From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #422 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Friday, August 10 2001 Volume 01 : Number 422 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2001 21:15:18 -0500 From: "Preston" Subject: [AML] Re: GA Interview for Irreantum I think Chris Bigelow's idea of interviewing President Hinckley, or some other general authority, is a good one. But, with all due respect, I think a few of the questions are long and leading. Some of the questions seem more like an essay by the interviewer than a prompt for a response by the interviewee. Couldn't these questions be whittled down, so that they elicit whatever is on the interviewee's mind, even if it's not exactly what is on our mind? I feel like the possible range of responses by the interviewee are being narrowed. For example: >As far as "perfecting the Saints," what role can literature play in helping >us understand and avoid pitfalls in life? With that goal in mind, is it >advisable to take morally challenging journeys through literature? As >Latter-day Saints, we seem to allow non-Mormon writers, such as Shakespeare, >to delve into darker, earthier material than we tolerate from our own >authors. We easily embrace stories about faithful people dealing with >adversity that comes from outside themselves, such as persecution or illness >or the elements, but we get uncomfortable with literature that examines >flaws and limitations within the Mormon culture or within Mormon >individuals. Is it possible for our writers to depict something bad and have >the end result be good? How about asking a very short question, such as: "Do you feel that Latter-day Saints have different expectations of writers who are members of the Church?" A separate of follow up question could ask: "As writers, do we we limit ourselves unnecessarily, or unwisely, when writing about the problems of evil and human weakness?" Preston Hunter Dallas, TX www.adherents.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2001 19:17:15 -0700 (PDT) From: William Morris Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Monasticism This is stretching the definition a bit, but I think that home schooling is a 'monastic' step that many Mormons have adopted. I don't know enough home-schooled children or adults to express how this phenomenon might be treated in literature, but I would imagine the interesting thing to explore would be what happens when home-schooled kids step out in to a setting where they experience cultural attitudes that are different from their own. Now I'm sure that not all those who are home-schooled are sheltered innocents, but I would imagine that, for some, the transition (whether that be a transition to high school, college, or the workforce) to that new setting is an intense experience. ~~William Morris __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2001 22:02:02 -0400 From: "Debra L. Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN New Products: Latest from Rachel Ann Nunes Released: Kent Larsen 8Aug01 US NY NYC A2 Latest from Rachel Ann Nunes Released NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- The latest novel by best-selling LDS romance author Rachel Ann Nunes was released recently, and is slowly becoming available in LDS bookstores. Nunes latest book is not part of her long-running 'Ariana' series, but is another of her romantic novels about LDS women finding happiness and faith. Also new this week is a new cookbook, "Remedies for the 'I Don't Cook' Syndrome," a new "Brigham Bybee" mystery by John Gates, and BJ Rowley's new novel, "Sixteen in No Time." New and recent products: Bridge to Forever by Rachel Ann Nunes Covenant Book; LDS Publisher; Fiction; Mormon Author and Subject $14.95 The latest offering from popular offer Nunes is a romantic journey of love, faith and hope. A near tragedy causes Mickelle Hansen to re-evaluate her budding relationship with handsome widower Damon Wolfe, who seems to have everything she could want in a husband, and she realizes that Damon doesn't offer the one thing she desires most. Meanwhile, charming Colton Scofield is there when Mickelle needs someone the most, ready to share the secrets of his mysterious past. But even Colton is not all that he seems, and soon the very lives of those Mickelle loves hang in the balance. Remedies for the "I Don't Cook" Syndrome by Janet Peterson Deseret Book Book; LDS Publisher; Non-Fiction; Mormon Author and Subject $15.95 An innovative but simple cookbook meant to bring families together at the dinner table again. Author Peterson says, "Eating dinner together regularly provides more than good nutrition; it enables family members to share their days with each other, relax, laugh, discuss issues, socialize, and strengthen familial relationships." The book includes hundreds of easy recipes that use basic ingredients and remedies for those recipes that don't turn out quite right. The book also includes ideas for disguising leftovers and strategies for making dinnertime enjoyable for the whole family. Sister Wife: A Brigham Bybee Mystery by John Gates Walker & Co. Book; National Publisher; Fiction; Mormon Characters $23.95 In his second mystery featuring Brigham Bybee, a Utah defense lawyer and motel owner, John Gates takes on the prosecution of modern polygamy. 