, you'd have a hard time proving that the author wants to influence the way we think about someone else's reputation. As someone who has studied rhetoric and the ways authors announce intent in their writing, I find the book remarkable in its rhetorical approach. So remarkable that it would be difficult to prove that Florence Child Brown is trying to influence our opinion about any of the people she is writing about. Take for example this passage. It's a bit seamy, to borrow a word from the back cover, but rhetorically it's quite remarkable, that is, worth remarking on. She's describing a visit to California where her son Richard offered a tour of his new office building. Mary Pat, Richard's wife, tries to dissuade Florence: >>>>> When we got to his office, Mary Pat tried again to stop me from going in. I wish I hadn't gone in, because I don't think I ever was so hurt and disgusted. On the inside door, Richard had a picture, almost life-sized, of a naked woman with her legs wide open so you could see "everything." That was bad enough, but he had put a sign on it and the sign said, "My Mother." I literally got sick to my stomach and dashed out of his office to the restroom. <<<<< The obvious response to this situation is to say, 'What kind of a son would dishonor his mother in this way, let alone invite her into his office to see the dishonor?' But Brown doesn't say that. She doesn't comment on it at all, except to tell us how she reacted physically, and she describes her emotional reaction in just three words, "hurt and disgusted." She has two more paragraphs about Richard going to a porn bookstore and lighting up a joint, but reports them just as straightforwardly. The phrase, "a catalog from which sick people could order anything that was unthinkable and downright filthy" (319), is her only comment. Note that she doesn't say, "sick people like my son." Because she doesn't say it she allows us to say it if we want, just as she allows us to wonder what kind of a son would think of his mother pornographically, if we want to wonder about that. But because she doesn't comment she also invites us to follow her example and show compassion for her son, to recognize his actions, then move on with the story. In contrast, I keep thinking of a passage in Linda Sillitoe's review of _From Housewife to Heretic_ where she scolds her friend Sonia Johnson for a blistering second-person address to her ex-husband. Clearly Johnson wants us to feel a certain way about him. Brown doesn't. Even the several passages where she describes various people (including her husband) trying to kill her (no, she's not paranoid, there's a motif in the book about the casualness of violence in our society that gives it strong resonance with Mikal Gilmore's _Shot in the Heart_) are more reportorial than emotional. She tells us what happened, but doesn't tell us how she wants us to think about it. She rarely even tells us what she thought or thinks about the events she's recounting. Her interest is in telling honestly the life she cannot tell. If my mother wrote so well and dispassionately about my sins I might be burning with shame as a son, but as a literary critic, I'd be glowing with pride. More about that in the review. Harlow S. Clark ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 19 Sep 2000 13:38:56 -0700 On Thu, 14 Sep 2000 08:28:37 -0500 "Todd Robert Petersen" writes: > Harlow wrote: > >> It is true that our consecration requires artists and lawyers and doctors >> and students and homemakers and dentists and plumbers and cement >> layers and network administrators and nurses and home health aids >> and all manner of other professionals to help build the kingdom. But >> I'm not sure it requires people to justify developing their talents-- >> beyond simply developing them. > > But I was not speaking of developing them but pointing out that > we're told in no uncertain terms that we are to dedicate our time > and talents "to the building up of the kingdom." > > Justification is part of that, has to be part of that. Just to develop them > means nothing really. Not so. I approach art and talent from the assumption that talent, as the parable suggests, is a gift from the Lord and that using a talent acknowledges the gift. In other words, receiving and using the talent as a gift is a way of rejoicing in the gift and "in him who is the giver of the gift" (D&C 88:33). > I think that simply "having" talents but not using them in a social > or community way (which of course means to better your friends, > neighbors, etc.) is very much like the old candle and bushelbasket > issue also brought up in the scriptures. I love Walker Percy's essay, "The Man on the Train," with its image of an alienated commuter reading a novel about an alienated commuter, and feeling kinship with both the character and the character's author, "which is an aesthetic reversal of alienation" (_The Message in the Bottle_, 83). Percy's work carries a strong sense that art is always done for an other, always created as part of a community. > I tell my students that it is not enough to know what you're doing, > but you need to know what it IS that you're doing, WHY you're > doing what you're doing, and What the world gets from what > you're doing. Knowing what you're doing is no simple matter. Recall the story of Thor's labors among the Ice Kings, especially as retold in David Wagoner's poem "The Labors of Thor." He left in shame and defeat unable to drink a horn of mead, pick up a cat or wrestle an old woman, not knowing he had drunk the oceans down, lifted the north pillar of the world and wrestled death to her knees. Asking the artist to know what the world gets from a work is to ask an artist to know the unknowable. Let me tell you a story. About 20 years ago Bruce Jorgensen got George P. Elliott, one of his professors from Syracuse U., to come out to BYU for a writer's conference of some sort. In one speech Elliott took up the issue of socially conscious writing, noting that MacDonald Harris's novel _The Balloonist_ hadn't won the National Book Award because it wasn't politically aware enough. Elliott wondered whether an elegant style and a good story count for nothing. A year or two later I was riding in a car with Bruce, Bela Petsco and my wife. I think we had gone to hear Joseph Brodsky reading at the U of U. I mentioned something I had heard from or about Richard Cracroft, that he had a professor at the U of U who knew his characters so well that he knew what characters from one of his novels would say to characters from another if they met at church. Both Bruce and Bela said (hmm, I need a b-word there to carry on the assonance, brayed? barked? bellowed? bawled out? blustered? bayed out the window? -- now what was the name of that word dinosaur?) "That's Don Heiney." I'd never heard of him. They told me he writes under the name MacDonald Harris, and Bruce mentioned one adventure novel about a group of American soldiers on Hokaido in August 1945, called _Yukiko_. BYU library didn't have it, but when I got to UW I found it there, or in the Seattle Public library. It was an engrossing story, and I remember well reading it on the bus along Eastlake Ave East from the U. District into downtown. I was quite a ways into it before I realized the whole story was being told in the first person present tense. The commandos have come to Hokaido to blow up a heavy water plant. Their contact is an Ainu man called Sensei (teacher) because he is a school teacher. (The Ainu would be the equivalent of the American Indian, the indigenous people pushed out by the Japanese.) Sensei hides them in a condom factory, and at one point tells them he will give them what information he has, but first they need to have some sake because there is a god inside each of us who can only come alive if we drink sake. The expotition leader asks if this is a religious belief. Sensei replies that he has believed it for many years but first encountered it in the writings of Rorenzo. Is Rorenzo a great Japanese philosopher? No, he's an English writer who wrote _Sons and Sweethearts_, and _The Sweetheart of Lady Chateri_. Ok, you're thinking, why are you telling me about this book, what's the point of this nice little joke about Rorenzo? When I read _Yukiko_ I had just gone through, was still going through, the most horrendous experience I'd ever had. Books and stories like _Yukiko_, Levi Peterson's _The Backslider_, _Switching Tracks_, by Dean Hughes, _Jesus Tales_, by Romulus Linney, _Surviving the Flood_, by Stephen Minot, _Jack the Bear_, by Dan McCall (another book Bruce put me on to) "Benediction," and "The Only Divinely Authorized Plan for Financial Success In this Life or the Next," by Neal Chandler, "Hozhoogoo Nanina Doo," by Michael Fillerup, _Pet Sematary_, By Stephen King, _Tirra Lirra by the River_, by Jessica Anderson, _The Real Cool Killers_, by Chester Himes (a good Thanksgiving read--It was going to be my first Thanksgiving alone, but my brother and his family never considered me spending that holiday alone and drove up from Portland), the first 100+ pages of Hardy's _The Mayor of Casterbridge_ (I wanted to read a story about a man who had sold his family--got to finish it someday) did a great deal to help me through a very, very difficult year, probably saved me from despair, votever dot meinz. And _Yukiko_ gave me a wonderful phrase--genshi bakudan (Andrew Hall can correct that if it's wrong, as I said, I haven't been able to find a copy in Utah valley) which Yukiko (when he finally meets her) translates to the narrator as 'electric bomb,' but I've also seen as 'killed by the bomb'--which described my experience in a lot of ways. It stands in my lexicon of wonderful phrases right next to 'pikuach nefesh' ('to save a life') which Reuven, in Chaim Potok's _The Promise_, tells us means that life is more important than law. In that book a psychiatrist uses pikuach nefesh to defy a ban on excommunication that has been laid upon a scholar and his family, and treat the scholar's son (and marry his niece--"Molly Bloom, great with child"). If saving a person's emotional and psychological and spiritual health has as much value as pikuach nefesh puts on it, then surely those stories fulfilled the measure of their artisitc creation. And yet, I doubt any of those writers set out to write stories that would have that kind of effect on me. I don't know how they could have. The stories had their effect on me because they were well-wrought works of art, works wrought with love for words, craft, readers. I doubt any of the writers could have known what I would get from their words. And if they had set out to improve me they couldn't have had the power they did. I have seen movies and read stories whose express purpose was to make me a better person. Wretched. > To not be concerned with these kinds of things makes an artist a > kind of hobbyist--happy, to be sure--or doing right as Harlow > suggested--but really just someone who is pursuing a high, > often very high, level of self-amusement. To go back to "The Man on the Train," self-amusement would be true alienation. "To picture a truly alienated man," Percy says, "picture a Kafka to whom it had never occurred to write a word" (83). Art is always done for an other. Harlow S. Clark ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Todd Robert Petersen Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 19 Sep 2000 15:14:07 -0500 Between innings Eric Samuelsen wrote: > See, this is the point I've been trying to make over and over and over. WE DON'T GET TO > JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE'S TASTE IN ENTERTAINMENT. This is the very heart of the > problem I have with this discussion of morality in art. The way I see it, art and entertainment are not necessarily the same thing. I reserve the term entertainment for light diversions, art for things that demand more of my attention emotionally and intellectually. Certainly art can and does entertain me at times, but it usually does much more, much more. So, to group the two removes a crucial disctinction for me. >Okay, art has moral dimensions. But we don't get to decide what those moral dimensions are, and > we'd better be darn careful when we try to guess what they might be. Who does, then, if not us? Are you suggesting, in a Platonic sense, that there are moral dimensions but that they are beyond the reach of humans? I, for one, think that we can decide what those moral dimensions are, but that we don't have a right to insist upon them for others. Then again, in extreme situations, I think that maybe we can and ought to make those decisions. We do in matters of law. -- Todd Robert Petersen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Todd Robert Petersen Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 19 Sep 2000 15:02:28 -0500 Eric, You've said what you think loud laughter isn't. What do you think it is? What IS lightmindedness? Freud has ideas, so does Bakhtin. You're right when you say, "comedy is, I think, the healthiest of all art forms. I think that the ability to find the human condition ludicrous is essential." (Side question, by "Brother" Kelsey Grammar, do you mean that he's LDS?) Eric, you wrote that you think" crude, disgusting, scatalogical humor is hilarious." Do you mean that it IS or that it CAN BE. This is a pretty important distinction to make. > Okay, so we've touched a nerve here. Yes, for which I am very happy. -- Todd Robert Petersen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Barbara@techvoice.com (Barbara R. Hume) Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 19 Sep 2000 14:11:09 -0700 >I also think that crude, disgusting, scatalogical humor is hilarious. I don't enjoy it myself, but that reminds me of an exchange I read recently: She: "Why do boys think disgusting things are funny?" He: "Why do girls think funny things are disgusting?" It's all in your worldview, I suppose! So I reserve my right to stalk huffily out of the room when certain movies or TV shows come on. barbara hume - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 19 Sep 2000 15:54:49 -0600 "D. Michael Martindale" wrote: > LaBute's criticisms of Mormon culture are being done in poor taste--with > poor manners. I guess it's a don't-display-your-dirty-laundry-in-public > thing. I don't criticize my wife in front of strangers, and I guess I > think LaBute is being rude by criticizing us before strangers. If he did > in in a venue that would reach more Mormons, my attitude would turn 180 > degrees. The "truth" is the truth regardless of the audience. And the truth should never be never be squelched and always welcome. And ciriticizing one's wife in public and, like Rodney Dangerfield, talking about your "wife" for comedic purposes, are two different things. One is not acceptable, the other is. Thom Duncan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Gae Lyn Henderson" Subject: RE: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 20 Sep 2000 09:20:32 -0600 > Eric R. Samuelsen said: >> > Okay, so what exactly are 'loud laughter" and what exactly is > "lightmindedness" and how do they manifest themselves today? > Because "loud laughter" in the scriptural sense is very clearly > NOT the same thing as laughing loudly. > > How do I know this? Because President Hinckley has such > delicious comic timing. > > Fact is, comedy is, I think, the healthiest of all art forms. You make me feel so happy and healthy (just for the sake of being healthy!) with this post. Thanks. You've made a distinction here that I've felt all my life but never articulated. One of the best memories I have with my family is when my husband, the famous missionary companion of Thom Duncan, would start laughing hysterically, loudly, out-of-control, about The Andy Griffith Show (My husband's from North Carolina, so Andy and Barney really do it for him). > > So, sure, we're warned away from 'loud laughter.' But what is > that? Mocking and jeering, I suspect. That makes sense to me. Hurting others with laughter would be wrong. Great post Eric. Gae Lyn Henderson > > > > > > > > - > AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature > http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm > - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Gae Lyn Henderson" Subject: RE: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 20 Sep 2000 09:20:33 -0600 Jason Steed said: > True joy comes from the realization that there is > more to it than that. It is the literal union of two people. We cannot > become gods without that union ("neither is the man without the > woman or the > woman without the man"). Thus, it is the momentary experience of > something > like godhood. I like your point here, Jason, and it better reflects what I really think. Yes, I better not forget the spiritual element, the idealistic component to what some people may see as strictly a physical experience. I have to agree that limiting sexual union to the strictly physical would be shortchanging it. Connection on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level is the ultimate goal. I just didn't want to dismiss the physical element as unimportant. I can imagine that one of the reasons we wanted to come to earth and gain a body was for the mysterious and wonderful opportunity to fulfill the measure of our creation. Connection with another person on any level, physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual,is meaningful. Even finding points of agreement and disagreement with people I've never seen on the AML list is something I find worth doing. I'm just not sure whether it fits under the problematic category of self-amusement! My husband plays free-cell on his computer while I read your postings. Does an ongoing discussion about art have more intrinsic value? Gae Lyn Henderson - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Richard C. Russell" Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 19 Sep 2000 21:37:31 -0600 Eric speaks my mind on this subject with heartfelt eloquence. I think that God is enormously entertained by all the activities of His children. That's what love does. There is very little humor that doesn't just lay me out. Monty Python rules. They are rude, ribald and completely over the top and I love it. ********************************************* Richard C. Russell, SLC UTAH www.leaderlore.com, www.keyscouter.com "There is never the last word, only the latest." Let there be whirled peas! - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] re: MN LDS Church Will Keep Promised Valley Playhouse, Will Become Date: 19 Sep 2000 23:37:52 EDT Larry Jackson wrote: > From: Rosemary Pollock > To: Mormon News > Subject: MN LDS Church Will Keep Promised Valley Playhouse, > Will Become Shops, Offices: Salt Lake Tribune 13Sep00 A1 > Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 21:20:00 -0400 > > [From Mormon-News] > > LDS Church Will Keep Promised Valley Playhouse, > Will Become Shops, Offices Thom Duncan: If I were a drinking man, this headline alone would cause me to go get sloshed. _______________ I thought twice about forwarding that article from MN to the list because it was so depressing. Many years ago, I participated in _Promised Valley_ at the outdoor theater that became the Church parking lot, before there even was a Promised Valley Playhouse. I only visited the Promised Valley Playhouse once while visiting Salt Lake on vacation. But it was _Unspoken Song_ I saw, and I have never forgotten it. Sorry they couldn't fix up the theater and keep it. Somehow, I don't think that new theater in the Conference Center (which I have never seen) will be the same. Larry Jackson ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: Re: [AML] Help Finding a Play Date: 20 Sep 2000 23:20:47 JST I think I remember that play. My ward (or stake?) did it (or part of it) as part of a youth activity some twenty years ago. It was the "Youth takes a plane trip to the Bahamas!" activity, did you ever do that? Tounge-in-cheek the leaders tell us that we are going to the Bahamas that Wednesday night, with the plane landing in the church parking lot, and that we should dress appropriately. We show up at the church, and go into a room that is decorated to resemble the interior of an airplane. Soon after the movie begins, the plane "crashes", and we are escorted into the spirit world. I forget what all happens, but we visited representations of the various kingdoms, I think. At the end we went into the chapel, and saw this short play. It was about two friends in the spirit world, one a good person who never knew about the gospel, the other a Church member who did not marry in the temple. In the end the one finds out someone did the work for him in the Temple, and the other finds out his family was sealed to someone else after his death--he goes crying out of the room. I was only 12, I don't remember much more than that. My brother was in it, I'll ask if he remembers anything more, but I doubt that he will. Andrew Hall - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jason Steed" Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 19 Sep 2000 21:07:07 PDT See, I LOVE comedy--I really do... Seriously, though--it's my favorite genre. I never got into horror (it scared me); Westerns were okay, but always seemed old, like my grandma (I love 'em, they tell good stories, but they move slow and tell the same good stories over and over); SF and fantasy were really cool for a little while, until I became more amazed and awe-struck by the world I was actually living in; and romance just seems, well, sort of like a mix between SF and the Western--the same good stories over and over again, and none of them really happening in the world I lived in. Hopefully the fans of these genres aren't offended--but gimme a good riotous comedy any day!! In fact, I love comedy so much, it's become a fulltime subject of study for me--the nature of humor, how it is created, how it functions (my dissertation, as I've mentioned before, is on humor in American Jewish fiction). So, I certainly don't mean to suggest that "loud laughter"--which ought to be avoided--is equivalent to "laughing loudly." For the record: my interpretation of "loud laughter" does have something to do with mockery, murmuring, and the like--but perhaps it is best synonymized (new word--pretty cool, eh?) with "irreverence." And while I think there is a time and a place for "irreverent" humor, and that it can be pretty darn funny, still, we have been cautioned to avoid it. The way I see it (and this is based in part on my studies), humor has two possible functions. Besides just making us laugh (that's the superficial result of the humorous situation), it functions as a means of assimilation, or as a means of alienation. IOW, humor is created, almost without exception, by incongruity (two things that normally don't go together are put together). The humor created by the incongruity can be an assimilating humor, or an alienating humor. The assimilating variety functions as a means of assimilating the incongruity--we embrace that which is different and accept it. The alienating variety functions as a means of rejection. I suppose (and I'm making this up as I go) that the "loud laughter" we ought to avoid might just be that irreverent, alienating sort of humor. When we laugh at Jane for wearing a funny hat, and it's all in good fun and Jane (and her hat) are welcomed into our group--that's laughing loudly. When we laugh at Jane for wearing a funny hat, and Jane is ostracized from the group, put to shame, and so on--that's loud laughter. Just a thought... Jason Steed _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 20 Sep 2000 00:51:56 -0600 "Eric R. Samuelsen" wrote: > Okay, so what exactly are 'loud laughter" and what exactly is > "lightmindedness" and how do they manifest themselves today? > Because "loud laughter" in the scriptural sense is very clearly > NOT the same thing as laughing loudly. > > How do I know this? Because President Hinckley has such > delicious comic timing. I've wondered about this scriptural phrase as well. How can loud laughter and lightmindedness be evil? Or a more accurate rendition of the question--accurate to how I really asked it to myself--is: "I've laughed loudly and indulged in lightmindedness on occasion. Was I really being evil?" Either we really are supposed to be sourpusses (Paul Dunn's words: "Some members of the church look like they've been weaned on prunes and sour lemons."), or these scriptural quotes mean something besides what a superficial glance might indicate. So what on earth is so immoral about loud laughter and lightmindedness? The only thing I can think of is that they describe a state of mind or emotion where anything is fair game for ridicule. In spite of the philosophy of most stand-up comedians, there are things which should not be made fun of. These are what we call sacred things. As knee-slapping hilarious as Sam Kinison was, I could only cringe when he went into his bits about Jesus. If an LDS comedian did a standup routine on the temple ceremony, I would have to walk out. I think loud laughter and lightmindedness represent a state of mind where we forget to reverence sacred things, not just laugh louldy or feel in a giddy mood. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 20 Sep 2000 01:04:17 -0600 "Eric R. Samuelsen" wrote: > "Bash is good art, which is at the same time morally dubious." > > And I think saying this is what's morally dubious. > > We all know this, but how often do we forget: portrayal does not suggest advocacy. I'm not calling _Bash_ morally dubious for this reason. I am deadset against the notion that portrayal suggests advocacy. To adopt that belief is to destroy effective art. I'm calling _Bash_ morally dubious because it's sending it's message to the wrong audience and thereby doing more harm than good. A play against one form of intolerance is reinforcing another form of intolerance. Something has to be wrong there. > Neil's characters are Mormon for a very good reason, to remind us that we, even we, are capable of ultimate evil. But I think only a tiny, tiny percentage of "us" is even seeing this play. So what's the point? Peterson's _Backslider_ is comparably extreme in its representation of LDS people. But _Backslider_ is more effective in getting its message across to the right audience because the venue it was published in targeted that audience. I don't think anything about _Bash_ attempted to target the right audience. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Morgan B. Adair" Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 28 Sep 2000 08:34:35 -0600 On Mon, 18 Sep 2000 23:27:45 -0600 "D. Michael Martindale" writes: > > LaBute's criticisms of Mormon culture are being done in poor > taste--with > poor manners. I guess it's a > don't-display-your-dirty-laundry-in-public > thing. I don't criticize my wife in front of strangers, and I guess > I > think LaBute is being rude by criticizing us before strangers. If he > did > in in a venue that would reach more Mormons, my attitude would turn > 180 > degrees. To what extent is the play a criticism of Mormon culture, rather than a criticism of American culture? The church has spent the past 120 years trying to be accepted as part of the mainstream, with some success. I don't think audiences come away from the play thinking about those horrible homophobic Mormons. Mormons are a (generally conservative) part of American society, which (as demonstrated by the Matthew Shepard beating death) is afflicted with hatred of homosexuals. Labute is not criticizing Mormons, just using people who happen to be Mormon to criticize the greater culture. MBA ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Steve Perry Subject: [AML] Gallery 4, Book of Mormon Art competition... Date: 20 Sep 2000 08:16:25 -0600 --Boundary_(ID_jXF1ayOa5zESnPg7gRSJww) Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Sending on the following for general interest. S. _ _ _ _ _ Meridian Magazine--the place where Latter-day Saints gather--brings you today's First Line News on family, values, and moral society. http://www.meridianmagazine.com Today in Meridian Wednesday, September 20, 2000 ----- It's the next best thing to visiting the Church Museum of History and Art. Meridian has displayed three galleries from the Fifth International Art Competition. The theme for the competition was Book of Mormon, and it attracted artists using a variety of mediums from all over the world. Here is the much anticipated fourth gallery in the series to delight the eye and lift the spirit. Take a tour of the museum without having to leave home! http://www.meridianmagazine.com/arts/000920bomart.html --Boundary_(ID_jXF1ayOa5zESnPg7gRSJww) Content-type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Gallery 4, Book of Mormon Art competition... Sending on the following for general interest.