'Brig' is the special chief prosecutor in the case of Utah v. Rampton Crowe, polygamist head of a patriarchal religious commune, and is hiding one of Crowe's wives as a witness in the case. But then another of the wives escapes, and after Brig puts the two together, the first is murdered. While he tries to solve the mystery, Brigham faces conflicts with the politically ambitious attorney general, a feisty, jealous girlfriend, and various not-so-trustworthy investigators. Sixteen in No Time by BJ Rowley Golden Wings Enterprises Book; LDS Publisher; Fiction; Mormon Author and Subject $14.95 Celinda Russell gets her wish -- to age four days so that she will turn sixteen a couple of days before the Jr. Prom and get to go with Travis Foxx. But first Celinda must convince her parents that she is actually sixteen, and the result is a rollercoaster ride of excitement as she and her friend Mandy turn "Sixteen In No Time" and experience a whole array of funny, scary, romantic, and disastrous consequences--most of which they cause, some of which they actually manage to prevent. In the end, their parents learn a thing or two about the Spirit of the Law, and the two girls learn some very valuable lessons about boys, rules, and what being a teenage girl in this day and age is really all about. >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/ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2001 21:13:45 -0600 From: "Eric D. Snider" Subject: Re: [AML] Medved's Arguments Thom Duncan: > >Couldn't it be just the fact that R-rated movies tend to be the ones >that garner >Oscars? Getting an Oscar for a film that may not do well in the box >office is like >a massive infusion of capital to a producer or a studio for future >productions. Could be a reason, in some cases. But I see many, many movies that are rated R where the filmmakers clearly had no disillusions about their chances of getting an Oscar. Eric D. Snider - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 00:29:37 -0400 From: "Debra L. Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN Review: "Welcome to Brigham" Shakes Off LDS Music Stereotypes: Jared Johnson 9Aug01 US UT Prov A2 Review: "Welcome to Brigham" Shakes Off LDS Music Stereotypes PROVO, UTAH -- Straight from an opening scene in the movie, a police vehicle on the front cover drives past the sign greeting drivers: "Welcome to Brigham." Some may wonder, "Which direction is the vehicle headed?" since the town is fictional. The destination of the sheriff's truck is unknown, as is the location of the fantasy town. Thankfully, the music on the album "Welcome to Brigham" is more than imaginary, and it moves in the direction that LDS artists should at this leg in their journey towards a grand-scale explosion. The album is a collection of songs associated with the movie Brigham City and is not intended as a soundtrack. Regardless, it's contemporary enough to single-handedly shake off the genre stereotypes that have plagued LDS music since its inception. No one who listens to this album will put Julie de Azevedo in the same category as Janice Kapp Perry; no one will mistake Greg Simpson for George Dyer. Perhaps that is why the ten artists on "Welcome to Brigham" complement the movie so well: both send tremors underneath common conclusions of Mormon culture. There is something to learn by losing our innocence, and there are multiple genres under the broadened term "LDS music." Of course, who would show us the bold new direction of music but Peter Breinholt, Greg Simpson, and Sam Cardon? What would a tribute to any piece of LDS culture be without contributions by Julie de Azevedo and Ryan Shupe? And how can anything ultimately be considered great without some astounding new talent? Here it all comes together much like the vast array of emotions that assemble in the movie. Listen to the somberness then absorb the lyrics. These songs will trigger as much conversation as the murder mystery plot. The main theme is learning through heartache. Maren Ord asks, "What if the world were a little more perfect/Would you stop crying?" Julie cries, "I can't count the prayers/That cry out from my lips." Greg Simpson acknowledges, "We are children no more, we have sinned and grown old." Relative newcomers also shine some piercing light on the subject. Sunfall Festival shares a brooding alternative version of "Nearer, My God, To Thee." "Patience Lies" is the best possible introduction to Hawaiian phenom Kalai. His guitar work has begun a potentially glorious reign. For the majority of music fans who have a few "thinking albums," add this to the pile. It is the proper backdrop to open yourself up and do some introspection. Not necessarily the kind done when studying the scriptures, but possibly while wondering why certain things have to happen or wandering through shaded passages in life. Richard Dutcher directed the movie and echoed approval of this album. "It felt wonderful to know that I had communicated the story of Brigham City in such a way that these great musicians could internalize it and bounce the story back in their own way," Dutcher said. "I'm now able to experience the film through the eyes of other artists and live the story one more time." Remember, nothing attracts a music lover like paradise. While the mythical Brigham City is touted as paradise until a serial killer arrives, "Welcome to Brigham" has no such serpents to spoil its perfection. About the Author: Jared is a voice for LDS music in the media. He has written for The Daily Universe and The Collegiate Post and won his first journalism award at age 14. In his current work for All Music Guide (www.allmusic.com), he has reviewed scores of albums for readers who have no other way of hearing about LDS artists. He has been involved in public relations efforts in print and online for Covenant Communications, Highway Records, Colors Music and his own label, Windmill Records, home to his solo piano recordings. Jared's review is provided by Excel Entertainment, publisher of "Welcome to Brigham" To listen to clips from "Welcome to Brigham", go to http://www.welcometobrigham.com/index10.html >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/ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2001 23:07:44 -0600 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: Re: [AML] GA Interview for Irreantum Chris Bigelow wrote: > So my question is, who would be some good Church HQ candidates to try to get > an Irreantum interview with about the creative literary arts? I suppose the obvious choice would be Elder Holland who has a PhD in American Literature. Sharlee Glenn glennsj@inet-1.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2001 22:54:36 -0500 From: "Dallas Robbins" Subject: Re: [AML] GA Interview for Irreantum I think Neal Maxwell would be a good choice. He, of course, has written many books, and has received an AML award more than once, I believe. He also would probably be more easier to schedule/coordinate an interview. I would also suggest Sheri Dew, since she was the vice-president of publishing for Deseret Book, and official biographer of Pres. Hickley and Pres. Benson. An interview with her would possibly reveal a "behind the scenes" with the largest LDS publisher - invaluable information for all us writers. Of course, you would need to modify your questions for each of these suggestions, but I think it would be worth pursuing. I think also, you could consider former General Authorites - Cheiko Okazaki for one. Dallas Robbins cloudhill@yahoo.com __________________________________________ Harvest - An Online Magazine for the LDS Community http://www.harvestmagazine.com ___________________________________________ - --- Original Message ----- From: "Christopher Bigelow" > So my question is, who would be some good Church HQ candidates to try to get > an Irreantum interview with about the creative literary arts? I've pasted my > cover letter and proposed questions below (if anyone has any suggested > refinements to those, I'd be grateful). The first name that comes to mind is > Neal Maxwell, because he's written many books, but I'm not sure he's the > best fit for these particular questions. _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 00:38:07 -0700 From: "Jeff Needle" Subject: [AML] Lee Nelson Query Well, old age has really set in. I need to contact Lee Nelson, and can't find his e-mail address anywhere. I had it just six months ago or so, but now I can't find it anywhere. The old mail is long gone. Is there a patient soul out there that can supply it? Thanks. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 04:02:11 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Writing About "Good" Mormons Ethan Skarstedt wrote: > The Jack > Weylandesque choices that are being bandied about so much seem to be, > stated specifically, "Do I marry this non-member now or do I try and > convert them first?" No, Jack doesn't even deserve this much credit. The characters do not even expend that much brain power in the process. Some of the stories literally state that the characters meet and the nonmember starts taking the discussions within a paragraph or two--with nothing to justify the occurrence, not even a no-brainer decision like you postulated. Weyland stories act as if this were a law of nature and needs no explanation. - -- 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 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 07:21:05 -0400 From: "Debra L. Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN Major LDS Music Websites Make News: Deseret News 4Aug01 US UT SLC I4 Major LDS Music Websites Make News SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- An article in the Deseret News this past weekend looked at three major LDS music websites, discovering a growing collaborative movement that "isn't just church hymns and choir music anymore." The article looked at LDSMusicWorld.com, an LDS music directory, and KZION.com and EnsignRadio.com, two "Internet Radio" websites that stream music to listeners. But while the collaborative nature of these websites is spreading familiarity with LDS music, all three are part-time efforts with varying amounts of investment and it remains to be seen if any of these efforts can become a self-supporting operation. Probably the most useful of the three is LDSMusicWorld.com, which is more a directory of LDS musicians than the others, something like the popular music site mp3.com. As such it has the most complete list of LDS musicians available, although some notable artists, such as Low and Randy Bachman are missing, as are any musicians no longer performing (such as The Guess Who or Bachman Turner Overdrive or Joe Bennett). And owner Jefferson Fairbanks, a Boise, Idaho PhD who is chief of medical physics at Boise's St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, credits this with some of his success, "People are so interested in learning about others who are LDS. Take She-Daisy or Tal Bachman -- most people don't know they are LDS, and they are intrigued by that." His involvement in music and the arts is no surprise, however, Fairbanks is the grandson of prominent LDS sculptor Avard Fairbanks, and is a musician himself. Currently LDSMusicWorld.com and its sister website LDSMusician.com do not receive any revenue, but still attract about 50,000 page views each month -- all from word-of-mouth advertising. Like the other