S.


_ _ _ _ _


Meridian Magazine--the place where Latter-day Saints
gather--brings you today's First Line News on family,
values, and moral society.
http://www.meridianmagazine.com

Today in Meridian
Wednesday, September 20, 2000

-----

It's the next best thing to visiting the Church
Museum of History and Art. Meridian has displayed
three galleries from the Fifth International Art
Competition.  The theme for the competition was
Book of Mormon, and it attracted artists using a
variety of mediums from all over the world.  Here
is the much anticipated fourth gallery in the series
to delight the eye and lift the spirit.  Take a tour
of the museum without having to leave home!
http://www.meridianmagazine.com/arts/000920bomart.html --Boundary_(ID_jXF1ayOa5zESnPg7gRSJww)-- - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 20 Sep 2000 10:15:13 -0600 Todd asked what I think loud laughter is. The answer is, I don't know. I = have some suspicions, but that's all. I suspect that loud laughter is what you hear in a playground, when a = child is shoved sprawling, from the gang of kids who shoved him. I = suspect that loud laughter is what you hear when a racial joke is told. I = think loud laughter is what you hear when laughter is used as a weapon by = the powerful, to keep down the powerless. I tend to think Bill Clinton = jokes lead to 'loud laughter,' since they tend to denigrate the possibility= of a man's genuine efforts to repent from his sins. =20 I really have no idea what light mindedness means. Maybe it means making = fun of sacred things. But I don't know many jokes that depend on making = fun of sacred things. I have a colleague who does impressions of General = Authorities. He's very very funny. One might think his impressions are = light-minded, except I was there when he did his Thomas Monson impression = in front of Thomas Monson, who laughed so hard he cried. Yes, I think crude, scatological humor CAN BE hilarious. But it has to be = actually funny. Often, it's used in ways that aren't funny. The jokes = aren't set up properly. =20 I hate making rules about these things, but maybe, here is one. Could it = be that the key to a joke involves power relationships? When a joke, = however scatalogical, is used to skewer the pretentions of the powerful, = that's funny, appropriate and healthy. When a joke is used to put down = the ambitions of the powerless, ("Take my wife . . . please!") then = that's not funny, not appropriate, and not moral. Is that possible? =20 Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ruth Starkman Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 20 Sep 2000 10:34:17 -0700 "D. Michael Martindale" wrote: > Tony Markham wrote: > > > While it is always a risky business to impute intentions to an author, I think one of the things Neil attempts, consistently, is to teach by negative example. > > [_Bash_] will offend many and probably send the wrong message about Mormons to others, but there is a narrow > > spectrum of audience who will blink, shiver, and say, "A Mormon wrote -that-? Holy Moley!" > > > LaBute's criticisms of Mormon culture are being done in poor taste--with > poor manners. I guess it's a don't-display-your-dirty-laundry-in-public > thing. I don't criticize my wife in front of strangers, and I guess I > think LaBute is being rude by criticizing us before strangers. If he did > in in a venue that would reach more Mormons, my attitude would turn 180 > degrees. > > -- > D. Michael Martindale > dmichael@wwno.com Understanding both sides of the argument, I wonder if one could say this: Is _Bash_ a case of "dirty-laundry" exhibitionism, bad form, or worse yet, bad press for Mormons? Possibly, but there is also an important literary tradition of critique ("telling the truth" as Thom Duncan writes in his post of this morning) from the inside of a culture, even if the view is an uncomfortable one. While perhaps risking the wrong impression or reinforcing a stereotype, _Bash_ also shows a Mormon artist participating in a tradition among other greats. That's good press. Saying "Holy Moley," as Tony Markham writes above, is a good thing, as is the public exchange that such a work invites. What did the Catholics think of James Joyce... --Ruth Starkman - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 20 Sep 2000 11:58:09 -0700 On Wed, 06 Sep 2000 09:35:18 -0500 "Todd Robert Petersen" writes: > Without some social function and the "risk" of didacticism, > I feel like I'm frittering my time with mere diversions. > I know that this tends to worry people who don't like didacticism, > but to call something didactic is actually to position oneself > against it more than it is a claim about the work itself. One must > say, "I am above the lesson, more refined than the lesson being > given here" in order to claim it as didactic, which is a > particularly venomous breed of pride. Not at all. I agree with your general argument that art is moral and that in creating art we make moral choices, but because I believe that I also detest things that are openly didactic and I'm quite uncomfortable with bombastic art and criticism. _Detest_ is a strong word, of course (reeks of venomous pride?), but what I detest is the approach, what seem to be the underlying assumptions, and the art those assumptions produce, not the artist. I don't say, "I'm above the lesson you're trying to give me." Rather, when I sit down to read a book I say, "I'm interested in what you have to tell me. If you will trust me to understand your point I will listen." Similarly, when I write I make a kind of compact with my readers that I will trust them to understand (and fore!give (said the little stream) my puns and allusions and eccentricities (of no nightingale, not even that city in Italy) and playfulness without my having to explain, or even insist they like them. (I don't have to insist because if they like them they'll continue reading, probably because they like the way I write (now there's a superfluous clause--why else would they continue reading, especially if they like what I'm writing?) When I call something didactic I mean that it is more interested in making sure I get the message than in trusting me to understand. I think of one particularly annoying film about a 14-year-old boy who steals a Grayhound bus and takes it cross country to get away from the state agency trying to adopt out him and his brothers and sisters. Interesting premise ruined by a dreadful plot device: You can't tell a picaresque tale and have someone stand at the edge of the story continually reminding the audience they mustn't enjoy these misadventures because it is, after all, against the law to steal busses. The picaresque form knows this. The adventure has to end. Order has to be restored. The audience knows this and accepts it if the story is allowed to play itself out. Instead, this film has a commentator telling us how to feel about the events we're watching. It's narrated by a social worker telling her mother on the phone about these four kids and their attempts to stay together. The camera keeps cutting to their conversation whenever the mother needs to say, "Oh, he shouldn't have done that," or "that wasn't very wise now, was it?" My sense was that the film makers either didn't trust their story, didn't trust the picaresque form, or didn't trust their audience. Which is a shame, because it's a good story with engaging characters and a wrenching issue to explore, and explores it in a way that keeps the pain of family breakup from overwhelming either the audience or the story. Unfortunately the patronizing narration underwhelms both. It's hard not to feel that kind of didacticism violates the compact between me and the filmmakers, and when I feel that kind of violation in a story, even if written by Walker Percy or Margaret Young or Marden Clark (or one of his sons) I wish the author had just told me the story and resisted the urge to preach. I suppose we all have the urge sometimes to be angels and cry repentance to the world, but I love Alma's response to that urge, "But behold, I am a man and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me" (Alma 29:3). Harlow S. Clark ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tony Markham Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 20 Sep 2000 14:44:33 -0400 Dare I inject Plato/Socrates with respect to the loud laughter thread? In the allegory of the cave, he discriminates between two kinds of laughter, occasioned by two kinds of bewilderments. One towards a person coming from the darkness into the light, and the other towards a person coming from light into darkness. In class, I use the example of a baby learning to walk who is unsteady and wobbly, and of the drunk who is equally unsteady and wobbly. Both might cause laughter, but laughing at the child is taking part in growth and learning. Laughing at the drunk is ridicule at another's misfortune. How does a dignified person who slips on a banana peel make us laugh when they might very well hurt themselves? Yes, it is a sudden juxtaposition of disparate elements, which qualifies as humor under Jason's criteria, but shouldn't compassion for another's misfortune outweigh whatever comic element is in the situation? Send in the clowns. Tony Markham - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 20 Sep 2000 13:26:43 -0600 >The way I see it, art and entertainment are not necessarily the >same = thing.I reserve the term entertainment for light diversions, >art for = things that >demand more of my attention emotionally and intellectually. >Certainly = art >can and does entertain me at times, but it usually does much >more, much >more. So, to group the two removes a crucial disctinction for me. I guess I'm enough of a post-modernist to not make this distinction. I = certainly don't make a 'high art/low art' distinction. I think the = writing on Frazier, for example, is better than Plautus. I do group the = two. Shakespeare was a popular entertainer. Mozart was a rock star. And = yes, there's great complexity and power in their work. That's true of = contemporary television, pop music and post-modern art. Not long ago, the List had a discussion of the life and work of Arthur = Henry King. I was very much at a loss at that time as to what I might = say. I never met the man, never had a class from him, and had only read = one thing that he'd written. That was a book called something like Save = The Children--I don't remember the exact title--a discussion of how we can = protect our families from the negative effects of popular culture, among = other issues. Professor King was a man deeply beloved by many on the = List, and I was reluctant to offer a more negative perspective, especially = given his recent passing. =20 But in the book, Professor King discussed, for example, music, and not = only attacked popular music, but also jazz, and certain romantic composers.= And with all the respect I can muster, let me say that I cannot disagree = strenuously enough with his position on those issues. Jazz is glorious = music. And it is absolutely possible to simultaneously love Bach, Wagner, = John Coltrane and Smashing Pumpkins, and to find all of it 'virtuous, = lovely, of good report and praiseworthy.' And I do. I feel the power of = the Holy Ghost when I hear the St. Matthew Passion. I feel the same = power, as strongly, when I hear B B King play the blues. Or Metallica. = And so, I discount Professor King's opinion, not only on the issue of = music, but basically on all the issues he tackled in that book. My father = is an opera singer, I have sung in the very best choirs for years, I = worked for five years as the announcer for a classical music radio = station, and I love Mozart as well as any of you. And I say, with all the = power I can muster, that Kurt Cobain was a musical genius. For example. Catch my breath. Okay.=20 =20 Todd went on >Are you suggesting, in a Platonic sense, that >there are moral dimensions but that they are beyond the reach of >humans? = =20 Me, a Platonist! Heaven forfend. No, what I mean is that the moral dimensions of any specific art work = differ depending on who is watching it. I think it's perfectly possible = for any single work of art to be morally damaging to one consumer and = morally elevating to another. I think that's not only possible, I think = that's what happens. I think all works of art, without exception, are = virtuous, lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy to at least some of = their consumers. And I think that many works of art are also unvirtuous, = unlovely, of bad report and not worthy our praise or attention. =20 Okay, there are some extreme cases. Pornography is one. Except, I can't = talk meaningfully about pornography, because I don't know what I'm talking = about. I know, and have read, defenders of pornography, and they're = pretty passionate. I guess I'm willing to break my own rule and say that = those people really are kidding themselves, and ignoring the damage that = pornographic works are doing to them. But I also have to acknowledge that = I'm taking that stance in ignorance. (I'm also happy staying ignorant :) =20 I, >for one, think that we can decide what those moral dimensions >are, but = that >we don't have a right to insist upon them for others. Then again, >in >extreme situations, I think that maybe we can and ought to make >those >decisions. We do in matters of law. Fair enough. Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Christopher Bigelow" Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 20 Sep 2000 13:58:30 -0700 <<>> I think Robert Van Wagoner is doing something similar with _Dancing = Naked_. Chris Bigelow - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church Will Keep Promised Valley Playhouse, Will Date: 20 Sep 2000 16:08:06 -0600 Marilyn & William Brown wrote: > I wonder if everybody knows that there is a theatre adequate for dramatic production built in the new complex just north of the temple? It's not adequate. It seats two thousand people in an environment much more like a lecture hall than an actual theatre. What I was bemoaning is the idea that the Church thinks that businesses can use the space better than an arts program. Why didn't they sell the space to the Utah Ballet Company for instance? Thom - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 20 Sep 2000 16:16:26 -0600 "D. Michael Martindale" wrote: > If an LDS comedian did a standup routine on the temple > ceremony, I would have to walk out. I think loud laughter and > lightmindedness represent a state of mind where we forget to reverence > sacred things, not just laugh louldy or feel in a giddy mood. I think it's more than that even. It's a state of mind of the owner of the "standup routine" or whatever form the art may take. Look at Phyliss Diller for instance. For years, her routine regularly made fun of her husband, Fang. He hardly seemed the ideal husband. Yet she is married to him to this day. Obviously, Fang is not a real person and Phyliss' opinions about him do not reflect how she really feels. If Fang were the Chruch, Phyliss' routined should be considered as light-minded, no matter how scathing it might be. I'm affording the artist some leeway in this instance. I think it's perfectly valid for an artist to skewer, make fun of, or joke about anything in heaven or on earth without incurring the wrath of God -- as long as he is producing something that makes us think or re-think deep things about ourselves, our relationships with others, or our relationship with God. This is different, however, then what someone like Ed Decker (producer of GodMaker's might do). The stuff he produces clearly has one agenda and one agenda only: to belittle not just one's belief in Mormonism, but the entire institution. Thom - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 20 Sep 2000 16:24:42 -0600 "D. Michael Martindale" wrote: > "Eric R. Samuelsen" wrote: > > > "Bash is good art, which is at the same time morally dubious." > > > > And I think saying this is what's morally dubious. > > > > We all know this, but how often do we forget: portrayal does not suggest advocacy. > > I'm not calling _Bash_ morally dubious for this reason. I am deadset > against the notion that portrayal suggests advocacy. To adopt that > belief is to destroy effective art. I'm calling _Bash_ morally dubious > because it's sending it's message to the wrong audience and thereby > doing more harm than good. A play against one form of intolerance is > reinforcing another form of intolerance. Something has to be wrong > there. Of course, the harm it may be doing is entirely of your own make, as we've yet to see evidence that Bash actually does harm. Bash could actually be doing good to the world at large by chipping away at the self-imposed image we have been sending to the world for the last few decades of our superior life-span, the longevity of our marriages, and the better of way of life we enjoy. Bash could be helping the world to understand that, despite our missionary claims, we really are just like other people. Thus, we become less of an oddity to be gawked at (like the Mennonites) and more of a group of "normal" people with similar problems to the rest of humanity. With the assuaging of fear comes the comfort of acceptance. Thom - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jason Steed" Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 20 Sep 2000 17:58:25 PDT >Dare I inject Plato/Socrates with respect to the loud laughter thread? In >the >allegory of the cave, he discriminates between two kinds of laughter, >occasioned >by two kinds of bewilderments. One towards a person coming from the >darkness >into the light, and the other towards a person coming from light into >darkness. I would read this as similar to what I was saying about alienating and assimilating humor. >In class, I use the example of a baby learning to walk who is unsteady and >wobbly, and of the drunk who is equally unsteady and wobbly. Both might >cause >laughter, but laughing at the child is taking part in growth and learning. >Laughing at the drunk is ridicule at another's misfortune. Not necessarily. I like the example I use (Jane and her odd-looking hat), because it illustrates that the SAME situation can be the source for BOTH kinds of humor. There are those who will laugh derisively at the toddler (What's wrong with that kid--ha ha--why can't he walk yet?), and those who will laugh sympathetically at the drunk (Look at ol' Bob--ha ha--tanked again!). I don't think the situation itself, IOW, is enough to determine the nature of the humor; the intent of those FINDING the humor in the situation has much to do with it, too. >How does a dignified person who slips on a banana peel make us laugh when >they >might very well hurt themselves? Yes, it is a sudden juxtaposition of >disparate >elements, which qualifies as humor under Jason's criteria, but shouldn't >compassion for another's misfortune outweigh whatever comic element is in >the >situation? Some theorists say that there are two possible reactions to incongruity: laughter and fear (we can assume there are grades of severity for each). If I'm standing on the sidewalk and a woman gets her coat caught in the door of a bus, and the bus is pulling away, chances are my initial reaction will be fear--for her safety, etc. But if the immediate danger is removed (i.e. I see the situation resolved safely, or I never see the resolution but several days go by and time removes the immediacy), I can then tell the story of the woman hopping after the bus, being dragged by her coattail, and find a great deal of humor in it. The usual context of the banana-peel joke (e.g. a comedic film) removes the element of danger and allows us to react to it with humor (take a look at how much humor is generated in comedies by dangerous situations--but because of context, the fear reaction is deactivated). To carry this theory a bit further, I think it's possible to say that there are situations when someone reacts with fear, but uses humor as a means of assuaging that fear. This may be the case when it comes to alienating humor: a group/person feels threatened somehow by another group/person, and thus uses humor (founded in the incongruity of that other group/person's otherness) as a means of alienating that group/person, and thus assuaging that fear. But again, it's important to point out that the situation itself can really only be said to hold the potential for humor. Whether or not humor is found, and the KIND of humor that comes from that source, is very often determined by the person doing the laughing. Jason _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jacob Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church Will Keep Promised Valley Playhouse, Will Become Shops, Offices: Salt Lake Tribune Date: 20 Sep 2000 21:36:38 -0600 On Wed, 20 Sep 2000 16:08:06 -0600, Thom Duncan wrote: >What I was bemoaning is the idea that the Church thinks that businesses = can use the space better than an arts program. Why didn't they sell the = space to the Utah Ballet Company for instance? Ah. I think that the problem there is that there are quite a few renovations needed for the structure. Can the Utah Ballet Company, for instance, afford to renovate the building, bring it up to code, and continuing maintenance on an old building? I'd be willing to bet it = can't. Businesses, for all they tend to get beat up as easy targets for the ills= of humanity, do tend to have the money to maintain and even improve the buildings they occupy. I still regret it, though. I wonder how much money it would have taken = to pull it up to standards. I also wonder how many of those well-meaning standards are really necessary. Jacob Proffitt - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 21 Sep 2000 01:15:06 -0600 "Morgan B. Adair" wrote: > Mormons are a (generally conservative) > part of American society, which (as demonstrated by the Matthew > Shepard beating death) is afflicted with hatred of homosexuals. The entire (generally conservative) American society beat Matthew Shepard to death? The entire (generally conservative) American society is afflicted with hatred or homosexuals? This is the very stereotype that I think _Bash_ reinforces. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] MN LDS Church's Position Sought Over High School Production of Date: 21 Sep 2000 00:30:36 EDT "Godspell": Deseret News 17Sep00 A1 [From Mormon-News] LDS Church's Position Sought Over High School Production of "Godspell" OGDEN, UTAH -- A very heated debate over a Utah High School's plan to put on the musical "Godspell" has led to questions about the LDS Church's position on the musical. Ogden High School had planned to put on the musical but with such a controversy going on, the production may be delayed. Some protesters in the Utah town say the play is too religious. Others say it is sacrilegious. School officials and supporters say the message behind "Godspell," is one of community healing, and they vow that the show will go on. One parent of a student had asked the School Board to cancel the play saying that it had no place at a school. Another complaint came from the assertion that school officials passed on incorrect information, stating that Brigham Young University had once performed the play. That information was incorrect and may have influenced many people into supporting the school's decision to present the play. Harold Oaks, BYU associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications, said "Godspell" had been presented as a high school workshop but never as a university production. He also said that while The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had taken a stand that the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" did not present Christ as a deity, the Church had not taken such a stand on "Godspell." Those in favor of the production say the messages promoted in the play are tolerance, forgiveness and loving one's neighbor, without a specific religious belief being promoted. Source: Godspell' has some parents upset in Ogden Deseret News 17Sep00 A1 http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,195014493,00.html Associated Press Too religious or sacrilegious? Both sides are adamant >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ Send join and remove commands to: majordomo@MormonsToday.com Put appropriate commands in body of the message: To join: subscribe mormon-news To leave: unsubscribe mormon-news To join digest: subscribe mormon-news-digest - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: RE: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 21 Sep 2000 01:44:43 -0700 On Wed, 06 Sep 2000 09:35:18 -0500 "Todd Robert Petersen" writes: > to call something didactic is actually to position oneself > against it more than it is a claim about the work itself. One must > say, "I am above the lesson, more refined than the lesson being > given here" in order to claim it as didactic, which is a > particularly venomous breed of pride. I grew up with an artform which is purely didactic and propagandistic. Its whole purpose is to teach me to behave in certain ways and convince me that if I don't my life will be miserable. I often despise this art form, and many millions of others do, so much so that our distaste for the art has driven the artists to find ever more clever ways to tell us that we're stupid if we don't do what they want us to do, and to make us laugh at being told our lives are worthless without their help. In _Down the Tube, or, Making Television Commercials is Such a Dog Eat Dog Business It's No Wonder They're Called Spots_ Terry Galanoy starts chapter 5, >>>>> Someday. I hope to meet you. In person. Then, when you start to say something--on your very first words--I'm going to go to the bathroom without and excuse-me or a fare-thee-well and I am going to flush the water over your words and I am not going to come out until you have finished talking. (p. 66 in the Pinnacle paperback ed., 1972, which, to my disappointment, omits the subtitle.) <<<<< I read this book over 25 years ago at a time when I thought it might be interesting to try and check out every book in the Provo High library, and actually read a few. (I've always thought of it as one of the first, with a call # in the 0s, but I suspect it was in the 300s, sociology (not that I checked all the books out between 00 and 300, project fizzled before I got out of the 0s). Can't find it in the Provo or SL city or county library catalogs, Orem's hyperterminal is too slow, and BYU doesn't use the Dewey decimal system.) It's a funny book, but what I've most often recalled over a quarter century (my doesn't that make me sound old and wise--of course I've always been a wiseguy) is this rather rude paragraph. I read the book because I liked the title's playfulness and because the dustjacket said Galanoy would discuss his reasons for leaving the ad industry after 25 years. I suppose this paragraph, which introduces an anecdote about water engineers who correlated some peak water usage patterns with the times when commercials were showing, shows Galanoy's sense that even though he finds the ad industry manipulative and exploitive he was an adman because he had something he wanted to say, and felt it was worth listening to, but I've often wanted to offer this retort: Someday I hope you invite me as a guest to your home, wanting to hear what I have to say, and then, every time my conversation is most interesting I'm going to interrupt myself and make a sales pitch, and I'm going to tell you you smell bad and your bald spot makes you less sexually attractive and that the culmination of your life's work and struggle for recognition and social justice is to have a cigarette marketed just especially for you, because "You've come a long, long way"--indeed, I'm going to insult you in every creative way I can think of, and then I'm going to expect you to buy the stuff I'm trying to sell, or at least keep inviting me into your home. The difference between advertising and the Pieta and Dada and "The Wasteland" and punk rock, which Todd gives as examples of didactic art is not simply a matter of degree. Of course all art teaches, but it doesn't follow that a work of art whose primary purpose is to make sure we get the message differs only in degree from a work of art that treats the audience as an equal who can choose to take the message or not. Nor does it follow that everything that tries to teach is worthy of an audience, or even that everything that wants to be taught ought to be taught. While I was looking for the call # for Down the Tube I found another Terry Galanoy book, _Charge it : inside the credit card conspiracy_ (New York: Putnam, 1980), and then my credit card company called me. Free hotel stay just for trying their card protection for 30 days, then just $15 a month for 12 months. If I cancel the service in the first 30 days the free hotel stay is mine to keep. All he needs to do is verify my address. (Hmm, I could use that for the RMMLA convention in Boise next month.) 'Hold the line please, Jerry.' Mentioned it to Donna. "I'm not interested in the service, but could use the hotel room." She answered, "Well, three months at $15, there's your motel." I went back to tell Jerry that what I would probably do is use the hotel coupon and cancel the service before the month was up, so I didn't feel right accepting his offer since I had no interest in the service, but he had hung up. I don't need every service that's offered me. I don't need scare tactics. I don't need to cash those $50 and $100 bribes AT&T sends me to give them my long distance business. I don't need Art to tell me my breath stinks. Donna will do that just fine, and she won't broadcast it to the whole world. Is it venomous pride to think I don't need the messages this particularly didactic art form is trying to teach me? Maybe. Our relationship to television advertising is psychologically quite complex. Why do we keep inviting into our home something that tells us every chance it gets how helpless and stupid we are, that threatens us with embarrassment and shame (waitresses will torment us by chanting "Ring around the collar") if we don't do what it tells us? I keep remembering a laudatory article about cable tv back in the early 70s. Reader's Disgust was exulting about how cable was going to sweep the country and it would be the end of network tv, because who would want to sit through all these endless commercials when they could get commercial free tv? I wasn't convinced. I still don't have cable, and my favorite radio stations are KUER and KUSU, or any NPR station. I've never made a pledge. (We offered KUOW $5 once first year of grad school, but I can't feel virtuous about that--they never sent a payment envelope, so I didn't have to make good on the sacrifice.) I'm one of those people Ira Glass is targeting in his wonderful, off-beat pledge-drive ads, "Think about it, you're listening in the most boring part of the year. You're listening to a pledge drive. You, my friend, are a lifer." Donna hates the pledge drives. Maybe we should take refuge in cable tv, but when I've been where it is, operators are right there, standing by. Darn, I hate it when a new thought spoils my zinger ending, or when the original ending reasserts itself: Having dissed my of ads, I was quite moved in conference a few years back (October 1993--really? that long ago?) when Bp. Robert D. Hales told about how he and his sister were running through the house one day roaring their terrible roars and gnashing their terrible teeth and making mischief of one kind or another (hey, that's catchy. Maybe I could get Maurice Sendak to illustrate it), and their father was working on an ad campaign in the room below, and kept asking them not to make so much noise. Finally he bounded up and talked to Robert: "He explained the creative process, the spiritual process, if you will, and the need for quiet pondering and getting close to the Spirit for his creativity to function. Because he took time to explain and help me understand, I learned a lesson that has been put to use almost daily in my life." I suppose we all need such a corrective, might take the venom out of our pride. Harlow S. Clark ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Richard Johnson Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 21 Sep 2000 08:31:10 -0400 At 04:16 PM 9/20/2000 -0600, you wrote: >"D. Michael Martindale" wrote: > >> If an LDS comedian did a standup routine on the temple >> ceremony, I would have to walk out. I think loud laughter and >> lightmindedness represent a state of mind where we forget to reverence >> sacred things, not just laugh louldy or feel in a giddy mood. > >I think it's more than that even. It's a state of mind of the owner of the >"standup routine" or whatever form the art may take. Look at Phyliss Diller >for instance. For years, her routine regularly made fun of her husband, >Fang. He hardly seemed the ideal husband. Yet she is married to him to this >day. Obviously, Fang is not a real person and Phyliss' opinions about him do >not reflect how she really feels. If Fang were the Chruch, Phyliss' routined >should be considered as light-minded, no matter how scathing it might be. Not that I fundamentally disagree on the point illustrated, but Phyllis and "Fang" were divorced more than ten years ago. Richard B. Johnson Husband, Father, Grandfather, Puppeteer, Playwright, Writer, Director, Actor, Thingmaker, Mormon, Person, Fool I sometimes think that the last persona is the most important http://www2.gasou.edu/commarts/puppet/ Georgia Southern University Puppet Theatre - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jonathan Langford Subject: [AML] Mormon Lit Icons Date: 21 Sep 2000 10:38:06 -0500 Marilyn's comment on loud laughter reminded me that if there's anyone who deserves the title Cheerleader in Mormon lit, it's Marilyn herself. She unfailingly has words of praise and support for people's accomplishments. Which made me wonder: What other "icons" of Mormon literature can we nominate here? Any Fathers or Mothers of Mormon Lit out there? Den mothers? Drill sergeants? I open the floor for nominations. Jonathan Langford Speaking--whimsically--as List moderator - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 21 Sep 2000 09:47:55 -0600 Michael wrote: >I'm calling _Bash_ morally dubious >because it's sending it's message to the wrong audience and >thereby >doing more harm than good.=20 I suppose I can understand this in some contexts. My black friends can = tell jokes about black people that white folks can't; that sort of thing. = But I don't understand it in relation to Bash. Are you suggesting that = Neil should not have marketed his play widely? I have to really protest = that pretty strongly. I mean, it's hard enough for LDS artists to get a = hearing, and Neil's one of the first LDS playwrights whose work has gotten = out there. Are you saying that this play would be less morally dubious if = it weren't successful? =20 Fact is, we can't control who our audience is going to be. Because of the = way Neil writes, he has to hope that his audience is fairly sophisticated, = or they're going to string him up. His plays are deliberately shocking; = he's a post-modern naturalist. I mean, I was at Sundance, and I saw the = reaction people had to In The Company of Men. Most everyone got it. A = few didn't, and they wanted to stake him to the nearest ant hill. People = were walking up to Aaron Eckhart and saying "I hate you." And Aaron would = say "no, you hate the character I played." And they'd respond, "No, I = hate you for playing him." Didn't happen a lot, but it happened. =20 Okay, so Neil writes Bash back at BYU, and produces it here, all very much = under the radar. And now he's a big deal, and his agent says "what else = do you have." Neil gives them Bash, and they produce it, and boom, = another big success. I don't get how this is morally dubious. =20 Are we assuming that the non-LDS people who flocked to see Bash are all of = them the sorts of people who think religion equals homophobia, violence = and intolerance? Isn't this a pretty harsh judgment? Why can't we assume = an essential good will on the parts of our non-LDS brothers and sisters? I think we have to trust our audiences more. I think we need to trust the = LDS audience, or we're never going to get anywhere. We can't be saying = "oh, our audience is a bunch of illiterate bozos, they'll never understand = the incandescent brilliance that is My Work." We need to write up to, not = down to our brothers and sisters. But we also need to trust the audience = outside LDS circles. I suspect that most of the audience that saw Bash = knew what they were going to see, and I think most of them got it, = understood why his characters are Mormons, and how these on-stage Mormons = differ from their Mormon friends, acquaintances, or neighbors. I suspect = some audience members reacted the way Michael fears they might react, with = greater, not less intolerance. Well, that happens. Not much we can do = about it. But I just shudder at the thought that we should, for heaven's = sake, make our art safer. =20 Neil does what he does, and hopes everyone will get it. His career shows = that most people will get it. I, for one, love the fact that he's out = there. I love the chances that he takes. I also thought Your Friends and = Neighbors was a lousy movie. I wasn't embarrassed by it because it was = written by a Mormon. I just though it stunk. Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Steve Perry" Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church's Position Sought Over High School Date: 21 Sep 2000 10:04:34 -0600 RE: "Godspell in the news" > Some protesters in the Utah town say the play is too > religious. Others say it is sacrilegious. School officials > and supporters say the message behind "Godspell," > is one of community healing, and they vow that the > show will go on. One parent of a student had asked > the School Board to cancel the play saying that it had > no place at a school. Another complaint came from > the assertion that school officials passed on incorrect > information, stating that Brigham Young University had > once performed the play. That information was incorrect > and may have influenced many people into supporting > the school's decision to present the play. > My wife was in "Godspell" at BYU in her junior year--albeit a senior project and not on the main season.... > Harold Oaks, BYU associate dean of the College of > Fine Arts and Communications, said "Godspell" had > been presented as a high school workshop but never > as a university production. He also said that while The > Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had taken > a stand that the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" did > not present Christ as a deity, the Church had not taken > such a stand on "Godspell." Arrrgggghhhh. This stuff drives me crazy. It usually depend on the production. Some folks are offended at "Lovely Ladies" in _Les Mis_, but you can see how it could really be taken to town and lewd-ened up if you chose to. Or toned way down (hard to get around those great lyrics though :-) "Rich men, poor men, leaders of the land, see 'em with their trousers off, they're never quite as grand..." etc, etc.). The "Superstar" production I saw was directed from the viewpoint that Jesus WAS deity... how else do I interpret the fact that he floated forward from the cross (like Salvador Dali's painting?) and then ascended from the cross right up into the lights--much to Judas' amazement? The Godspell songs are great too..."All Good Gifts," which, come to think of it, I should arrange for my ward choir.... and so many others.... I've seen two productions of Godspell--one was spiritually uplifting, funny, cleverly directed, etc. The other was just plain stupid and poorly done, and was borderline blasphemous to me, not because of anything they said or did, but because the actors had no clue what they were dealing with. Like a troupe of trained baboons doing a Nativity scene for our Christmas edification--I wouldn't blame the monkeys, it's not their fault. Whew! That one hit a nerve.... time for tylenol... Steve -- skperry@mac.com http://StevenKappPerry.com "Outside of a dog, man's best friend is a book; inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Todd Robert Petersen Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 21 Sep 2000 11:19:54 -0500 D. Michael Martindale wrote: >The entire (generally conservative) American society beat Matthew >Shepard to death? The entire (generally conservative) American society >is afflicted with hatred or homosexuals? This is the very stereotype >that I think _Bash_ reinforces. I agree for the most part here, but I feel it is important to mention that the kids who beat Shepard were on something like the 11th day of a meth binge, which contributes to a state of mind that makes these kinds of violent acts, not only common, but likely. Also, according to 20/20, if I remember correctly, one of the two was an inactive member from a part-member family. Still the conservative, religious right in America is generally the site of organized or institutionally-subsidized hatred of the homosexual. I go to church with people who, I think, would beat a gay person under some circumstances--some kind of sexual advances or something like that. That has, as Martindale pointed out, more to do with Oklahoma and their community politics than anything, despite what I just said. Confusing enough? I've only read BASH, but I have the tape and will be watching it this weekend. Critics have lambasted Labute for creating one-dimentional characters who are not people, but villains. I'm not sure I agree that this is all he does, but, arguably, there's something to it. -- Todd Robert Petersen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Richard Johnson Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 21 Sep 2000 12:42:36 -0400 This whole "loud laughter" thread makes me nervous. If there is anything for which I am well known over a broad geographic area it is loud laughter. I have tried laughing quietly, chuckling, you know the bit. The result was a disaster. Either I lost track of what I was laughing about, hearing only my own muffled Heh, heh, heh, or I touched on strangulation or suffocation throwing all those near me into a panic or a 911 call. It is a clearly identifiable calling card. When I was working as an actor at the San Diego Shakespeare festival in 1958 or 9, I went with several of the other members of the cast to see the new film _South Pacific_. (This was in the day of the old movie palaces- a theatre with two balconies, true Cinemascope and several thousand viewers) About half way through the movie I felt a touch on my arm. Standing next to me (in front of someone else, I was not sitting on the aisle) was an old high school friend whom I had not seen since we graduated together from Pocatello (Idaho) High School in 1952. He was a sailor stationed in San Diego. He said "I was up in the balcony and I heard you laugh. I knew it had to be you so I have been walking up and down the aisle trying to spot you." Seven or eight years had passed and we were a thousand miles from where either of us would expect to see the other, and he still recognized my laugh. Sadly, if "loud laughter" is a literal term just meaning "laughter that is'loud'", I am doomed. Richard B. Johnson Husband, Father, Grandfather, Puppeteer, Playwright, Writer, Director, Actor, Thingmaker, Mormon, Person, Fool I sometimes think that the last persona is the most important http://www2.gasou.edu/commarts/puppet/ Georgia Southern University Puppet Theatre - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 21 Sep 2000 12:39:55 -0600 (MDT) > "Morgan B. Adair" wrote: > > > Mormons are a (generally conservative) > > part of American society, which (as demonstrated by the Matthew > > Shepard beating death) is afflicted with hatred of homosexuals. > Yes - but as Terryl L. Givens shows in the book "Viper on the Hearth" - despite all our attempts at assimilation, Mormons are still considered the "Other" in American society. We have yet to fully assimilate - we are still considered by most people to be a bunch of interesting (perhaps a little weird) religionists that are focused mainly in Utah, with a small scattering elsewhere in the west. I was amazed to discover how many people beleive there are no Mormons back east except for a few missionaries who will try to convince you to move to Utah. Mormons are not really considered to be "one of us" by American culture at large. We are still the "other" and what we do is not connected to the "us" of those who will most likely see "Bash." So of course they'll walk away thinking "boy - those Mormons sure can be evil - but not me!!!" because they don't consider Mormons to be one of "them." Mormons have nothing to do with their lives. We're still rare enough to be weird. --Ivan Wolfe - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Debra L. Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church's Position Sought Over High School Production of "Godspell": Deseret News Date: 21 Sep 2000 14:42:37 -0400 > > LDS Church's Position Sought Over High School Production > of "Godspell" OH! OH! OH! OH! aaaarrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh! This just sends me over the moon! And I'm too mad to clearly explain why! I have loved Godspell since I first heard the music, and then three years later when I sat in the audience watching my choir teacher perform in it. Then I caught the movie on television, one time, and it was years later in 1996 I watched another live performance of it put on by HS kids who did an absolutely wonderful job. I cried at the end, and gave one of my rare standing ovations. The story is wonderful, sure, anyone who knows the scriptures knows that the story isn't told exactly the way Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John told it, but according to experts neither did they tell the story the way it happened, or should I say it wasn't translated the way it really happened? The story is still wonderfully told, we are still taught to love our neighbors, not to covet or steal, and a host of other truths that as LDS we also teach. The songs are fun, sweet, campy, and sad. What better message can we give people than Day by day Day by day Oh, dear Lord, three things I pray........ To see thee more clearly Love thee more dearly Follow thee more nearly Day by day As LDS, what is our three fold mission? Day by day Day by day Oh, dear Lord, three things I To perfect the Saints To redeem the dead To proclaim the gospel Day by day It has always been a secret dream of mine to perform in Godspell, or even be part of a production team for it. I know the entire score by heart, and its all I can do not to get up on stage and dance. So much can be done with it, it could even be adapted to LDS standards more, but in my opinion, that might take away from its spirit, for also in my opinion, _Godspell_ has a sweet spirit. These people complaining about it, are probably the very same people who quote anything from _Saturday's Warrior_ as gospel (don't get me wrong, I love SW) and believe they are descendnts of Benjamin Steed. FWIW, I have never sat through more than five minutes of Jesus Christ Superstar, and the music leaves me cold. By the way, _Godspell_ is now out on video. Debbie Brown (who clearly made several references to items of Mormon lit) P.S. Is this debate material for a future Eric Snyder article? - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Debra L. Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church's Position Sought Over High School Production of "Godspell": Deseret News Date: 21 Sep 2000 15:25:58 -0400 Like > a troupe of trained baboons doing a Nativity scene for our Christmas > edification--I wouldn't blame the monkeys, it's not their fault. > > Whew! That one hit a nerve.... time for tylenol... > > > Steve Pass the tylenol this way Steve and thanks for the laugh. Debbie Brown (who is listening to the soundtrack from _Godspell_ as we speak. And then its off to RS where I will preceed to play my violin and butcher _Redeemer of Israel_ for the folks at the nursing home, and maybe lead them in a rousing chorous of _Amazing Grace_. Ok, I'm done being lightminded.......for the moment - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] Help Finding a Play Date: 21 Sep 2000 22:55:42 EDT Andrew Hall: ... We show up at the church, and go into a room that is decorated to resemble the interior of an airplane. Soon after the movie begins, the plane "crashes", and we are escorted into the spirit world. I forget what all happens, but we visited representations of the various kingdoms, I think. At the end we went into the chapel, and saw this short play. ... _______________ You may be thinking of two different things here. The "airplane crash" activity is sometimes called Flight 409. It is very effective when done as originally written in the mid 70s, but if much is added to it, it does not work as well. There are other plays or skits about waiting to have temple work done, who's going to do it, did it get done right, etc., that resemble the one you thought you saw in the chapel. (Personally, I prefer the positive ending ones to the one you described, when used at those kinds of youth activities.) But I've never seen Flight 409 combined with one of the other skits or plays. Larry Jackson ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Morgan B. Adair" Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 29 Sep 2000 23:31:58 -0600 On Thu, 21 Sep 2000 01:15:06 -0600 "D. Michael Martindale" writes: > > The entire (generally conservative) American society beat Matthew > Shepard to death? The entire (generally conservative) American > society > is afflicted with hatred or homosexuals? No. I said that American society (all of it, not just the Mormon or conservative parts) is afflicted with hatred of homosexuals. It's a generalization, so you and I can reassure each other that I'm really talking about that other guy over there. Still, it's a common enough malady that its effects are widespread. >This is the very stereotype > that I think _Bash_ reinforces. Why does this stereotype exist? I don't think Neil Labute created it ex nihilo. Dallin Oaks said (Ensign, Oct '95) that gay-bashing is "obviously" a condemned practice, but not so obvious that he didn't have to say it. On the other hand, to say that _Bash_ is a play about a couple Mormon kids who beat up a gay man is too narrow a reading. The play says that the origin of violence is hatred; that whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. MBA (Morgan B. Adair) ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Todd Robert Petersen" Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Lit Icons Date: 22 Sep 2000 08:42:14 -0500 Clearly Richard Cracroft belongs in the pantheon of Mormon Lit Fathers along with Eugene England. I would say Elder Oaks as well, since, if I'm not mistaken, his name was on the masthead of early issues of Dialogue. And for a strange nomination, I offer up the western historian, Richard Etulain. He is not LDS, rather an unapologetic Evangelical. He and I have had a number of conversations over the last few months about faith and literature, and this summer we bumped into each other in Powell's books on Burnside in Portland, Oregon. While we were speaking about the nature and quality of writing in the American West, he exhorted me to not leave out my faith. He said that it's part of what's going on out here, that's it's who I am and can't be forgotten. That's the kind of cheerleading from without that we really need. -- Todd Robert Petersen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Christopher Bigelow" Subject: [AML] Query on Kenny Kemp Date: 21 Sep 2000 14:47:51 -0700 I'm working on the literary news section for Irreantum and wondered if the tail end of the following statement is accurate: Kenny Kemp won grand prize in the 1999 Writer's Digest National Self-Published Book Awards for his memoir Dad Was a Carpenter: Blueprints for a Meaningful Life, which grew out of his earlier Dialogue essay that won an AML award. Let me know! Chris Bigelow - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Tom Kimball" Subject: [AML] Introductions: Tom Kimball Date: 22 Sep 2000 10:08:06 MDT Introduction Name: Tom Kimball Occupation: Book Guy, Publisher Residence: American Fork UTAH Background: Former Government Employee, (In other words I had a lot of time to read on the job) former Lead Supervisor for the Cottonwood Mall Deseret Book, former Book Buyer for Benchmark Books. Currently looking for people that have manuscripts with Mormon content that want to be published. Specifically Histories, Biographies, Bibliographies and serious Fiction. Would love to do a Biblio-Mystery about Mormons. If anyone knows anyone working on the above categories have them contact me by Email or call Tom Kimball Acquisitions Editor Greg Kofford Books 1 801-492-9275 _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Marcshaw1@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 22 Sep 2000 14:12:07 EDT Ivan Angus Wolfe wrote: So of course they'll walk away thinking "boy - those Mormons sure can be evil - but not me!!!" because they don't consider Mormons to be one of "them." I directed "A Gaggle of Saints,--one of the Bash trilogy--for my Dramatic Arts graduate