music websites, LDSMusicWorld.com avoids copyright trouble because artists donate their songs for use on the site, and have the responsibility for making sure that they have cleared copyright with the music's composer. KZION.com developed after founder John Hesch offered an MP3 file of Janet Clayton Sloan's song "Love Is A Verb" on his Home and Visiting Teaching website, LDSTeach.com . When he got a strong positive response, and lots of downloads, he decided to bring in other musicians. That developed into offering the music in streaming audio, and last November, a radio station. After starting with just 6 LDS musicians, Hesch has steadily added music from musicians and even from publishers, who have donated dozens of albums at once, giving Hesch a large list of music to draw from. Recently, KZION's challenges have been mostly technical, with connectivity problems sometimes interrupting the server's connection and users sometimes hitting his capacity of 30 to 40 simultaneous listeners. And Hesch admits that the idea of running an LDS radio station has excited him. "Yea, this is kind of like a dream for me," he told Mormon News last November, "I've always wanted to be a DJ and in a simple kind of way I can do that here." In contrast, EnsignRadio.com has enough capacity, and slightly different goals. Run by Las Vegas intellectual property attorney and musician Robert Graham, EnsignRadio is trying to promote high-quality digital music by LDS musicians as well as by Christian musicians. Graham's biggest frustration is that so many recordings he receives are not the high-quality digital broadcast quality sound he wants, "There are lots of talented musicians out there, but many of them have four track recordings, and that's not really broadcast quality sound. Right now there's just not a lot of financial motivation for them to move into this kind of technology." But Graham does have a vision of what LDS radio could be, "I'm kind of a techno buff, and saw the future of radio moving away from AM/FM toward Internet-based radio. I felt that taking an early step would be a smart thing to do." So Graham has spent $100,000 on file servers and equipment, and hopes to attract artists that are the highest quality, "Obviously people like Gladys Knight, Thurl Bailey and Colors can provide that kind of sound. But I'm looking at having to provide hours and hours of music and always having to upgrade and give people something fresh." But since, Graham says, he only gets one new LDS CD of sufficient quality every two months, he is mixing in some Christian music to fill out the programing. He says that the LDS market is about 10 years behind the Christian market, "We're getting artists now that are learning to produce more of a pop sound. The essential talent is there, but it needs to be developed a little and people in the industry haven't turned their focus to the LDS market -- yet." Source: LDS Music Comes to Web Deseret News 4Aug01 I4 http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,295015419,00.html By Carrie A. Moore: Deseret News religion editor See also: KZION Radio May Begin Independent LDS Radio http://www.mormonstoday.com/001103/I2KZION01.shtml LDS Radio 'Instrumental' Channel Suspended http://www.mormonstoday.com/010525/I3LDSRadioSusp01.shtml >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/ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 08:48:08 -0400 From: "Debra L. Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN Books in the News: Kent Larsen 8Aug01 B2 Books in the News: 1. Book Review: The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint AML-List Rewiew 23Jul01 A6 http://www.xmission.com/~aml/reviews/b/B200158.html Reviewed by: Andrew R Hall 2. Book Review: The River Path The River Path AML-List Rewiew 26Jul01 A6 http://www.xmission.com/~aml/reviews/b/B200159.html Reviewed by: Jeff Needle 3. Book Review: Mormons against the Mob? Mormons against the Mob? AML-List Review 1Aug01 A6 Reviewed by Roy Schmidt 4. Recommendation: Near Cumorah's Hill: Images of the Restoration A Bibliophile's Paradise BYU Magazine Summer01 A6 http://advance.byu.edu/byumag/article.tpl?num=3D54-Sum01 By Richard H. Cracroft 5. Recommendation: The Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History A Bibliophile's Paradise BYU Magazine Summer01 A6 http://advance.byu.edu/byumag/article.tpl?num=3D54-Sum01 By Richard H. Cracroft 6. Recommendation: Printing in Deseret: Mormons, Economy, Politics, & Utah's Incunabula, 1849=AD1851 A Bibliophile's Paradise BYU Magazine Summer01 A6 http://advance.byu.edu/byumag/article.tpl?num=3D54-Sum01 By Richard H. Cracroft 7. Recommendation: All Things Restored: Confirming the Authenticity of LDS Beliefs A Bibliophile's Paradise BYU Magazine Summer01 A6 http://advance.byu.edu/byumag/article.tpl?num=3D54-Sum01 By Richard H. Cracroft 8. Recommendation: Three Degrees of Glory: Joseph Smith's Insights on the Kingdoms of Heaven A Bibliophile's Paradise BYU Magazine Summer01 A6 http://advance.byu.edu/byumag/article.tpl?num=3D54-Sum01 By Richard H. Cracroft 9. Recommendation: Dad Was a Carpenter: Blueprints for a Meaningful Life A Bibliophile's Paradise BYU Magazine Summer01 A6 http://advance.byu.edu/byumag/article.tpl?num=3D54-Sum01 By Richard H. Cracroft 10. Recommendation: Burial in Beirut A Bibliophile's Paradise BYU Magazine Summer01 A6 http://advance.byu.edu/byumag/article.tpl?num=3D54-Sum01 By Richard H. Cracroft 11. Recommendation: I Don't Have to Make Everything All Better A Bibliophile's Paradise BYU Magazine Summer01 A6 http://advance.byu.edu/byumag/article.tpl