program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The reason I chose this play (for those of you unfamiliar with it) is because the characters are two (apparently fun-loving) college students. I thought my audience of college students would relate to the characters and be sucked into the story enough for Labute's writing to take hold. These three Bash plays are so well-written in that, and this especially applies to Gaggle, they all set the audience up for some kind of fall. As one audience member (non-Mormon) said to me after the production, "Dude, you totally had us going. We loved these guys, they reminded me of me and my friends and then--Bam! right in the gut." One other audience member (also non-Mormon) thanked me for putting on Labute's play because it made him question his carefree college mentality and his own sometimes-whimsical approach to life. He saw himself as a Mo! rmon character. No, wait, he didn't see himself as Mormon at all. He simply identified with a well-written character and a well-acted performance. Fancy that. MY POINT IS THIS: WE SHOULDN'T BE SO PARANOID about what people think of us. We can't create great characters and great stories if we are worried about pleasing whole groups of people. Also, Labute is not airing out any dirty laundry in public. These characters are Mormon, but let's give the general public some credit: I think they know that all us Mormons aren't gay-bashers. [Marc Shaw] - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Richard Johnson Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church's Position Sought Over High School Date: 22 Sep 2000 14:20:57 -0400 At 02:42 PM 9/21/2000 -0400, you wrote: > It has always been a secret dream of mine to perform in Godspell, or >even be part of a production team for it. I know the entire score by heart, >and its all I can do not to get up on stage and dance. So much can be done >with it, it could even be adapted to LDS standards more, but in my opinion, >that might take away from its spirit, for also in my opinion, _Godspell_ has >a sweet spirit. These people complaining about it, are probably the very >same people who quote anything from _Saturday's Warrior_ as gospel (don't >get me wrong, I love SW) and believe they are descendnts of Benjamin Steed. > > FWIW, I have never sat through more than five minutes of Jesus Christ >Superstar, and the music leaves me cold. By the way, _Godspell_ is now out >on video. >Debbie Brown (who clearly made several references to items of Mormon lit) >P.S. Is this debate material for a future Eric Snyder article? > The last production I directed of Godspell was seen by my (then) Stake Pres. who thought it was neat. I was called the Anti-Christ on the radio by a local Baptist minister who took his youth group to the show and couldn't get them to leave during intermission because they were all on the (arena) stage having grape juice and bread with the cast. As a point of information the story (such as it is) is almost directly from Matthew. This production was in Georgia and had inserted into it (as a time when I needed a "bit") _I am a Child of God_. We did the thing with a lot of improvisation and were in a dead moment when one of the cast said "We need a children's gospel song". We experimented with several then I said "I know one". I sang it through (one verse), Everyone loved it and it fit the logical train of the play so one of the guitarists improvised a lead into it and it was a high point of the show. In answer to unspoken questions: No I didn't ask anyone for permission or pay a royalty. In fact it was at that time that I realized that it was a "Mormon" song. I thought everybody sang it . Richard B. Johnson Husband, Father, Grandfather, Puppeteer, Playwright, Writer, Director, Actor, Thingmaker, Mormon, Person, Fool I sometimes think that the last persona is the most important http://www2.gasou.edu/commarts/puppet/ Georgia Southern University Puppet Theatre - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church's Position Sought Over High SchoolProduction Date: 22 Sep 2000 15:10:26 -0600 Fact is, we haven't ever done Godspell, but we have considered, on several = occasions. I fully anticipate that we would do it some time. But the = timing just hasn't been right; there's always been one other show that = seemed a little more important at the time. Eric Samuelsen=20 - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Lee Allred Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church's Position Sought Over High School Production of Date: 22 Sep 2000 20:57:26 -0600 This is a controversy? I saw a production of GODSPELL at Provo High School back in the late '70s... --Lee Allred - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church's Position Sought Over High School Production of Date: 22 Sep 2000 23:39:42 -0600 "Debra L. Brown" wrote: > > > > > LDS Church's Position Sought Over High School Production > > of "Godspell" > > OH! OH! OH! OH! aaaarrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh! > > This just sends me over the moon! And I'm too mad to clearly explain > why! I have loved Godspell since I first heard the music... This sends me over the moon, too, but not because it's questioning Godspell specifically. The whole idea of having to get church approval before touching any work of art disturbs me. Can't anyone think for themselves? How did the myth that the church goes around taking positions on works of art start in the first place? My understanding is that they don't. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Todd Robert Petersen" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 23 Sep 2000 10:24:03 -0500 I think that some people think, I'm crazy. I might think that I was crazy if the bretheren haven't had such interesting things to say about this idea of self-amusement and recreational pursuits. On the subject of entertainment and so forth, Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., in the Doctrines of Salvation wrote: "The drama, the dance, and other entertainments were given to the members of the Church, and by this means they were edified and strengthened; all such entertainments were opened and closed with prayer." They did these things, not for doing them for the sake of doing them, but for the edification of the membership. I recall being at a performance of WAITING FOR GODOT at BYU two summers ago, which opened, as those performances all do, with prayer. I wondered what Beckett would have thought of such a thing, then I didn't care. It was cool. On the subject of sports, Spencer W. Kimball said: "Sports can develop the body in strength and endurance. They can train the spirit to meet difficulties and defeats and successes, teach selflessness and understanding, and develop good sportsmanship and tolerance in participant and spectator." This is that virtuous end I was talking about. Also on the subject of sports but also on the subject of a virtuous end, Ezra Taft Benson, wrote: "We are not interested in our brethren becoming expert softball players. We do not care about that. Yes, of course, we want to enjoy ourselves in recreational and cultural activities, but we are interested in building men, we are interested in saving men, exalting them, getting them to hold the priesthood and to magnify it; that is why we organize softball in the Church." Granted these President Benson was talking about church sports, but the point still holds, I think. The brethren see some reason for all things, even recreation, entertainment, and I would fain to say, art as well. But they see its importance as part of our overall participation in the plan of salvation. Anything that diverts us that far, even to the point of distraction is, they might suggest, to be avoided. Neil Postman has written a fantastic book on the subject of the perils of excessive entertainment. It is called AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH. In it he makes the argument that there are two ways contemporary culture will come undone. One, the Orwellian (1984) way, in which the State crushes freedom. Two, the Huxlean way (Brave New World), in which we "amuse ourselves to death." I think--and so does Postman--that as a culture, (American and in our case, Mormon as well) we are, these days, in danger of the latter. As saints, we need to be better than others, be watchmen, as Isaiah exhorts. As LDS artists, the same is true. -- Todd Robert Petersen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Lee Allred Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Lit Icons Date: 23 Sep 2000 14:06:47 -0600 Jonathan-- You're really opening up a can of worms here, aren't you, Brother Moderator? Naming names among ourselves...that could really get one in trouble, especially as I truly believe we're in the Golden Dawn of Mormon Literature, and the Golden Age of Mormon Lit Criticism in particular. So many names to name! Bet that as it may, I do think the series of counter-essays by Richard Cracroft and Bruce W. Jorgensen on the mantic vs. the sophic certainly qualify for iconic if not epic status. I'd also have to include Wayne C. Booth's letters from "Smoother" and other assorted imps in that category. Newer Mormon LitCrit arrivals who've produced works that may well prove iconic after a bit more of time's patina are: * Gideon Burton, author of "Should We Ask, 'Is this Mormon Literature?': Towards a Mormon Criticism" and The Mormon Literature Web Site. * Michael Austin, author of ""How to Be a Mormo-American; Or, the Function of Mormon Criticism at the Present Time" and the "Mormons In Popular Literature Bibliography: 1979-2000" and "Mormon Stereotypes in Popular Fiction: 1979-1998" web sites. * Terryl L. Givens, author of 'THE VIPER ON THE HEARTH'. But of course the _true_ Den Mother of AML is She Who Must Be Obeyed of Proceedings Volume fame, Lavina Fielding Anderson. --Lee Allred leea@sff.net www.leeallred.com - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Richard C. Russell" Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 23 Sep 2000 20:14:30 -0600 ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2000 12:51 AM > "Eric R. Samuelsen" wrote: > > > Okay, so what exactly are 'loud laughter" and what exactly is > > "lightmindedness" and how do they manifest themselves today? > > Because "loud laughter" in the scriptural sense is very clearly > > NOT the same thing as laughing loudly. > > > > How do I know this? Because President Hinckley has such > > delicious comic timing. > > I've wondered about this scriptural phrase as well. How can loud > laughter and lightmindedness be evil? Or a more accurate rendition of > the question--accurate to how I really asked it to myself--is: "I've > laughed loudly and indulged in lightmindedness on occasion. Was I really > being evil?" This is the only phrase in scripture that mentions the term "light-mindendness." D&C 88:121 121 Therefore, cease from all your light speeches, from all laughter, from all your lustful desires, from all your pride and light-mindedness, and from all your wicked doings. And "loud laughter" can't be found in the standard works. The above gives a blanket condemnation of "all laugther." I think that the object or subject of the light-mindedness or laughter is the critical element in this prohibition. ********************************************* Richard C. Russell, SLC UTAH www.leaderlore.com, www.keyscouter.com "There is never the last word, only the latest." Let there be whirled peas! ********************************************* > Either we really are supposed to be sourpusses (Paul Dunn's words: "Some > members of the church look like they've been weaned on prunes and sour > lemons."), or these scriptural quotes mean something besides what a > superficial glance might indicate. So what on earth is so immoral about > loud laughter and lightmindedness? > > The only thing I can think of is that they describe a state of mind or > emotion where anything is fair game for ridicule. In spite of the > philosophy of most stand-up comedians, there are things which should not > be made fun of. These are what we call sacred things. As knee-slapping > hilarious as Sam Kinison was, I could only cringe when he went into his > bits about Jesus. If an LDS comedian did a standup routine on the temple > ceremony, I would have to walk out. I think loud laughter and > lightmindedness represent a state of mind where we forget to reverence > sacred things, not just laugh louldy or feel in a giddy mood. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] MN Boston Globe Reviewer Knocks Missionaries: Boston Globe Date: 23 Sep 2000 10:51:53 EDT 22Sep00 A4 [From Mormon-News] Boston Globe Reviewer Knocks Missionaries BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS -- In an otherwise reasonable review of the LDS film "God's Army," Boston Globe reviewer Loren King knocks LDS missionaries, suggesting that they are greeted with "disdain." King goes on to suggest that the movie was better than that "disdain," but eventually "succumbs to overearnestness, sentimentality, and cliche." Kings opinions about the movie are not unique. Similar views have been seen in other publications, usually from those that have high standards and are more critical of most movies. However, King's review is one of the few reviews of "God's Army" that use the movie as an opportunity to express an opinion on LDS missionaries, instead of on the movie. Source: Clinches undermine hopes of 'God's Army' Boston Globe 22Sep00 A4 http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/266/living/Clinches_undermine_hopes_of_God_s_Army_+.shtml" By Loren King: Globe Correspondent >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ Send join and remove commands to: majordomo@MormonsToday.com Put appropriate commands in body of the message: To join: subscribe mormon-news To leave: unsubscribe mormon-news To join digest: subscribe mormon-news-digest - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: Re: [AML] LABUTE, _Bash_ Date: 25 Sep 2000 11:11:06 -0600 (MDT) > > MY POINT IS THIS: WE SHOULDN'T BE SO PARANOID about what people think of us. We can't create great characters and great stories if we are worried about pleasing whole groups of people. Also, Labute is not airing out any dirty laundry in public. These characters are Mormon, but let's give the general public some credit: I think they know that all us Mormons aren't gay-bashers. > > [Marc Shaw] Sorry - i'm not willing to do so - beacuse despite your one incident to the contrary (where it sounds like you played down the Mormon connections and played up the colelge connections), I see Mormons as still being treated as "others" in media, print, or everdya situations outside of Utah. We seem to be genrally considered as a bunch of weirdos who aren't really "real" in the same sense the people they know are real. I don't mind - I actually take a certain pride in being part of a bunch of "weirdos" - bing a "peculiar people" is part of the calling of a Mormon. But it does cary with it the danger that people won't relate with us. I think the reactions of the crtitcs to "Bash" shows this. Many, even onew who loved it, were absolutely perplexed by the Mormon element. They couldn't figure what it was doing there. To many it seemed to seperate the actions on stage even farther from the audience. --Ivan Wolfe - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) 90s plays Date: 26 Sep 2000 01:22:27 JST Time for the September Andrew's Poll. This month I'd like to hear about your favorite Mormon plays from the 1990s. That is, plays by, for, or about Mormons, published or produced in 1990-1999. I'll divide it into two areas, musicals and non-musicals. If you'd like to split your favorites up into more specific areas, like full-length, one-acts, comedies, and dramas, that is fine with me. I listed all of the plays that I am aware of below. Thanks to all who sent in corrections and additions. A special request to those of you who have been involved in Mormon drama, as writers, producers, directors, actors, or whatever. You might say to yourself, "Hey, I can't name my favorites, I have plays on the list, I can't be unbiased." I say, don't worry about it, just go ahead and tell us what you like. Especially since you have probably seen many more of these plays than any rest of us. Most of us have only seen a few handful, so please tell us. Maybe think of it as your opportunity to create a year program of plays at a new Mormon repertory theater. Which ones from the 90s would you like to see again? A few of these have been published, so maybe you've read some, but not seen them. Sunstone Magazine has been pretty good about having about one script a year appear throughout the 90s. A few have been published in Wasatch Review International and Inscape, as well. Also, four plays have appeared on the AML-List website over the years so we could discuss them (two by Eric Samuelsen, one by Margaret Young, and one by Robert Paxton). The only published collections of plays by a Mormon that I know of is Tom Rogers' two collections ("God's Fools" and "Huebener and Other Plays"), and Neil LaBute's "Bash" and "In The Company of Men" (although that was published as a screenplay). And of course non-Mormon Tony Kushner's famous plays are available in many libraries. I hope those who may have only read scripts will participate as well. So, tell us what plays you have liked and, if you have time, why you liked them. NON-MUSICALS Arrington, James. "Wilford Woodruff: God's Fisherman" (with Tim Slover). Sunstone Feb. 1992. "The Prophet". Ricks, 1996. Several contrasting views of Joseph Smith. "Tumuaki! Matthew Cowley Speaks". Hawaii, 1997. BYU 1998. Bell, Elouise. "Aunt Patty Remembers -- An Evening with Patty Bartlett Sessions, 1795-1891". c.1995. One-woman show of a pioneer sister's life. Bell, James. "Prisoner". BYU, 1994. National award for best new student play. About a Vietnam POW. Blackwell, Adam. "Blind Dates". BYU, 1995. About date rape. Boulter, Adam. "Prodigals". BYU, 1994. Free agency SF. Brady, Josh. "Joyce Baking". BYU, 1998. "Great Gardens!". BYU, 1998. Inscape, 1999. Dinner theater in 2000. Bronson, Scott. "Quietus & Other Stories". BYU, 1996. Orson Scott Card stories. "Confessions", Wasatch Review International, 1994. "Alters". Sunstone, Sept. 1997. Abraham and Isaac. One act. "Fata Morgana". A one-act play produced at BYU in association with the Mormon Arts Festival, 1998 "On the Romance of a Dying Child", A one-act play produced at UVSC as part of the first annual 10 Minute Play Festival,2000 Brown, Bill. "Rockrollers and Pancakes". Villa, 199?. Fifties comedy. Chandler, Neal. "Appeal to a Lower Court". Sunstone, Dec. 1990. The Heubener story from the POV of the Branch President. Christiansen, Alisha. "Minerva Teichert". One woman play at the BYU Museum. 199?. "Little Women". BYU, 199?. Adaptation of the novel. Duncan, Thom. "Survival of the Fittest." Sunstone Symposium, Mormon Arts Festival readings, 1997. Hales Harding, Marianne. "Never Mind the Forecast". 1997, Ohio U. Ohio/Missouri era saints. "Hold Me". One-act performed at the 1999 Mormon Arts Festival, at festivals in NYC in 2000. Hammond, Wendy. "The Ghostman" 1991. About sexual abuse by a local priesthood leader. "Julie Johnson". Dramatists Play Service, 1995. Woman chooses gay independence over marriage. Based on Hammond's experiences with choosing whether to remain in the Church. "The Hole". CMU (Pittsburgh) 1997. SLC. Mormon couple moves from innocence to cynicism. Retitled "Absence". Hanson, Elizabeth, "A High and Glorious Place". BYU, 1996. One woman play on Eliza R. Snow. A version of the play appeared on KBYU in 1997 as "Eliza and I". "A String of Pearls". BYU, 1996. About a group of women during WWII.. Hawkins, Lisa. "Change the Night to Day". 1996. BYU. Kidnapped sister missionaries. Howe, Susan. "A Dream for Katie". 1992 BYU Women's Conference. Jensen, Julie. "Two-Headed". SLAC, 1999. About the Mountain Meadows Massacre and polygamy. Non-Mormon, from Beaver, UT. Kimball, Jim. "Remembering Uncle Golden". One-man show. Kushner, Tony. _Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Part 1: Millennium Approaches; Part 2: Perestroika._ Theatre Communications Group, 1993, 1994. Pulitzer prize winners. LaBute, Neil. _Bash : Latterday Plays_. Overlook, 1999. Off-Broadway and London. Three one acts. One, "A Gaggle of Saints", appeared as "Bash" in Sunstone, December 1995. Also "Media Redux" and "Iphigenia in Orem". "Sanguinarians (& Sycophants)". BYU, Chicago, 1990. "In the Company of Men". BYU, 1992. 1993 AML Prize. Later a successful film, which he wrote and directed, in 1997. Screenplay published in 1997, by Faber & Faber. Laguna, Alfredo and Alejandro. "Los Santos y sus Suenos". GRETA Hispanic theater in SLC. Larsen, Paul. "The Raid and Trial of George Q. Cannon". 1996 at the Utah State Bar. 1997 at U of U. Livingston, Scott. "Free at Last". Performed at BYU, Spring 1996. About black investigators and missionaries in Tennessee in 1978. Neville, David O'Dell. "Action Television's 'Meet the Poet'". Die Schrift 1, 1992.13-17. Newbold, Bruce. "In Him was Life" 1998. One man reenactment of incidents from the life of Christ. Pace, David and Paul Toscono. "Hydrogen Bond". Read at 1996 Sunstone. About an excommunication. Paxton, Robert. "A Sense of Things". Inscape, 1991. "A Dream Deferred". BYU thesis, 1991. "Pricing Tomatoes". 1993. Abram and television at Ur. "Brother Joseph" 1992. One man, two-act, performed at UNLV. "What Wondrous Things". 1993. Full-length comedy on Nephi and Laban. MFA thesis. 1998 Mormon Arts festival production. "Heir to the Covenant". 1995. Polygamy in Nauvoo, read at Ceder City. AML-list. Pearson, Carol Lynn. "Mother Wove the Morning". 1990. A one woman play. Rogers, Thomas. _Huebener and Other Plays._ Poor Robert's, 1992. Includes "Huebener", "Fire in the Bones", "Gentle Barbarian", "Frere Lawrence", and "Charades". "Charades." BYU PDA workshop, 1990. "First Trump." 1998. Available on Gideon Burton's Mormon Literature site. Samuelsen, Eric. "Accommodations". A family deals with grandpa's decline. BYU, 1993. Sunstone, June 1994. 1994 AML Drama prize. "The Bottom of the Ninth". Apocalyptic comedy. BYU PDA, 1995. "The Seating of Senator Smoot". BYU, summer 1996. "Gadiation". BYU 1997. Corporate greed, Utah members, uses BofM imagery. AML prize. "Without Romance". 1998 Mormon Arts Festival production. (Eric, is this the same as The Way We're Wired?) "The Way We're Wired". 1999, BYU. Singles in the church. 1999 AML prize for drama. Slover, Tim. "Wilford Woodruff: God's Fisherman", with Arrington. 1987, Sunstone, Feb. 1992. "March Tale". 1995 About Shakespeare. AML prize. "Joyful Noise". 1996. Handel's composing The Messiah. AML prize. Performed in San Diego and New York by the Lamb's Players. Smith, Stuart E.W. "Mormon Island". 1998. Non-Mormon author. About Sam Brennan and the Mormons at Sutter's Mill. Sacramento. Wahlquist, Becca. "No Working Title Yet." _Inscape_, 1, 1993. Whitman, Charles. "Montpelier Farewell". BYU, 1995. Explores Mormon theology and social issues in his hometown of Montpelier, Idaho, from the perspective of a non-Mormon family. Young, Margaret Blair. "Dear Stone". BYU PDA, 1997. BYU Studies Playwriting Contest winner. AML-list. MUSICALS Arrington, James, Steven Kapp Perry and Marvin Payne. "The Trail of Dreams". UVSC, many other places. 1997. Card, Orson Scott, Kevin and Khaliel Kelly, and Arlen Card (music). "Barefoot to Zion". PVP, 1997. Davis, Pat (playwright/lyricist) "Bands of Iron, Rings of Gold", 1996. Music by Kenneth Plain. Coming of the railroad, for 1996 Utah centennial. Songs by Bishops and Bar Girls. Duncan, Thom. "Prophet", 1999, SCERA. Music by Mark Steven Gelter. Update of "Let There Be Love," a version done at BYU in 1973. Grain. "A Place in the Son". 1996. Rock opera about Alden Barrett's suicide. Am. Fork. 70s music. Music from the show appears in their two CDs, "Grain" and "A Dirge Appealing", which came out in 1997 and 1998. Lambson, Jack and Roger. "Guadalupe", 1991. LDS colonies in Mexico. McColm, Reed. 1997 rewrite of "Utah!". McLean, Michael. "The Ark". with Kevin Kelly. 1998. Noorda, Tye. "Experience". SCERA, 1999. Plane crash victims talk about life choices. Paxton, Robert. "Utah!" 1995. Outdoor musical. Jacob Hamblin and the settlement of Southern Utah. Tuachan. Lyrics by Doug Stewert. Payne, Marvin. "The Trail of Dreams" with James Arrington and Steven Kapp Perry, UVSC and other places, 1997. "Utah!" Tuachan, 1998. With Tim Slover. Third version of the play. "Wedlocked" with Steven Kapp Perry. BYU Entr'Acte series, then at a few other places. 1999. Perry, Steven Kapp. "Polly, A One Woman Musical". Pioneer story, BYU, 1992. "The Trail of Dreams" with James Arrington and Marvin Payne, UVSC 1997. "Wedlocked" with Marvin Payne. BYU Entr'Acte series, then at a few other places. 1999. Ross, Aden (libretto) David Carlson (music), "Dreamkeepers", 1996. Utah Centennial opera. State history seen from the perspective of the Ute Indians. Samuelsen, Eric. "Emma". BYU, 1992. Music by Murray Boren. "The Christmas Box". BYU, 1997. Musical adaptation, music by Murray Boren. Williams, Joshua and Erik Orton (music). "The Drummings". BYU, 1998. Also produced at a DC festival. About 19th century Irish nationalists. Andrew Hall Pittsburgh, PA _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Richard R. Hopkins" Subject: Re: [AML] Loud Laughter Date: 25 Sep 2000 12:50:50 -0600 This has been a subject of particular interest to me. "Lightmindedness" appears to refer to taking spiritual things lightly, that is, treating them with disrespect, or as though they were of little or no importance. "Loud laughter" I think might better be described as "ridiculing laughter." Just my two cents. Richard Hopkins - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Marsha Steed" Subject: [AML] RE: Loud Laughter Date: 25 Sep 2000 12:01:38 -0700 No, contrary to popular belief, I haven't dropped out of the loop entirely. Do you know those stress tests, where they list about 10 major stress-inflicting events in someone's life? I think this year I have hit them all, except having a baby! Anyway, in regards to the thread on laughter. My feeling is that 'loud laughter' referrs to that sort of laughter that *is* associated with light mindedness. You know the kind, when everyone sort of laughs, because they don't know what else to do or say because they are either a. uncomfortable. b. clueless. c. pressured by others laughter. d. pressured by what society says should be funny to them, but isn't. In other words, forced. A natural spontaneous laugh, is a joy I would submit and something that the Lord himself would have each of us engage in daily. B'sides, it has healing properties. Just ask Patch Adams. [Marsha Steed] - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] Re: (Andrew's Poll) 90s plays Date: 26 Sep 2000 04:50:56 JST I've only seen or read a few, but from that small group, I'd say Eric Samuelsen's "Accomodations" is my favorite 90s Mormon play. I saw it at BYU, and thought it was fantastic-well writen, acted, and directed. I read it later in Sunstone and enjoyed it all over again. It has been a while now, but I still strongly remember the great characters and great dramatic tension. I also loved reading Margaret Young's "Dear Stone," Eric's "The Way We're Wired" and "The Seating of Senator Smoot", Tim Slover and James Arrington's "Wilford Woodruff", Josh Brady's "Great Gardens"and Scott Bronson's "Alters". Maybe the fact that I never actually saw any of them live kept me from saying they were my favorites. I've only been in Utah for short periods in the 1990s, so I haven't been able to see many of the plays. Angels in America is an amazing play (again, I've only read it), worthy of the Pulitzers it received. But the Mormon characters, especially the wife and mother, were some of the weakest parts of the plays, so I hesitate to put it on my list of "favorite Mormon plays". I did like the scenes with the pioneer diorama, though. Plays I've seen or read: Arrington, James. "Wilford Woodruff: God's Fisherman" (with Tim Slover). Brady, Josh. "Great Gardens!". Bronson, Scott. "Alters". Chandler, Neal. "Appeal to a Lower Court". Hammond, Wendy. "The Hole". (Retitled "Absence"). (saw it) Kushner, Tony. _Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Part 1: Millennium Approaches; Part 2: Perestroika._ LaBute, Neil. "A Gaggle of Saints" "In the Company of Men". (saw the movie) Paxton, Robert. "Heir to the Covenant". Samuelsen, Eric. "Accommodations". (saw it) "The Seating of Senator Smoot". (saw the video) "The Way We're Wired". Slover, Tim."March Tale". (saw it) Young, Margaret Blair. "Dear Stone". MUSICALS Perry, Steven Kapp. "Polly, A One Woman Musical". (saw it) "The Trail of Dreams" with James Arrington and Marvin Payne. (have the soundtrack) Andrew Hall Pittsburgh, PA _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) 90s plays Date: 25 Sep 2000 15:19:22 -0600 Andrew Hall wrote: > Duncan, Thom. "Prophet", 1999, SCERA. Music by Mark Steven Gelter. Update of > "Let There Be Love," a version done at BYU in 1973. Another correction. The version done at BYU in 1973 was entitled Prophet, with music by Jerry Jackman.. When I produced it myself in the mid-70's, I had the music rewritten and changed the title to "Let There Be Love." Thom Duncan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) 90s plays Date: 25 Sep 2000 15:24:54 -0600 Andrew Hall wrote: > Maybe think of it as your opportunity to create a year program of > plays at a new Mormon repertory theater. Which is exactly what I'm planning to do. Do you have rights information on these plays? Thom Duncan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Christopher Bigelow" Subject: Re: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) 90s plays Date: 25 Sep 2000 15:37:44 -0700 The play that was the most intense and eye-opening for me in the 1990s was = Eric Samuelsen's _Accomodations_, which I saw at BYU in '92 or '93 and was = blown away by. Not only was the story gripping, realistic, and provocative,= but the performances were very convincing and moving to me, especially = the AML's own Scott Bronson as a conniving son. This play was my _Backslide= r_ of drama, opening up a new awareness of what could be done with drama = on Mormon themes, and I remember fantasizing that I wrote it. My second favorite is Brady, Josh. "Joyce Baking". This was very funny = but with a serious undertone that made it all the more powerful. I also = saw his "Great Gardens!" in a less-formal setting at BYU and thought it = was pretty good, but not in my top tier. I saw Kushner, Tony. _Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National = Themes. Part 1: Millennium Approaches; Part 2: Perestroika._ It's hard = to vote on these as Mormon plays, even though Mormonism does play a big = role. I saw it in SLC, where the laughter at the Mormon parts sounded = quite viscious, and my wife walked out when one character ripped off real = Mormon garments during a homosexual seduction. But the plays are quite = dense and fascinating and provoking, and I'm interested in Tony Kushner's = impulses for using Mormon characters and themes so prominently. He has = responded to contact from the AML's Irreantum magazine and may let us run = some of his future writing. I own the book of LaBute, Neil. _Bash : Latterday Plays_ and will read it = soon. I saw the movie of "In the Company of Men" and didn't think it was = quite as "bad" as all the hype, though certainly disturbing. I almost = thought the Aaron Eckhardt character was over the top and not very = believable. I read Samuelsen, Eric, "Gadiation" but missed the production. I didn't = find this one as moving and convincing as _Accomodations_, and the = particulars don't stick with me much, probably because I didn't get the = powerful performances to drive it home in my head. I remember reading Samuelsen's "Without Romance" but can't recall details = beyond that it concerned missionaries and that I liked it better than = _Gadianton_? It is the one about missionaries in Scandinavia and a former = porn star, right? What about Samuelsen's one-act "Bar and Kell" and "Love in the Time of = Electrons"? Maybe those will be on the 2000 list? I read "Bar and Kell" = and found it pretty compelling, and I enjoyed parts of "Electrons" but = found some of the performances obnoxious and the play a bit longish. I saw Slover, Tim. "Joyful Noise". This one deserves to be a national = perennial. It's not a Mormon play, but it's by a Mormon. I haven't seen Payne, Marvin. "Wedlocked" with Steven Kapp Perry, but it = would be a priority if I'm able in the future. Chris Bigelow - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Dallas Robbins" Subject: [AML] Roger WATERS, _Amused to Death_ (album) (was: Moral Issues in Art) Date: 25 Sep 2000 21:56:31 GMT Todd, Your mention of Postman's "Amusing Ourselves To Death," reminded me of the Roger Waters album "Amused to Death", based on that book. I highly recommend the album for those who have not heard it before. Definately in my top five for past 10 years. Water's album is truly great satire, played out in all moral seriousness, without pulling any punches. News, media, wars, tv, money, politics, kitcsh, and celebrities become our social religion/idolatry, in which the entertaiment value is a pretended source of spiritual feeling. But this barage of cultural effluvia leaves us only lacking, and we slowly amuse ourselves to death. Sounds pessimistic, I know, but important issues to deal with. I think it ties well into the scripture that says in the last days the hearts of many will wax cold. I too fear we are far into a Brave New World where the inner person is no longer recognized, let alone valued: it is waxing cold. Emotions and intelligence are rapidly becoming only skin deep. Has anyone else listened to this album? I would be interested to know what others thought. Dallas Robbins editor@harvestmagazine.com http://www.harvestmagazine.com >From: "Todd Robert Petersen" > >Neil Postman has written a fantastic book on the subject of the perils of >excessive entertainment. It is called AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH. In it he >makes the argument that there are two ways contemporary culture will come >undone. One, the Orwellian (1984) way, in which the State crushes freedom. >Two, the Huxlean way (Brave New World), in which we "amuse ourselves to >death." _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "J. Scott Bronson" Subject: Re: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) 90s plays Date: 25 Sep 2000 18:13:28 -0600 > NON-MUSICALS > "The Prophet". Ricks, 1996. Several contrasting views of Joseph > Smith. I've read this play and quite enjoyed it. I would love to see a production of it. And I can't understand at all the reviling it is reported to have received at Rick's College. > "Confessions", Wasatch Review International, 1994. > "Altars". Sunstone, Sept. 1997. Abraham and Isaac. One act. Yes, I wrote them. And I still really like them. I am still aching to see productions of them. > Pearson, Carol Lynn. "Mother Wove the Morning". 1990. A one woman > play. Saw it performed at BYU by Carol Lynn. I vote this one my least favorite play. I thought the script was torturously repetitive and the performance over wrought. When Carol Lynn started the second act with, "I don't want you to get the idea that I'm male-bashing; I'm not at all." my wife leaned over and whispered to me, "Who is she trying to kid?" My thoughts exactly, but the environment was hostile enough to make me understand that *I* could not say that. > Samuelsen, Eric. "Accommodations". A family deals with grandpa's > decline. BYU, 1993. Sunstone, June 1994. 1994 AML Drama prize. I was in this play. I have a soft spot for it. Eric is a calm and easy going playwright to work for. I strive for those qualities. > "The Way We're Wired". 1999, BYU. Singles in the church. 1999 AML > prize for drama. Saw it. Loved it. Favorite comedy of the 90s. > "Joyful Noise". 1996. Handel's composing The Messiah. AML prize. > Performed in San Diego and New York by the Lamb's Players. Saw both BYU productions. I love this play. Favorite drama of the 90s. > Young, Margaret Blair. "Dear Stone". BYU PDA, 1997. BYU Studies > Playwriting Contest winner. AML-list. I read this play. I think it would require very little rewriting to make it astonishing. I want to be in this play. Badly. > MUSICALS > Arrington, James, Steven Kapp Perry and Marvin Payne. "The Trail of > Dreams". UVSC, many other places. 1997. My wife and I were both in the latest production of this in '98 at the SCERA II in Orem, UT. It is the most worshipful thing I have ever done. I think it has a brilliant script and score. It deserves an audience of millions and millions, not just mere hundreds. Favorite musical. > Card, Orson Scott, Kevin and Khaliel Kelly, and Arlen Card (music). > "Barefoot to Zion". PVP, 1997. Saw it. Disappointing script. Good music. But I'm too close to it. I know the trevails of its gestation and birth. It's actually better than it should be considering how long the writers had to get the thing out. > Duncan, Thom. "Prophet", 1999, SCERA. Music by Mark Steven Gelter. > Update of "Let There Be Love," a version done at BYU in 1973. Saw it. My wife was in it. There are many good things about this show (like my wife) ... and many things that could be better. > Noorda, Tye. "Experience". SCERA, 1999. Plane crash victims talk > about life choices. Saw it. My wife was in it. I had a cameo as her husband. Dreadful play. > "Wedlocked" with Steven Kapp Perry. BYU Entr'Acte series, then at a > few other places. 1999. Read it. Saw it. Liked it. J. Scott Bronson--The Scotted Line "World peace begins in my home" We are not the acolytes of an abstruse god. We are here to entertain--Keith Lockhart - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Pup7777@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Tom Kimball Date: 25 Sep 2000 22:30:44 EDT In a message dated 00-09-22 13:33:20 EDT, you write: << Currently looking for people that have manuscripts with Mormon content that want to be published. Specifically Histories, Biographies, Bibliographies and serious Fiction. Would love to do a Biblio-Mystery about Mormons. If anyone knows anyone working on the above categories have them contact me by Email or call >> Tom, I haven't heard of your publishing company before. Are you new? What have you published? I'd also be interested in hearing about your goals as a publisher and what type of stuff you thinks represents what you're about. It seems from your background you have a lot of experience in the Mormon market. You probably know what sells and what doesn't. From your request for Biblio-Mystery, you must think that would do well. I heard mysteries sell really well in the Mormon market. Do you think that is true? I love to hear what you have to say. [MOD: By all means, include responses to the entire List.] Lisa J. Peck - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Pup7777@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Defending the Romance Genre Date: 25 Sep 2000 22:51:18 EDT In a message dated 00-09-18 11:38:11 EDT, you write: << do any of Modleski's psychoanalytic interpretations apply to LDS-women readers? Gae Lyn Henderson >> Gae, Thank you for the summarizes. Sorry it has taken me so long to respond to your post. I've been behind. Now to the group, I would love to see some great brain relate the romance genre on the whole to the Mormon romances. I think it would be interesting to see where we are different and where we are not. I'm not familiar enough with the Mormon romance or the other romances to do it nor do I have the time right now. I do think it would make a great paper and I know their are some people knowledgeable on the list that they could do a fine job. Lisa J. Peck - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church's Position Sought Over High SchoolProductionof Date: 25 Sep 2000 23:14:25 -0600 "Eric R. Samuelsen" wrote: > Fact is, we haven't ever done Godspell, but we have considered, on several occasions. I fully anticipate that we would do it some time. But the timing just hasn't been right; there's always been one other show that seemed a little more important at the time. I can see how someone who takes a superficial look at _Godspell_ can think it's sacrilegious. A bunch of clowns play Christ and his disciples, and the one who plays Christ has a big Superman S on his chest. Surely these elements indicate it's a mockery of Christ. But it ain't. I saw it with some friends years ago while at BYU, when it was performed by the outdoor Castle Theater in Provo. A very powerful performance. It struck me as an innocent, childlike interpretation of the Gospel according to Matthew. In fact, if I were directing it, that's how I would play it--not as clowns acting out Matthew, but as a bunch of LDS kids in the ward nursery acting out their interpretation of all these Gospel stories they've heard. And I'd keep the big Superman S on the chest of the kid who plays Christ. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Linda Adams Subject: [AML] It's a GIRL!! Date: 25 Sep 2000 19:02:14 -0500 Hi All, We apologize for the delay in this announcement. Life has been hectic, as you can imagine, since the birth of our daughter on September 15th! (Steve also complains he can't figure out my Eudora address book [this from one who claims he can program?] and therefore couldn't send this message himself.) Rebekah Cicely Adams was born Friday, Sept. 15th, at 11:46 p.m. --she almost had a different birthday! --after a fairly easy labor and delivery. She weighed 7 lbs. 8.5 oz and was 20" long. She's very beautiful and we are all very excited to have her join our family. She's a very easy baby--hands down the easiest of the five! We feel very blessed. I don't have any pictures online yet. Hopefully I'll get around to borrowing a scanner soon (or mailing photos to my dad, who would scan them, right Dad? ;-) ), and then you can all go see her. Linda, Steve, Rachel, Michael, Sarah, Jacob, AND Rebekah Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Todd Robert Petersen" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 26 Sep 2000 08:21:42 -0500 Though Harlow is convincing, I do not hold advertizing to be an art, which is why I threw my advertizing portfolio into a dumpster behind my apartment building in Seattle and began to rethink my life. I still think that to call art didactic comes, not from anything in the nature of the art itself, but from the viewer/reader. Some things I might think of as didactic, maybe aren't to others. Much of this has to do with my education and training and the way those things have had an effect upon my tastes. Kant thought tastes were innate parts of our psychological make up and Pierre Bourdieu countered that with some interesting work in the 60s which indicates that taste has much of its basis in education and class. Some people actually enjoy the didactic. It's hard for me to imagine why, but they do, and these people often share the didactic literature that they love from the pulpit in the form of the sub-genre of didactic LDS literature called, "poems-received-on-one's-mission." Nothing makes me feel more like an elitist [insert expletive noun of your choice] than those times when those kinds of poems are being read. My fiancee is kind, for she hates them too, knowing that she does not hate them worse than I do, that perhaps I hate them more than anyone else in the ward; she tells me to be calm. She understands my grouchiness becuase she is a sculptor who goes to homemaking (or whatever it is now called) and "suffers" through the arts and crafts projects for the sake of community. When the capable have to tolerate the less capable, a powerful lesson can be learned. Harlow wrote: > The difference between advertising and the Pieta and Dada and "The > Wasteland" and punk rock, which Todd gives as examples of didactic art is > not simply a matter of degree. Of course all art teaches, but it doesn't > follow that a work of art whose primary purpose is to make sure we get > the message differs only in degree from a work of art that treats the > audience as an equal who can choose to take the message or not. I'm not sure that art is ever indifferent to its own results. Artists are forever bellowing about the vacuousness of their audiences. I think that's reprehensible behavior, but I understand it. Flannery O'Connor once said that when the audience is deaf, you have to yell. -- Todd Robert Petersen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jim Cobabe" Subject: [AML] conservative hatred Date: 26 Sep 2000 10:54:18 MDT MBA: --- Mormons are a (generally conservative) part of American society, which (as demonstrated by the Matthew Shepard beating death) is afflicted with hatred of homosexuals. Labute is not criticizing Mormons, just using people who happen to be Mormon to criticize the greater culture. --- Who is Matthew Shepard? Who beat him? How were the beaters associated with "a generally conservative part of American society"? In what way does this implicate "the greater culture"? --- Jim Cobabe _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) 90s plays Date: 26 Sep 2000 11:14:06 -0600 I haven't seen all of these, but I have seen many of them. I don't know = that I have favorites, but I could give a little thumbnail response to = each. I hope you'll forgive me, here, because this gets very personal for = me. >Arrington, James. "Wilford Woodruff: God's Fisherman" (with Tim = >Slover).=20 This is a one man play, and for those who like one man plays, it's superb. = I like it a lot, but prefer James' Farley pieces. I also think that = Marvin Payne's Planemaker is the finest of all one man pieces. =20 >"The Prophet". Ricks, 1996. Several contrasting views of >Joseph Smith. A much underappreciated masterpiece. This play absolutely deserves more = of a hearing. It takes literally and seriously Joseph Smith's "No man = knows my history," comment, and in a Rashomon-like fashion, shows us = several facets of Joseph. I love this play, and I really think it needs = further production. >"Tumuaki! Matthew Cowley Speaks". Hawaii, 1997. BYU 1998. See above. An excellent one-man play, by the master of the form. =20 >Bell, James. "Prisoner". BYU, 1994. National award for best new = >student=20 >play. About a Vietnam POW. Of all the plays we've done at BYU, this is perhaps our biggest success, = winning a major national award, getting a production at the Kennedy = Center, not bad for a student written piece. I'm still a little uncomforta= ble with it, even though I directed the WDA reading. Ivan Crosland gave = this play a terrific production, and it deserved to be successful. But = the portrayal of the Vietnamese characters was pretty cliched, in my = opinion, and the play is a bit clunky. Ultimately I think the play = succeeded because of a) a great production and b) great source material. = =20 >Blackwell, Adam. "Blind Dates". BYU, 1995. About date rape. One of the most controversial plays we've ever done at BYU. The administra= tion was extremely uncomfortable with this play, and nearly cancelled the = production. I can't imagine why; I think it's a great play. Rape is = portrayed quite graphically on-stage, in a sickening scene. Who would = want rape portrayed any other way? A courageous and important play, and = one that should be revived. =20 >Boulter, Adam. "Prodigals". BYU, 1994. Free agency SF. Well, that about sums it up. It's actually about psychology and brainwashi= ng, that kind of sci-fi, not space travel. It's a pretty cool play, as = long as you don't think about it very closely, with lots of cool effects = and theatrical innovation--then the whole story stops making sense. The = production was very troubled--the director was sick, and the playwright = ended up directing a lot of it, to the detriment of the final project. = I'm not sure it's very revivable, but I liked it at the time. >Brady, Josh. "Joyce Baking". BYU, 1998. Well, I directed this play, and so I'm not in the least objective. I = think it's a terrific Mormon comedy about BYU dating relationships. A = comedy with a tragic ending. Josh is a very interesting writer, who's = really going to be something special when he grows up a little. (Not a = knock on Josh; I just think playwrights mature in their mid-thirties.) I = also thought I did a great job directing it, BTW. :} "Great Gardens!". BYU, 1998. Inscape, 1999. Dinner theater in 2000. Josh's second professional production, in a lot of ways I think Great = Gardens is funnier than Joyce Baking, and perhaps a bit richer. A family = deals with various crises while eating together in a Chuck-A-Rama type = buffet restuarant. The mother character is the biggest problem. She's = kind of a monster, and I didn't believe her when I first read the play, = nor in production. But this teenage son character, who keeps getting = blamed for things he had nothing to do with, was magnificent. >Bronson, Scott. "Quietus & Other Stories". BYU, 1996. Orson >Scott = Card=20 >stories. I saw this at BYU in '96, but had the worst case of the flu ever, and = hated everything about it, what I was awake for. In retrospect, I think = it's a fine adaptation of some intriguing stories, but at the time, I = mostly just wanted to die. =20 >"Confessions", Wasatch Review International, 1994. Scott Bronson just doesn't get produced enough. This is a searing, = truthful, powerful play, and one I've been fighting for us to do at BYU = for years. But no one wants to touch it, because the idea of a fine = upstanding active LDS man being guilty of incest is just too hard for some = people to get their heads around. Too bad. >"Alters". Sunstone, Sept. 1997. Abraham and Isaac. One act. I darn near got this one on the season this year. It's very simple and = direct and lovely. Deceptively simple; my colleagues don't like it as = much. Someday. >"Fata Morgana". A one-act play produced at BYU in association >with = the=20 >Mormon Arts Festival, 1998 Scott goes absurdist. I love absurdism, and have often wondered why we = haven't had more Mormon absurdist stuff, so when we had a chance to do = this at MAF, I jumped at it. =20 >Chandler, Neal. "Appeal to a Lower Court". Sunstone, Dec. >1990. The=20 >Heubener story from the POV of the Branch President. I wish we'd do this play together with Tom Rogers' Huebbener. I think = they're both interesting and important plays. =20 >Christiansen, Alisha. "Minerva Teichert". One woman play at the >BYU = Museum.=20 >1997. >"Little Women". BYU, 1996-97. Adaptation of the novel. The Minerva Teichert play was quite interesting, I thought. Alisha does a = wonderful job of dealing with adaptations. =20 Little Women is a very interesting piece. First of all, it's two plays, = which between them cover the entire novel. And the fact is, Alisha loves = the novel and wanted to do an adaptation that would be true to the story = of the original. And that's a bit problematic, I think, because of the = mother. Susan Sarandon was great in the Little Women movie, but that = movie wasn't particularly true to the book. But in the book, Marmee's = 'parenting through platitude' style gets very wearying very quickly. =20 When adapting a nineteenth century novel for a twentieth century audience, = you have to make certain decisions. One thing you can do is update the = material. Another choice is to leave the thing in the nineteenth century, = unapologetically, and figure the audience will forgive you when the whole = thing seems unbearably drippy. That was Alisha's choice, and it's a = legitimate one. Amazingly enough, though, the theatricality of the work = really worked brilliantly; you'd think she would have employed nineteenth = century dramaturgical conventions, but she didn't. Still ultimately, the = play succeeded or failed depending on how much you liked the novel. I = found the gender expectations teeth-grittingly hard to take. And = essentially wanted someone to shoot Marmee. (Even Jo was a little hard to = take). =20 Great Little Women story: we workshopped the second play in WDA, and at = the time of the staged reading, Alisha was pregnant. During the first = act, Alisha was having contractions. Bob Nelson and I saw her at the = intermission, and said that we thought her husband, Steve, needed to get = her to the hospital. Alisha was reluctant, though; said she could tough = it out, but Steve, bless his heart, overrode her objections, and off they = went. I finish the staged reading, go up to my office for a second, and = there's a phone message. She'd already given birth. While the second act = was playing, she'd gone to the hospital, and ten minutes after her = arrival, she was a mom. Says something about the length of Alisha's = labors. And something, too, about the length of that second act. >Duncan, Thom. "Survival of the Fittest." Sunstone Symposium, >Mormon = Arts=20 >Festival readings, 1997. This play won the MAF contest, and deservedly so. Thom wrote a very = interesting play about the firing of professors at BYU for teaching = evolution. I think the speechifying could be cut down a bit, but this is = a very produceable play. Probably not at BYU, though, for obvious = reasons; college administrations tend to look askance at plays that diss = the people the buildings are named after. >Hales Harding, Marianne. "Never Mind the Forecast". 1997, >Ohio U. =20 >Ohio/Missouri era saints. Never saw this one, but Marianne's a fine writer. <"Hold Me". One-act performed at the 1999 Mormon Arts >Festival, at = festivals=20 >in NYC in 2000. I did see this one, and like it very much. Unfortunately, Marianne's = director was kind of a bozo, and the production was a bit troubled. But = once we fired the original director, things went better. >Hanson, Elizabeth, "A High and Glorious Place". BYU, 1996. >One woman = play=20 >on Eliza R. Snow. A version of the play appeared on KBYU in >1997 as = "Eliza=20 >and I". Again, a terrific one-actor piece. I think the film is quite interesting; = an early Richard Dutcher effort. >"A String of Pearls". BYU, 1996. About a group of women >during WWII.. This is the kind of thing Liz writes; an intelligent close examination of = the lives of women sort of on the periphery of society; in this case, = women whose husbands are at war. Liz clearly loves her characters, and = over the course of the play, we come to love them too. Unfortunately, this production was very weak. The acting was fine, but = the director, for some bizarre reason, decided to allow a full costume = change between each of the play's many scenes. So it was stop and start, = stop and start all night long, with sometimes three or four minutes = between scenes, and the play never had a chance; you'd just start to = develop some momentum, and then this long, tedious wait. Budding = playwrights: take note. Avoid at all costs blackout scene changes. Cut = them cut them cut them. >Hawkins, Lisa. "Change the Night to Day". 1996. BYU. >Kidnapped = sister=20 >missionaries. Man, in WDA, we worked on this and worked on this, and we could never get = it right. It was always histrionic and it just never did work. Basic = problem, I finally came to realize, was that Lisa just plain didn't know = enough about police procedure. She just didn't do her homework. So a = play about kidnapped missionaries ended up making little or no sense--you = kept thinking, why don't the cops do such and such, obvious things that = they would do. Note to budding writers: do your homework. Research. = (And avoid blackout scene changes.) =20 >Howe, Susan. "A Dream for Katie". 1992 BYU Women's >Conference. Never saw it. I personally think Susan's Burdens of Earth, about Joseph = Smith, is far better--a wonderful play, which we're producing this next = March. >Jensen, Julie. "Two-Headed". SLAC, 1999. About the Mountain >Meadows=20 >Massacre and polygamy. Non-Mormon, from Beaver, UT. A superb play, which my wife and sister-in-law saw, but which I didn't get = to. Julie's not really a non-Mormon--she was raised in the Church, I = think. My wife thought it a bit Mormon-bashy, and she's usually pretty = open-minded. But it got great reviews, and like I said, I didn't see it, = to my regret. (I was killing myself with Love Affair With Electrons). >Kushner, Tony. _Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National >Themes. = Part=20 >1: Millennium Approaches; Part 2: Perestroika._ Theatre >Communications= =20 >Group, 1993, 1994. Pulitzer prize winners. Pulitzer, and an Olivier, and Critics Play Circle, and a couple of Tony's. = . . . I saw it in New York, and I've taught it a few times. What an amazing = play. We've talked about it on the List, and I'm not sure I've got much = to add, except to say that I've learned more about theatricality from = Kushner than from anyone else. I do think that his whole cosmology in the = second play is weak, and reveals the fact that he really doesn't know much = about Mormons. It's not a Mormon bashing play, but it is Mormon ignorant. >LaBute, Neil. _Bash : Latterday Plays_. Overlook, 1999. Off->Broadway = and=20 >London. Three one acts. One, "A Gaggle of Saints", appeared >as "Bash" = in=20 >Sunstone, December 1995. Also "Media Redux" and "Iphigenia >in Orem". We've talked about this at some length. I think he's a Mormon naturalist, = and I think he's brilliant. I admire the work enormously. And ultimately,= I think he needs more dimension. Big question, though, is what is he = going to do next. I think he's stopped writing, and I think it's because = he's run out of things to say. =20 >"In the Company of Men". BYU, 1992. 1993 AML Prize. Later a >successful= =20 >film, which he wrote and directed, in 1997. Screenplay published >in = 1997, by=20 >Faber & Faber. Don't forget his play Lepers, which became the film Your Friends and = Neighbors. As a film, ITCOM works superbly, and as a film, YFAN doesn't = work at all. Can I also say, re both this and American Beauty, how much I = detest masturbation scenes in films? >Larsen, Paul. "The Raid and Trial of George Q. Cannon". 1996 >at the = Utah=20 >State Bar. 1997 at U of U. Paul wrote this as a play, and it didn't work very well, kind of talky and = uninteresting. He also wrote it as a screenplay at the same time. Well, = the Utah Bar Association wanted to produce it, and so he worked with a = director on it, and while they were working, Paul decided to show the = director his screenplay. And that's what they ended up producing. On = stage. The screenplay, with all the quick cuts and montages. The moral = of this story is, in Theatre anymore, realism is basically dead, and it = took with it the always false notion that Theatre Is A Verbal Medium while = Film Is A Visual Medium. So what was once a put down in Theatre circles = (your script is cinematic) is now a compliment (your script is theatricalis= t!). And the result was a play that was still . . . a bit too talky, for = my taste, but quite interesting. =20 >Livingston, Scott. "Free at Last". Performed at BYU, Spring >1996. = About=20 >black investigators and missionaries in Tennessee in 1978. I don't think anyone has ever worked harder on a play than Scott Livingston= did on this one. For nearly two years, Scott would mail me drafts of the = play, and I would comment and respond, and he would re-write. And it = never got any better. We started off with a deeply flawed script on a = terrific premise, and we ended up with a different flawed script on a = terrific premise. Re-writing is supposed to improve the piece, and = sometimes it does. Not this time. =20 The production was amazing. We had a racially mixed cast, with about five = black actors, and every night, when the show was over, they'd stick around = bear their testimonies to the audience. So what we had was a pretty weak = night in the theatre, followed immediately by a deeply moving and powerful = testimony meeting. And ultimately, I think we did some good in the world. Okay, I'm going to divide this post into two halves. The second will = follow. Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) 90s plays Date: 26 Sep 2000 11:54:05 -0600 >Newbold, Bruce. "In Him was Life" 1998. One man reenactment >of = incidents=20 >from the life of Christ. I saw this at BYU, and I hope I can be forgiven when I say that I think = it's pretty boring. We're not supposed to say that, I suppose. But I = kept nodding off. >Paxton, Robert. =20 >"Brother Joseph" 1992. One man, two-act, performed at UNLV. >"What Wondrous Things". 1993. Full-length comedy on Nephi >and Laban. = MFA=20 >thesis. =20 Of all of Rob's plays, these two are the ones I know the best. He's a = very interesting writer. I really love the idea of taking Laman and = Lemuel and turning them into a kind of vaudeville turn. It's a smart, = funny, and finally kind of moving play. Lehi joking about Metamucil--price= less. =20 >Rogers, Thomas. _Huebener and Other Plays._ Poor Robert's, >1992. = Includes=20 >"Huebener", "Fire in the Bones", "Gentle Barbarian", "Frere >Lawrence", = and=20 >"Charades". >"Charades." BYU PDA workshop, 1990. >"First Trump." 1998. Available on Gideon Burton's Mormon >Literature = site. Tom is the guy who, pretty much single-handedly, revived Mormon drama. = Back in the seventies, when I was a student, Tom was the one man above all = others, who we looked to. I can't say enough about how inspirational and = important his career has been. Tom showed us that Mormon drama can deal with the tough issues. The = Church doesn't always look so good in Huebbener, but it happened, and he = tells the story sympathetically and truthfully and powerfully, and the = result is the most important Mormon play ever. Same with Fire in the = Bones; the Mountain Meadows Massacre is something we'd rather not deal = with, perhaps, but what a debt we owe to Juanita Brooks. And what a debt = we owe to Tom Rogers. I cannot emphasize strongly enough what a significan= t figure Tom is historically. =20 We workshopped First Trump in WDA two years ago, and it's still a play = that needs some work. Tom's biggest weakness as a playwright is wordiness,= and First Trump really does go on and on. In the staged reading, I = personally had a, no kidding, twenty minute monologue--it needs cutting. = But boy it's good to see Tom, now retired, still writing. =20 One last point--Tom is not only our most important playwright ever, but he = was and is a terrific theatre director. He directed one play of mine, and = it was a great experience. But back in the seventies, it was Tom who was = directing Pinter and Beckett and Brecht and all the other playwrights who = the faculty were too afraid to tackle. =20 >Samuelsen, Eric. "Accommodations". A family deals with >grandpa's = decline.=20 >BYU, 1993. Sunstone, June 1994. 1994 AML Drama prize. I look back at this play now, and I think it's a bit clunky. There's some = powerful writing, and I like the family I created, but I wish I'd done = more with them. I have another story to tell that involves those people, = and I think someday Accommodations will have a sequel. I still like the = issue--what do we do with an elderly relation who can't care for himself = any longer, and why do we assume that the women of the family should = assume that obligation? >"The Bottom of the Ninth". Apocalyptic comedy. BYU PDA, >1995. My heck. I have written and re-written this play twenty times, and I = still haven't gotten it right. Half the time I think it's my masterpiece, = and half the time I think it's garbage, and all of the time I think it's = not done. The idea is, it's the last of the ninth inning, of the seventh = game of the World Series, and suddenly, Armageddon breaks out. And then, = in the midst of the destruction of the Last Days, the players all try to = get together to finish the game. An apocalyptic comedy. And someday, I = just know I'll figure it out. >"The Seating of Senator Smoot". BYU, summer 1996. I do like what I did with this piece theatrically. I think the use of a = chorus helps keep the number of characters down a bit, and I liked the = idea of taking Reed Smoot, a humorless stick if there ever was one, and = making him the hero of a play. The Smoot hearings are over four thousand = pages in the Congressional record, which meant that the research was a = chore. However Reed Smoot was, I think, a lousy senator. So, yes, it's = important for the Church that he be confirmed. But I kind of gloss over = how effective he was once he got in. I also like the irony of having me, = of all people, write sympathetically about a Republican. It was probably = good for me. >"Gadiation". BYU 1997. Corporate greed, Utah members, uses >BofM = imagery. AML prize. Well, I don't know what to say about Gadianton. I still think it's my = best work. Getting it produced was a nightmare, because it was so = controversial, but once we got it on its feet, it really did play = magnificently. And that's nice to see. =20 >"Without Romance". 1998 Mormon Arts Festival production. >(Eric, is this = the=20 "The Way We're Wired". 1999, BYU. Singles in the church. >1999 AML prize = for=20 >drama. We talked about this one on the List. AdreAnn directed it, and once again = saved my fanny, by gently pointing out that a play that I thought was = swell was in fact a disaster. I re-wrote it completely, and thank heavens = it worked. =20 Right now, I'm workshopping a new play in WDA, a farce called "First = Impressions." That title's probably going to change. A Mormon farce; = about time. I have a new play called What Really Happened that's being = produced under the radar at BYU in January. My three one acts about = Mormon women will be produced (I think), at Bill Brown's new theatre in = Springville, under the title Three Women. And another new play, Peculiarit= ies, is scheduled tentatively for another under the radar production in = March. A bit about each of them. "First Impressions" is about an LDS assistant professor, who is desperately= eager to impress his grad students, and who has invited them to his = apartment for a party. They are equally apprehensive about him, and as = desperate to impress him. One grad student passes out drunk in the = bedroom, and much of the play involves the other grad student's efforts to = cover for him. A seven character, two actor farce, with lots of people = hiding in closets and chasing each other around beds with their trousers = around their ankles. =20 Three Women is three short plays, each with a cast of three women. "Bar = and Kell" was read at Sunstone last year; two women fellowship a third = woman, while not really considering what they're doing. "Judgment" is = about date rape. "Community Standard" is about a pornography trial, and = a young woman who, with great reluctance, has to serve on a jury. =20 =20 "Peculiarities" was originally titled "Weird Mormon Sex" and that's what = it's about. I interweave four stories; NCMO is one of them; this = marvelous uniquely BYU notion of a 'non-commital make-out.' Another story = has to do with this thing kids used to do where they'd drive from Provo to = Reno, get married, fool around, get it annulled, and drive back to BYU = having not broken the Honor Code. A third story deals with sex-less = adultery; a woman whose emotional life is tied to another man, not her = husband, but who would never dream of actually committing adultery. =20 This is going to have to be at least one more post. Be back soon. Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) 90s plays Date: 26 Sep 2000 12:50:29 -0600 Andrew Hall wrote: > NON-MUSICALS > > Arrington, James. "Wilford Woodruff: God's Fisherman" (with Tim Slover). > Sunstone Feb. 1992. Tim performed this play in my Theatre-in-the-Square in 1987 or so. I loved it as I do practically everything time writes (Except his forthcoming "Hancock County" which I hate already because he finished his version of the trial of Joseph Smith's persecutors before I did.) > "The Prophet". Ricks, 1996. Several contrasting views of Joseph Smith. We read this in the Playwrights Circle a couple of years ago. Never saw it produced but would like to. > Brady, Josh. "Joyce Baking". BYU, 1998. Very funny play, directed by Eric Samuelsen. Great actors. My wife hated the lead, thought he never redeemed himself. I, being a guy, thought he was being a guy. > Bronson, Scott. "Quietus & Other Stories". BYU, 1996. Orson Scott Card > stories. This was very well done. I would love to see more of Card's shorter fiction dramatized. > "Alters". Sunstone, Sept. 1997. Abraham and Isaac. One act. Read the play in Sunstone. About much more than Abraham and Issac. About the "Altars" of sacrifice we all have to go through on our way through life. > "On the Romance of a Dying Child", A one-act play produced at UVSC as part > of the first annual 10 Minute Play Festival,2000 Clearly the best of all the offerings on that night. > Hanson, Elizabeth, "A High and Glorious Place". BYU, 1996. One woman play > on Eliza R. Snow. A version of the play appeared on KBYU in 1997 as "Eliza > and I". "Eliza and I" must be seen by anyone who lives in Utah. Channel 11 plays during their Begging for Dollars periods. > Hawkins, Lisa. "Change the Night to Day". 1996. BYU. Kidnapped sister > missionaries. I happened to see this play during its PDA production. Though it started off intriguingly enough, it soon fell into Movie of the Week melodrama. > Kushner, Tony. _Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Part > 1: Millennium Approaches; Part 2: Perestroika._ Theatre Communications > Group, 1993, 1994. Pulitzer prize winners. Saw this in San Francisco. It was -- what can I say? -- riveting. > LaBute, Neil. _Bash : Latterday Plays_. Overlook, 1999. Off-Broadway and > London. Three one acts. One, "A Gaggle of Saints", appeared as "Bash" in > Sunstone, December 1995. Read the play in Sunstone. It scared me to death. > "In the Company of Men". BYU, 1992. 1993 AML Prize. Later a successful > film, which he wrote and directed, in 1997. Again, the movie scared me to death, because up until the end, I actually thought the main character was starting to feel remorse for his nastiness. > Pearson, Carol Lynn. "Mother Wove the Morning". 1990. A one woman play. I'm not ashamed to say that I loved this play. Saw it in SF years ago. Okay, Carolyn chews up the scenery better than William Shatner, but its comments on the plight of women throughout the ages was very thought-provoking. > Rogers, Thomas. _Huebener and Other Plays._ Poor Robert's, 1992. Includes > "Huebener", "Fire in the Bones", "Gentle Barbarian", "Frere Lawrence", and > "Charades". Have this book. Read it. This is all that needs to be said: Tom Rogers, probably the best living LDS playwright, wrote these plays. > "Charades." BYU PDA workshop, 1990. Saw the workshop production. It deserves a full-scale production. > "First Trump." 1998. Available on Gideon Burton's Mormon Literature site. Great play about the afterlife, but much more fulfilling intellectually than "What Dreams May Come" with Robin Williams. > Samuelsen, Eric. "Accommodations". A family deals with grandpa's decline. Love everything Eric did, though this play beat out one of mine ("Survival of the Fittest") to come unde the skilled directorial hands of Tom Rogers. Read the play in Sunstone. Slice-of-life story of an LDS family which I believe is much more prevelant than many would like to think. > "The Seating of Senator Smoot". BYU, summer 1996. Another play I automatically hate without having read or seen it because Eric dramatized the story before I did. > "The Way We're Wired". 1999, BYU. Singles in the church. 1999 AML prize for > drama. What a show! Excellently written, acted, and directed. Eric had written this with the idea in mind of proving that fat chicks can be beautiful. I remember saying it couldn't be done. He did it. By the end of the play, I was in love with "fat" chick. (She wasn't that fat, but still far from the typical male ideal of beauty.) > "March Tale". 1995 About Shakespeare. AML prize. Just finishing acting in the ACTE production of this directed by Scott Bronson. Wonderful cast. wonderful scriptu and the guy who played William Kemp was simply marvelous. > "Joyful Noise". 1996. Handel's composing The Messiah. AML prize. Performed > in San Diego and New York by the Lamb's Players. Saw this is a PDA production. Can't imagine it can be any better now but apparently it is. > Arrington, James, Steven Kapp Perry and Marvin Payne. "The Trail of > Dreams". UVSC, many other places. 1997. If there is any musical that could tell (part of) our story on the Broadway stage, this is it. > Noorda, Tye. "Experience". SCERA, 1999. Plane crash victims talk about life > choices. Okay, I'll say it, if nobody else ever does. This is hands-down the worst show in every possible aspect that has hit the stage this decade. If the author's husband hadn't been Ray Noorda, the play would never have seen the light of day. > "Wedlocked" with Steven Kapp Perry. BYU Entr'Acte series, then at a few > other places. 1999. This LDS version of "I Do, I Do" works at every level. > Perry, Steven Kapp. "Polly, A One Woman Musical". Pioneer story, BYU, 1992. Steve's wife, Joanne, kicked but in the production I saw at the Provo Tabernacle. When I saw her, I knew I had to have her play Emma in my production of "Prophet" where she again delivered a remarkable performance. > "The Christmas Box". BYU, 1997. Musical adaptation, music by Murray Boren. Eric says he doesn't like this, but I saw it in PDA and I liked it a lot. Murray's music is always wonderful. I never saw Emma but heard great things about it. Thom Duncan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) 90s plays Date: 26 Sep 2000 15:55:23 -0600 Okay, continuing >Slover, Tim. "March Tale". 1995 About Shakespeare. AML prize. I was in this, playing Will Kemp, and am not very objective about it. = It's a wonderful play, written with Tim's typical lyricism and intelligence= and wit. No wonder the producers of Shakespeare in Love found it = necessary to rip Tim off. (And the work they ended up with is vastly = inferior. I have never been angrier at the Oscar people than I was the = night that despicable piece of plagiarism won Best Picture. And yes, I = can prove it.) >"Joyful Noise". 1996. Handel's composing The Messiah. AML >prize. = Performed=20 >in San Diego and New York by the Lamb's Players. Another brilliant Slover piece. Honestly, this has to be one of the three = best things ever written by a Mormon. =20 >Whitman, Charles. "Montpelier Farewell". BYU, 1995. Explores >Mormon = theology=20 >and social issues in his hometown of Montpelier, Idaho, from the = >perspective of a non-Mormon family. Quiet, sombre, real. This was Chuck's swan song at BYU, and it's a lovely = play. We ought to remount it someday. >Young, Margaret Blair. "Dear Stone". BYU PDA, 1997. BYU >Studies = Playwriting=20 >Contest winner. AML-list. Well, I also directed this play, and it was one of the great experiences = of my life. It's based on a true story, the story of Margaret's sister-in-= law, whose husband left her when she was diagnosed with MS. Opening = night, the woman who the play was based on passed away. I have never = experienced anything like the spiritual feast that opening night of that = play proved to be. =20 MUSICALS >Arrington, James, Steven Kapp Perry and Marvin Payne. "The >Trail of=20 >Dreams". UVSC, many other places. 1997. I like this show a lot, especially the Angel of Death character; the idea = that death is an essential part of the LDS trek. First musical I can = think of ever with an Angel of Death character. And the music is = terrific, but of course, what else would we expect. >Card, Orson Scott, Kevin and Khaliel Kelly, and Arlen Card >(music). = "Barefoot to Zion". PVP, 1997. Oh, my. One of the great theatre catastrophes. The Kellys won this big = Church-wide contest, and were supposed to write a musical. Either they = finished it, and the appropriate correlation committee didn't like it, or = they didn't finish it; you hear different things. Anyway, they cast the = show, they sold the tickets, only one little problem; no script. So with, = I'm not kidding, a month before it was to open, Scott Card gets called in = to save the day. And he wrote a musical in about a month. It sort of works, a little. It's a real easy show to pick apart, but I've = seen worse. The miracle is that it works at all. No one else could have. >Duncan, Thom. "Prophet", 1999, SCERA. Music by Mark >Steven Gelter. = Update of=20 >"Let There Be Love," a version done at BYU in 1973. We talked about this a bit on the List. I think the production suffered; = I think it was very badly directed. =20 Okay, momentary diatribe; directing is extremely important. Enormously = important. A good director can make a good play better, and a mediocre = play work at least a little. A bad director can just flat out kill a = piece. That's what happened here, I think. >Grain. "A Place in the Son". 1996. Rock opera about Alden >Barrett's = suicide.=20 >Am. Fork. 70s music. Music from the show appears in their two = >CDs,=20 >"Grain" and "A Dirge Appealing", which came out in 1997 and >1998. Man I loved this. The music isn't really 70's music (the guys in Grain = weren't born yet in 1970) but it's certainly got a '70's feel. I thought = it was fabulous. Good old fashioned rock and roll. Best of all, it = exploded the myth of Alden Barrett; he wasn't involved in satanism, for = example. Fantastic show. Alisha Christianson directed it, and did a = magnificent job with zero resources. When they toured it, they abandoned = some of her staging, and the show really suffered. >McColm, Reed. 1997 rewrite of "Utah!". Paxton, Robert. "Utah!" >1995. = Outdoor musical. Jacob Hamblin and the=20 >settlement of Southern Utah. Tuachan. Lyrics by Doug Stewert. Well, let's see, there's the Robert Paxton version, then the Tim Slover = version, then the Reed McColm version. They were all pretty interesting, = and they all had moments that worked well, and they all had a few = problems. But they all lost money, and that's why the new versions every = year. =20 Dumb producers, in my opinion. Every year, they'd hire a new writer, and = every year, they'd not give that writer anywhere near enough time, and = every year, a new show would be mounted, bugs and all, with no chance to = fix problems or re-write. And they they'd wonder why the shows weren't = successful. =20 >"Wedlocked" with Steven Kapp Perry. BYU Entr'Acte series, >then at a = few=20 >other places. 1999. Love this show. It's a lot like I Do I Do, only good. (An actor friend = of mine calls I Do I Do, I Did and I Shouldn't Have.) Both this show and = I Do I Do are two actor shows about marriage. The difference between them = is that Wedlocked shows actual, believable, real people, actually, = believably struggling with real issues in their marriage, with singable = songs and some real wit and humor and warmth. While I Do I Do pretends to = have all the above, but doesn't. =20 >Perry, Steven Kapp. "Polly, A One Woman Musical". Pioneer >story, BYU, = 1992. I liked this a lot too, but I've only seen it on videotape. I'm not a big = fan of one person shows, but this is one of the better ones.=20 >Samuelsen, Eric. "Emma". BYU, 1992. Music by Murray >Boren. This is actually an opera, and it was produced at BYU in 1983. It was = subsequently done in New York in 1990. All female cast, an opera showing = the reaction of the Church to Joseph's martyrdom. The premiere at BYU was = great; half the audience walked out on it, while the other half loved it. = I loved it. >"The Christmas Box". BYU, 1997. Musical adaptation, music by >Murray = Boren. About this, the less said the better. Never again. >Williams, Joshua and Erik Orton (music). "The Drummings". BYU, >1998. = Also=20 >produced at a DC festival. About 19th century Irish nationalists. Quite a nice little show. Erik and Josh are talented guys, and this show = has tremendous promise. Erik has a second show, called Berlin. It's about the Berlin airlift. I = like it a lot too--we're workshopping it in WDA right now. _Whew. Three long posts. Thanks a lot Andrew. :} Eric Samuelsen - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "jana bouck remy" Subject: Re: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) 90s plays Date: 26 Sep 2000 15:41:25 -0700 I'd have to vote "Trail of Dreams" as best muscial. We often listen to the CD on Sunday mornings as we prepare for church. Just this week my husband and I had a very spiritual experience as we discussed the symbolism of several of the songs. I saw "Joyful Noise" in San Diego. I found the production to be entertaining but it lacked emotional impact. Jana Remy - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Richard Johnson Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church's Position Sought Over Date: 26 Sep 2000 22:57:49 -0400 > It struck me as an innocent, childlike interpretation of >the Gospel according to Matthew. In fact, if I were directing it, that's >how I would play it--not as clowns acting out Matthew, but as a bunch of >LDS kids in the ward nursery acting out their interpretation of all >these Gospel stories they've heard. > >And I'd keep the big Superman S on the chest of the kid who plays >Christ. > >-- >D. Michael Martindale My approach exactly. "Except ye become as one of these. . ." Richard B. Johnson Husband, Father, Grandfather, Puppeteer, Playwright, Writer, Director, Actor, Thingmaker, Mormon, Person, Fool I sometimes think that the last persona is the most important http://www2.gasou.edu/commarts/puppet/ Georgia Southern University Puppet Theatre - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 27 Sep 2000 00:40:52 -0600 Todd Robert Petersen wrote: > The brethren see some reason for all things, > even recreation, entertainment, and I would fain to say, art as well. But > they see its importance as part of our overall participation in the plan of > salvation. Anything that diverts us that far, even to the point of > distraction is, they might suggest, to be avoided. This is shaping up into a tautological argument where it's impossible to argue one way or the other. It's like the one in sociology that says there is no such thing as true altruism. Everything people do is for a selfish reason. If someone performs an apparently unselfish act for another, it's because that person really wants the good feeling and positive self-image that comes from the act, not because he's truly unselfish. As my sociology professor pointed out when he explained this to us, it's a waste of time arguing such an issue--nothing can be proven one way or another. What's important is that we encourage acts which are helpful to others. I think that's how this discussion is shaping up. People can give creative reasons all day for why this or that activity really has eternal consequences that benefit us, but in the end, we choose recreation for the pleasure of it and nothing more, and I can't think of one reason why we shouldn't. Do we need yet another reason to sit around feeling guilty? If our recreation is wholesome, the eternal benefits will take care of themselves. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "J. Scott Bronson" Subject: [AML] Play Reading--Free! Date: 26 Sep 2000 16:50:53 -0600 You are invited to attend a reading of a new play by J. Scott Bronson. Stones: Two Plays About Sacrifice Provo Theatre Company will present the reading in their theatre which is located on the corner of 100 North and 100 East in Provo at 7:30 pm on the evening of Tuesday, October 10th. Stones includes two one-act plays, Altars (closely based on the scriptural story of Abraham and Isaac, it is an up-close look at the concept of sacrifice, both in the literal, Old Testament sense, and the day-to-day giving up of one's self as a parent or family member) and Tombs (an invented conversation between Jesus and his mother as she prepares Joseph's tomb for his burial). Admission is free, and you are invited to attend with anyone you would like to bring with you -- it will be a unique theatrical experience. Altars was a winner in the one-time Sunstone Mormon One-act Playwriting Contest several years ago. It was published in the October 1997 issue of Sunstone Magazine. A previous reading of Altars was presented at the 1994 Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the following cast: Father Ivan Crosland Mother Trish Reading Son David Morgan Tombs is a new play, written this year, with the intention that it be a companion piece to Altars. There will be a discussion after the reading. It would please me a great deal if you could attend and participate. Call me at 801.226.7876 if you have any questions at all. J. Scott Bronson--The Scotted Line "World peace begins in my home" We are not the acolytes of an abstruse god. We are here to entertain--Keith Lockhart - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Frank Maxwell" Subject: Re: [AML] MN LDS Church's Position Sought Over High School Production of "Godspell": Date: 27 Sep 2000 02:14:59 -0700 D. Michael Martindale wrote: > This sends me over the moon, too, but not because it's questioning > Godspell specifically. The whole idea of having to get church approval > before touching any work of art disturbs me. Can't anyone think for > themselves? How did the myth that the church goes around taking > positions on works of art start in the first place? My understanding is > that they don't. > I'm reminded of a scene in "The Sword in the Stone" by T. H. White, which, by the way, did not make it into the Disney animated movie. Young Wart (the future king Arthur) gets turned into an ant. Inside the ant colony, he sees the following rules prominently displayed: "Everything Not Compulsory Is Forbidden. Everything Not Prohibited Is Compulsory." (or words to that effect). It's easy to see how this attitude could inform religious folk's responses to theater. A play allegedly based on the scriptures, written by outsiders, using a non-hymnic musical style, would automatically be suspect -- especially if it had no ecclesiastical seal of approval. If it's not marked "kosher", then it must be "treif" (unclean). Guilty until proven innocent. No offense intended, of course, to the parents who were sincerely worried about "Godspell". Probably some of them had conflated "Godspell" with "Jesus Christ Superstar" -- "after all, they're both rock musicals about the Savior, right?" They were misinformed, of course. But we should try to remember that not everyone is an expert in the minutiae of popular culture. ("I'll take 'Broadway Musicals' for $500, Alex.") Frank Maxwell - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Tom Kimball" Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Tom Kimball Date: 26 Sep 2000 17:30:33 MDT Lisa As you will see my love to read books far outweighs my ability to write a coherent sentence. In response to your question, our goal is to provide a market place of Ideas and an outlet for serious books on Mormon History, Biography, and Bibliography. The reason I would enjoy publishing a biblio-mystery or a mystery about the book trade is because they are very popular in the trade world and the Mormon market is ripe for a compelling murder mystery. Why not have Jack Welch being killed for uncovering some Christian Scroll or Curt Bench having his head cut off for selling some White Salamanderish document. Wouldn’t it be fun to read about someone’s obsessive compulsive behavior to own the words of the prophets get way out of hand. Sorry just my own obsessive behavior coming through. Food for thought. I hope you will enjoy our line up of books Tom Kimball Boyd Petersen- The Authorized Biography of Hugh Nibley. Boyd has been researching the life of Hugh Nibley for 15 years and has had access to Hugh’s corespondance, journals, notes and papers. Hugh Nibley is one of Mormon’s foremost scholars and you will want to know the man behind the legend. Hugh Stocks- Book of Mormon Publishing History 1830-1920. An extensively illustrated and annotated bibliography.. This work will relate the histories of all early English printings of the Book of Mormon. Details such as print run sizes, binding variants, points on different printings from the same stereo plates. A must have for the collector. Matt McBride- Narrative History of the Construction of the Nauvoo Temple. This informative book will chronologically document the behind the scenes stories of the common people who built the second Mormon temple in their own words. Max Parkins- Conflict At Kirtland, Seminal work on the Kirtland period of the development of the Church. Discusses the causes of conflict and dissention both within and without the Church that eventually led to the exodus from Ohio. Includes an extensive discussion of economics and the Kirtland Safety Society. Milt Backman- Survey History of Nauvoo. Peter Olsen Hansen- Autobiography Peter was the first missionary to Denmark and was the translator of the first non-English Book of Mormon. Peter was a witness to many important Mormon histories such as helping put out the fire on the Nauvoo temple, crossing the plains with Howard Egan and settling Sanpete Utah with other Scandinavians. Howard Searle- Mormon Historiography A history of the early Mormon historians starting with Oliver Cowdry and covering most of the 19th century. >Tom, > >I haven't heard of your publishing company before. Are you new? What have >you published? I'd also be interested in hearing about your goals as a >publisher and what type of stuff you thinks represents what you're about. >It >seems from your background you have a lot of experience in the Mormon >market. > You probably know what sells and what doesn't. From your request for >Biblio-Mystery, you must think that would do well. I heard mysteries sell >really well in the Mormon market. Do you think that is true? > > >I love to hear what you have to say. > >[MOD: By all means, include responses to the entire List.] > >Lisa J. Peck > > - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jason Steed" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 27 Sep 2000 08:58:41 PDT Two of my pennies on the whole art and didacticism thread: We make value judgements. Inescapably. (Perhaps this might be redefined as "taste" and called innate, a la Kant.) And our value judgements are ALWAYS made from within an ideology (a world view). That ideology--even if partly innate--is VASTLY affected by culture and societal influences. Presently, we live in a culture that has, for some time now, fostered an ideology that facilitates, even necessitates, a resistance to "didacticism." According to our general cultural value system, art should not be used to teach. When it is, we look down on it, and call it "didactic." However, just as we cannot help but make value judgements, it seems to me that art cannot help but teach...SOMETHING. It's always teaching something. It strikes me that, perhaps, "didacticism" is like "pornography": We all agree that we don't like it, that it's bad, bad, bad. But it's a very difficult thing to define. When is art being didactic--and is it for one person and not for another? Is the only thing we can say about didacticism, "I don't know what it is, but I know it when I see it"? Maybe, since ALL art teaches, when we object to didacticism, we're really objecting to methodology. It's not that the art was TEACHING, it's that it's a bad TEACHER. Quite often, in my experience, some of the best teachers are those from whom we learn, without realizing we're being "taught." Perhaps this is a clue as to why we all dislike "didacticism." Jason _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Debra L. Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] It's a GIRL!! Date: 27 Sep 2000 13:26:36 -0400 > We apologize for the delay in this announcement. Life has been hectic, as > you can imagine, since the birth of our daughter on September 15th! (Steve > also complains he can't figure out my Eudora address book [this from one > who claims he can program?] and therefore couldn't send this message himself.) Dear Linda, Congrats Congrats Congrats! Now, get busy and write volume two of Thy Kingdom Come! (the mormon connection mention) And now! Surely a new baby can't take up that much time? And my sympathies to Steve, Eudora was the one e-mail program I couldn't tech support. Debbie Brown - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Richard R. Hopkins" Subject: Re: [AML] It's a GIRL!! Date: 27 Sep 2000 14:21:30 -0600 Major congratulations on a major production! Richard Hopkins ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Monday, September 25, 2000 6:02 PM > Hi All, > > We apologize for the delay in this announcement. Life has been hectic, as > you can imagine, since the birth of our daughter on September 15th! (Steve > also complains he can't figure out my Eudora address book [this from one > who claims he can program?] and therefore couldn't send this message himself.) - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 28 Sep 2000 00:26:43 -0600 Todd Robert Petersen wrote: > I still think that to call art didactic comes, not from anything in the > nature of the art itself, but from the viewer/reader. Some things I might > think of as didactic, maybe aren't to others. Good point. Didn't some non-LDS critics of _God's Army_ think it was trying to preach Mormonism, when Dutcher says he wasn't even trying to talk to the non-LDS audience? -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Benson Parkinson Subject: [AML] Sunstone Editor Position Date: 27 Sep 2000 21:07:08 -0700 (MST) NEW SUNSTONE EDITOR POSITION CREATED The Sunstone Foundation invites interested individuals to apply for the position of editor of Sunstone magazine, a full-time, paid position. DUTIES Under the direction of Elbert Peck, executive director of the foundation, the editor is responsible to produce a timely, vibrant, and stimulating Sunstone magazine. Collaborating with a part-time associate editor, a part-time typesetter, the editorial committee of the board of trustees, and a host of volunteers, the editor: defines and implements editorial philosophy and policy commissions magazine articles oversees the review and acceptance of submissions edits and directs the editing process coordinates with section editors commissions illustrations and humorous drawings supervises volunteer editors, writers, proofreaders, artists, photographers KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS The editor should: - be self motivated; - know the Mormon intellectual community; - care about and be conversant with a wide array of topics and disciplines and their expression in Mormonism; - critique both style content of essays; - create small and large improvements in magazine design and content with a view to increasing the magazine's readership and helping it constructively host the wide range of Mormon thought and experience; - copy edit; - work well with people and build a network of new and veteran authors; - and be organized in tracking a multitude projects and details. SALARY: Negotiable. LOCATION: Sunstone office in Salt Lake City CONTACT: Elbert Peck, executive director, The Sunstone Foundation 343 N. Third West Salt Lake City, UT 84103 801/355-5926 SunstoneEP@aol.com (Note: Contrary to recent rumors, Elbert Peck, Sunstone editor since 1986, is not presently considering ending his Sunstone tenure. In fact, the creation of the editor position and the recently hired Sunstone business manager are intented, among other things, to keep burnout from causing him to leave.) - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Sarah Smith Subject: Re: [AML] conservative hatred Date: 28 Sep 2000 11:27:09 -0600 > Who is Matthew Shepard? > > Who beat him? How were the beaters associated with "a generally > conservative part of American society"? > > In what way does this implicate "the greater culture"? Matthew Shepard's tragic death moved me so deeply that I wrote an essay w= hich was later published in an alternative paper; I send along a part of it (s= o it may sound choppy) to provide some background to those unfamiliar with his death. I think a play has been written and performed about Shepard's dea= th. I'm not certain how the killers were "associated with a conservative part= of American society, " unless Wyoming residents are considered conservative.= Are they? I'm unclear what is meant by "the greater culture." Essay (part of it): I was appalled by how two human beings could pistol-whip Matthew Shep= ard, a 21-year-old, gay college student, to a pulp where his skull was so severe= ly smashed that surgeons could not operate, then burn him, and lash him to a= fence out in nowhere to die. Eighteen blows to his head were inflicted. He di= ed 12 October 1998. Did I say =93human=94 beings? I do not recall hearing about the funerals of other murdered, young p= eople where pickets carried signs with the equivalent of =93no tears for queers= =94 as was done at Shepard=92s funeral in Casper, Wyoming, 16 October 1998. I am not homosexual, and I do not have a homosexual brother or child. Thus, it is not about homosexual rights per se that I=92m concerned but a= bout human rights. Call me archaic--I still believe in =93thou shalt not hurt= living creatures=94 and =93thou shalt not kill.=94 Yet it seems acceptable for = some people to harass, hurt, and kill homosexuals, even a civil or religious duty to = do so just because of their sexual orientation. Apparently Russell Arthur Hend= erson and Aaron James McKinney, both 21, the ones who beat, burned, and killed Shepard, believed so. Matthew Shepard was guilty of no crimes; he did not harass, hurt, or = kill anyone. Why the homosexual community do not wave signs that say =93castrate t= he straight=94 and pistol-whip a few heterosexuals is a puzzle. After all, = =93thou shalt do to you what you would like done back=94 does not seem to apply t= o the homosexual population. In Provo, Utah, a 13-year-old boy announced to his school that his methodology for world peace is to crucify gay men on Main Street and to b= urn lesbians at the stake. In a study presented at the American Psychological Association=92s na= tional convention, nearly a quarter of community college students admitted to harassing people they believed were gay. Karen Franklin, author of the s= tudy and a former fellow at the Washington Institute for Mental Illness Resear= ch and Training in Tacoma, wrote, =93Assaults on gay men and lesbians were so so= cially acceptable that respondents often advocated or defended such behavior out= loud in the classrooms, while I was administering my survey.=94 The study als= o revealed that almost half of the students said they would assault again, = and that they either lacked remorse or did not see anything wrong with their behavior. (Salt Lake Tribune, 15 October 1998) Where did these young people learn it is okay to harass and assault t= hose who are different than they? Somewhere, perhaps from churches, schools, entertainment and news media, there is implied sanction for violence agai= nst homosexuals. Surprisingly, violence of this nature does not seem to spre= ad toward those who covet, commit adultery, steal, lie, cheat, etc., acts th= at most of us abhor, explicit immoral, unethical, and illegal acts grounded = in civil and criminal law and the ten commandments. A death sentence by injection or electric chair just seems too easy f= or the two convicted murderers. For their execution, maybe a mob should pistol-= whip and burn them. Still, I figure for Henderson and McKinney, remorse is an= alien emotion. Even in the throes of death, I would not be surprised if their = dying words were =93still no tears for queers.=94 Sarah Smith - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Tom Kimball Date: 28 Sep 2000 12:23:40 -0700 On Tue, 26 Sep 2000 17:30:33 MDT Tom Kimball writes: > The reason I would enjoy publishing a biblio-mystery or a > mystery about the book trade is because they are very popular > in the trade world and the Mormon market is ripe for a compelling > murder mystery. Why not have Jack Welch being killed for > uncovering some Christian Scroll or Curt Bench having his head > cut off for selling some White Salamanderish document. Wouldn’t > it be fun to read about someone’s obsessive compulsive behavior to > own the words of the prophets get way out of hand. I know, we could set it in the Utah State Prison library, where a Brigham Young ms has just turned up--Brigham's answer to D&C 7, a translation of an ancient ms he sees in a vision--maybe a copy of Aristotle's treatise on comedy, or a letter written by the apostle John after having read Aristotle's treatise on comedy. (Scholars generally agree he had something of a Greek education.) Of course, suspicion immediately falls on Mark Hoffman, except it's not his MO to kill people by poisoning the pages in a ms, and then Hoffman becomes one of the victims. Just to make things interesting we could throw in a heresy trial and have a huge fire at the end with firefighters hang gliding in from the fast-diminishing point of the mountain. BTW, have you read Robert Kirby's _Brigham's Bees_? An interesting biblio-historio-mystery. The detective uncovers the villain partly through archival research and partly with an apostle's revelation to him. The apostle doesn't name the murderer but gives the detective to understand that the answer will be found in a proper understanding of genealogy. I haven't read Kirby's second novel, _Dark Angel_, but the detective in _Brigham's Bees_ has the same name as some of the characters in that novel, a descendant, perhaps. Harlow S. Clark ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral Issues in Art Date: 29 Sep 2000 00:54:57 -0600 Jason Steed wrote: > It strikes me that, perhaps, "didacticism" is like "pornography": We all > agree that we don't like it, that it's bad, bad, bad. But it's a very > difficult thing to define. When is art being didactic--and is it for one > person and not for another? Is the only thing we can say about didacticism, > "I don't know what it is, but I know it when I see it"? Didacticism--in the negative sense that people say literature should avoid--is when the author places the message above being honest with his characters, his plot events, and with the reader. If the author is manipulating his characters without regard to what they'd "really" do, or manipulating the plot events without regard to whether it's reasonable for such things to happen given the circumstances he's set up, or is trying very hard to get the reader to see one specific message, instead of letting the reader glean his own messages from the story--THAT'S didacticism. Didacticism is when the desire of the author to send a message exceeds his commitment to being honest with his story. -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] MN Premiere of "Sy's Girl" opens Pardoe Theatre Season at BYU: Date: 28 Sep 2000 18:55:28 EDT BYU Press Release 18Sep00 A3 [From Mormon-News] Premiere of "Sy's Girl" opens Pardoe Theatre Season at BYU PROVO, UTAH -- Brigham Young University's Department of Theatre and Media Arts will present the world premiere of "Sy's Girl," an original play developed by BYU's Writers/Directors/Actors Workshop (WDA), opening Friday (Sept. 29) in the Pardoe Theatre at 7:30 p.m. The production, written by BYU undergraduate student Natalie Prado, will run Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. through Oct. 14. On Oct. 8, the performance will begin at 8:30 p.m. to accommodate the LDS Church General Conference. A matinee will be presented on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 2 p.m. Half-price preview performances will run Sept. 27 and 28. Tickets are $10 for the general public and $8 for students and faculty. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (801) 378-4322. "'Sy's Girl' is about the fantasies we all have about the ideal boy or girl, man or woman," said AdreAnn Sundrud, the director of the play who recently completed a master's degree in theatre and media arts at BYU. "But, during the course of the play, we learn we have to be careful what we wish for, because we might not want what the wish brings." Things just couldn't be better for Moira, a young college student. In particular, her boyfriend Sy is absolutely ideal--clever, handsome, gentle, romantic, always punctual and never forgets an anniversary. But there is a problem: Sy is imaginary, and the "perfect" world Moira has built around herself begins to crumble when a real guy enters the scene. Sundrud said Moira's situation examines the separation of imagination and reality. "How do you break up with your own imagination?" she asks. She said the play creates some surprising answers and takes apart the imaginary "ideal" person and situation. Jessica Mockett plays Moira, with Luke Drake as the imaginary Sy and Richard Murdock as the real-life Quinn. Other roles include F. Oscar Wright and Ruth Ann Lay as Moira's parents and Rebecca Connerley as Quinn's cousin Delia. Scenic and costume design is by Richard Clifford, and lighting is by Brad Nelson, a guest designer from New York City. Makeup is by Janae Judd, and Alisha Paddock is the stage manager. - ### - >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ Send join and remove commands to: majordomo@MormonsToday.com Put appropriate commands in body of the message: To join: subscribe mormon-news To leave: unsubscribe mormon-news To join digest: subscribe mormon-news-digest - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Kenny Kemp" Subject: [AML] Self-Publishing Seminar Saturday, Sept. 30th Date: 29 Sep 2000 06:19:24 -0700 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0012_01C029DD.363DB9A0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0013_01C029DD.363DB9A0" ------=_NextPart_001_0013_01C029DD.363DB9A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit GlacierMod: Please include this on the List: FREE SELF-PUBLISHING SEMINAR Do you have a novel inside you aching to get out? A memoir? A how-to book? A story only you can tell, but you don't know where to start? Then start here: Join award-winning author and filmmaker Kenny Kemp, winner of the National Self-Published Book Award for his memoir Dad Was A Carpenter, this Saturday night at 7:00pm at the Media Play in Fort Union. Kenny will share his experience and insights into creativity, writing, and getting published. There is no charge for this FREE event, but seating is limited, so arrive early. Every journey begins with a single step. Stop procrastinating and make your dream of getting published come true! Media Play at Fort Union Saturday, September 30th at 7:00pm Sponsored by Alta Films & Press and Media Play. For more information, call (801) 943-0321. www.alta-films.com ------=_NextPart_001_0013_01C029DD.363DB9A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Glacier
Mod: Please include this on the=20 List:
------------------------------------------
 
FREE SELF-PUBLISHING=20 SEMINAR
 
Do you have a novel inside you = aching to get=20 out? A memoir? A how-to book? A story only you can tell, but you don't = know=20 where to start?
 
Then start here: = Join award-winning author and filmmaker = Kenny=20 Kemp, winner of the National Self-Published Book Award for his = memoir=20 Dad Was A Carpenter, this Saturday night at = 7:00pm at=20 the Media Play in Fort Union.  Kenny will share his experience and=20 insights into creativity,=20 writing, and getting published. = There is no=20 charge for this FREE event, but seating is limited, so arrive=20 early.
 
Every journey begins = with a=20 single step. Stop procrastinating and make your dream of getting = published come=20 true! 
 
Media Play = at Fort=20 Union
Saturday, = September=20 30th at 7:00pm
 
Sponsored by Alta = Films &=20 Press and Media Play. For more=20 information, call (801) 943-0321.  = www.alta-films.com =
 
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Hardcover, 364pp. ISBN 1-56085-130-9. Suggested retail= price $20.95.=20 Terry Jeffress just wrote a great review about _Dancing Naked_. I am also= slated to write one, and I'll go forward from where he left off.=20 The week I read _Dancing Naked_, I was also hearing some stories. In my= work, I hear lots of stories, and for some serendipitous reason, the tales= I heard that week were all about sex, just like _Dancing Naked_. There was= the man, temple-married for 35 years, who had met a young foreign exchange= student who offered him the warmth, companionship and sex that his cold,= negative wife never gave during all those years. He didn't sleep with her= and she went back to Europe, but now he is pondering his situation-wishing= he maybe had slept with her--wondering how he can ever get what he wants= from a wife who has never given it to him. Then there was the woman, just= going through menopause, remembering the time in college when she had gone= to her bishop about a minor sexual transgression--recalling the shame,= feeling like a very bad girl even though she was now in her fifties. Then= again, a man remembering that he first started masturbating following a= discussion during a bishop's interview--a clear case of the kind of= unintended consequences our sexual teaching can have.=20 _Dancing Naked_ is about how our sexual background influences and forms so= much of our life-view, the way we live our lives. That must grate against= chaste Mormon ears, which have heard all our lives, "Don't, don't, don't,= DON'T!!!" until the few moments across the altar, after which the curtain= is drawn and we assume that we DO. And, like Terry Walker in _Dancing= Naked_, we come to the marriage bed with our sexual background. It= influences not only our sex lives, but almost everything in our marriages.= =20 Another story. My friend, many years divorced, chaste before marriage and= chaste after divorce, says, "I don't have a sexual background, Cathy. I= did nothing more than hold hands before marriage, our sex life was good,= and after divorce I haven't even kissed a guy. I never saw my parents kiss= or embrace [they had ten kids]."=20 Well. . . that IS a sexual background. In its way, it is like Terry Walker'= s background, an absolute denial of a growing child's sexuality. Van= Wagoner takes it further, implicating generational attitudes in forming our= sexual identity. We can be sure that Terry would never have harassed his= son Blake about homosexuality as his father had harassed him. Yet the= influence of the father's extreme attitudes carried right into the third= generation. It reminded me of a scene in the funny, funny movie, _To Wung= Fu with Love_. There the homophobic policeman has been ardently pursuing= some drag queens with the intent of jailing them for assault. The= policeman sits at a bar, getting more and more drunk, chronicling the= horrors of these gay boys. Soon you hear him say, "Those masculine hands.= . . .on another man's hairy chest. . . .they put their arms around each= other. . . TIGHT." We see that his homophobia masks the inevitable= attraction, and so, Van Wagoner implies, with Terry's father.=20 These deeply rooted sexual attitudes color his whole existence. After Blake= 's death, Terry feels he needs to evaluate everything in his life. He even= wonders if he should have married his wife. In a brilliant scene, he sees= himself going over the issues of his marriage. At the same time, he finds= himself recalling a teenage incident when his father caught him= masturbating and kicked him hard in the rear, repeatedly, just as he had= kicked him when Terry was a little child and his father found in bathing= with his mom, with his first little-boy erection.=20 Now, because he never could leave it alone, he asks himself, "Did I marry = Rayne to spite my father, to please my mother, to replace her for the sake = of emotional convenience? All three, could it be all three?"=20 Suddenly he is thinking about particulars about masturbation, echoes of his= childhood conflict with his dad. Now he's back evaluating his marriage,= and then again rehearses his feelings about masturbation. Van Wagoner= takes us into Terry's mind, back and forth, back and forth, so we see that= even in a moment of trying to find some clarity about his life, Terry's= sexual background still colors everything. Van Wagoner's clean prose seems= to deal lightly with such heavy-weight issues, but he pinpoints them= unerringly and artistically. Indeed, his prose is often almost poetry:=20 He drives slowly around the large campus. He considers turning into the= parking lot, like he has considered turning onto an inter-state spoke into= a new city. Children tumble from exits, human buck-shot exploded from= double-doored cannons.=20 Near the end of the book, we hear a character explaining his homosexuality= in the usual terms: it's the way I am, there's nothing I can do about it.= But we have had a whole book to help us understand that our sexual= education--both in our families of origin and in our family's history as= well--creates our sexuality, powerfully, inexorably. We hear the= character's explanation of his homosexuality filtered through these= insights and know that no matter what people say about their sexuality, the= realities may run much deeper.=20 Reading _Dancing Naked_, we end up compelled to examine our own sexual= background and how it formed our life-view. We wonder how our= child-raising is creating sexuality in our young ones. We ask if the= Church's stance on chastity is taught in the most beneficial way. We look= to see if our intense prejudices about sex might mask feelings we do not= dare examine. Does sexuality really influence us so much? If we are= honest, we must say yes. Van Wagoner artistically addresses these kinds of= questions (it is no accident that he has degrees in Psychology AND= English), and although we don't get direct answers, there is enough implied= here to give us much to think about.=20 Cathy (Gileadi) Wilson Editing Etc. 15 East 600 North Price UT 84501 - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jonathan Langford Subject: [AML] VAN WAGONER, _Dancing Naked_ (Review) Date: 29 Sep 2000 14:57:39 -0500 [MOD: I'm sending this again, because due to my mixup, it may come through with lines off the screen for some of you depending on your e-mail settings. Apologies.] Van Wagoner, Robert Hodgson. _Dancing Naked._ Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1999. Hardcover, 364pp. ISBN 1-56085-130-9. Suggested retail price $20.95. Terry Jeffress just wrote a great review about _Dancing Naked_. I am also slated to write one, and I'll go forward from where he left off. The week I read _Dancing Naked_, I was also hearing some stories. In my work, I hear lots of stories, and for some serendipitous reason, the tales I heard that week were all about sex, just like _Dancing Naked_. There was the man, temple-married for 35 years, who had met a young foreign exchange student who offered him the warmth, companionship and sex that his cold, negative wife never gave during all those years. He didn't sleep with her and she went back to Europe, but now he is pondering his situation-wishing he maybe had slept with her--wondering how he can ever get what he wants from a wife who has never given it to him. Then there was the woman, just going through menopause, remembering the time in college when she had gone to her bishop about a minor sexual transgression--recalling the shame, feeling like a very bad girl even though she was now in her fifties. Then again, a man remembering that he first started masturbating following a discussion during a bishop's interview--a clear case of the kind of unintended consequences our sexual teaching can have. _Dancing Naked_ is about how our sexual background influences and forms so much of our life-view, the way we live our lives. That must grate against chaste Mormon ears, which have heard all our lives, "Don't, don't, don't, DON'T!!!" until the few moments across the altar, after which the curtain is drawn and we assume that we DO. And, like Terry Walker in _Dancing Naked_, we come to the marriage bed with our sexual background. It influences not only our sex lives, but almost everything in our marriages. Another story. My friend, many years divorced, chaste before marriage and chaste after divorce, says, "I don't have a sexual background, Cathy. I did nothing more than hold hands before marriage, our sex life was good, and after divorce I haven't even kissed a guy. I never saw my parents kiss or embrace [they had ten kids]." Well. . . that IS a sexual background. In its way, it is like Terry Walker' s background, an absolute denial of a growing child's sexuality. Van Wagoner takes it further, implicating generational attitudes in forming our sexual identity. We can be sure that Terry would never have harassed his son Blake about homosexuality as his father had harassed him. Yet the influence of the father's extreme attitudes carried right into the third generation. It reminded me of a scene in the funny, funny movie, _To Wung Fu with Love_. There the homophobic policeman has been ardently pursuing some drag queens with the intent of jailing them for assault. The policeman sits at a bar, getting more and more drunk, chronicling the horrors of these gay boys. Soon you hear him say, "Those masculine hands. . . .on another man's hairy chest. . . .they put their arms around each other. . . TIGHT." We see that his homophobia masks the inevitable attraction, and so, Van Wagoner implies, with Terry's father. These deeply rooted sexual attitudes color his whole existence. After Blake 's death, Terry feels he needs to evaluate everything in his life. He even wonders if he should have married his wife. In a brilliant scene, he sees himself going over the issues of his marriage. At the same time, he finds himself recalling a teenage incident when his father caught him masturbating and kicked him hard in the rear, repeatedly, just as he had kicked him when Terry was a little child and his father found in bathing with his mom, with his first little-boy erection. Now, because he never could leave it alone, he asks himself, "Did I marry Rayne to spite my father, to please my mother, to replace her for the sake of emotional convenience? All three, could it be all three?" Suddenly he is thinking about particulars about masturbation, echoes of his childhood conflict with his dad. Now he's back evaluating his marriage, and then again rehearses his feelings about masturbation. Van Wagoner takes us into Terry's mind, back and forth, back and forth, so we see that even in a moment of trying to find some clarity about his life, Terry's sexual background still colors everything. Van Wagoner's clean prose seems to deal lightly with such heavy-weight issues, but he pinpoints them unerringly and artistically. Indeed, his prose is often almost poetry: He drives slowly around the large campus. He considers turning into the parking lot, like he has considered turning onto an inter-state spoke into a new city. Children tumble from exits, human buck-shot exploded from double-doored cannons. Near the end of the book, we hear a character explaining his homosexuality in the usual terms: it's the way I am, there's nothing I can do about it. But we have had a whole book to help us understand that our sexual education--both in our families of origin and in our family's history as well--creates our sexuality, powerfully, inexorably. We hear the character's explanation of his homosexuality filtered through these insights and know that no matter what people say about their sexuality, the realities may run much deeper. Reading _Dancing Naked_, we end up compelled to examine our own sexual background and how it formed our life-view. We wonder how our child-raising is creating sexuality in our young ones. We ask if the Church's stance on chastity is taught in the most beneficial way. We look to see if our intense prejudices about sex might mask feelings we do not dare examine. Does sexuality really influence us so much? If we are honest, we must say yes. Van Wagoner artistically addresses these kinds of questions (it is no accident that he has degrees in Psychology AND English), and although we don't get direct answers, there is enough implied here to give us much to think about. Cathy (Gileadi) Wilson Editing Etc. 15 East 600 North Price UT 84501 - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Tom Kimball" Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions: Tom Kimball Date: 29 Sep 2000 09:34:07 MDT Harlow Feel free to expand that out. 200+ pages or so. Ditch the flying Firemen but throw in a GA self emolating while jumping from the top of the church office building. Make that at night just seconds before the lighting of the Temple Square Christmas lights. Tom >From: harlowclark@juno.com >I know, we could set it in the Utah State Prison library, where a Brigham >Young ms has just turned up--Brigham's answer to D&C 7, a translation of >an ancient ms he sees in a vision--maybe a copy of Aristotle's treatise >on comedy, or a letter written by the apostle John after having read >Aristotle's treatise on comedy. (Scholars generally agree he had >something of a Greek education.) > >Of course, suspicion immediately falls on Mark Hoffman, except it's not >his MO to kill people by poisoning the pages in a ms, and then Hoffman >becomes one of the victims. Just to make things interesting we could >throw in a heresy trial and have a huge fire at the end with firefighters >hang gliding in from the fast-diminishing point of the mountain. > >Harlow S. Clark - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] MN Premiere of "Sy's Girl" opens Pardoe Theatre Season at BYU: Date: 29 Sep 2000 10:51:06 -0600 Larry Jackson wrote: > "'Sy's Girl' is about the fantasies we all have about the ideal boy > or girl, man or woman," said AdreAnn Sundrud, the director of the > play who recently completed a master's degree in theatre and media > arts at BYU. The fantasies we "all" have? Maybe the slavering unmarried at BYU, but some of us have gratefully passed that point and have already found the ideal other. I haven't seen this play, so it may not be what it's advertised to be, but, if it is, hopefully it is a blip in the annals of LDS theatre. With all that can be explored about our culture, religion, and history of a serious, compelling, and dramatic nature, what prompts an LDS writer to spend 90 pages talking about something so mundane as imaginary lovers? Please! Someone's already explored date rape on campus, so maybe that's out, but what about a play about contemporary gays at BYU (they do exist, you know). Or the drama inherent in VOICE's near constant clashes with the conservative BYU leadership. Or, if the BYU student must strike a comedic tone, why not a farce dealing with academic freedom among the faculty? Or the censorship of the Rodin exhibit? Thom Duncan - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Rex Goode" Subject: Re: [AML] conservative hatred Date: 29 Sep 2000 15:37:40 EDT I wish that I had kept up on whatever thread produced this topic. I would know a little more about how it relates to the list topic. I've been busy over the last few weeks, including a trip to Utah. I was too busy to visit anyone, but perhaps you saw me on KUTV news interviewed by the infamous Rod Decker. He was certainly a lot nicer than I was led to believe. In terms of liberal vs. conservative, my interview was sandwiched right between two such opposing points of view. One man who took the point of view that homosexuals can and do change to heterosexuals, and that no one is born homosexual. A woman took the point of view that homosexuals cannot and should not change, that it is a matter of being born that way, and that it is harmful for anyone to try. I was between the two. It was an unfortunate situation, because I could not be reasonably used as evidence that either point of view was right. I have not changed my orientation, but also haven't tried. The woman, a professor at the UofU said that to even suggest that men like me can get help is to stigmatize us and cause self-hatred. When I viewed the piece later, I wanted to shout at her through the tube, "Hey! Do I LOOK stigmatized to you?! I don't even WEAR glasses!" Here is the problem with exploring an issue like this through a polemic approach. People entrench themselves in unfounded opinions, not based on real evidence or the lives of real people, but on what model best proves to themselves that they are right. In other words, even though no one can tell you any more than how they feel whether they were born like me, those whose point of view is best served by a genetic cause will insist that it is the only viable explanation. Those whose point of view is best served by an environmental cause will insist that it is the only viable explanation. In the middle, are people like me who have a life to live in the real trenches of the issue, largely ignored. I specifically told Mr. Decker that I had not been through the conversion therapy and was not, therefore, a first-hand witness of its efficacy. I also told him that I had not experienced any low-level changes in my orientation. The way it came out in the news piece was that Mr. Richard Cohen, author of _Coming Out Straight_ stated emphatically that no one is born homosexual and that everyone can change. Then they showed me, who has only changed insofar as behavior is concerned. Then they showed the UofU prof telling Mr. Decker how impossible it is to change orientation and harmful it is to try to change something that is unchangeable. Everything I said to Mr. Decker that might have dispelled the polemics of the issue were edited out. Having two opposing points of view talk past each other seems to be what the news is made of. Here is why I find myself undermotivated to finish my autobiography. I'm not sensational. I'm mildly controversial. I have a somewhat middle-of-the-road attitude about how same-sex attracted people deal with their own lives. While I believe with all my heart that those men, apostles and prophets, speak with the authority of God when they set standards of behavior, I prefer to expend my energy living by those standards myself rather than pontificating on how others ought to do the same. My story is no _Coming Out Straight_ (COHEN) or _Born That Way?_ (Eldridge). It is no wonder to me that such animosity exists between so-called liberals and conservatives. It doesn't surpise me that a conservative bent makes a person a suspect for hatemongering. It is just one more way for liberals to try to seem right, just like painting liberals as contributing to the decay of morals is a way to make conservatives seem right. Somewhere behind all of the polemics are real people, making choices and following their hearts. I would prefer to see literature that asks more questions than it answers, because when it seeks to answer certain questions, it moves from being artistic to political, in my opinion of course. Rex Goode _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm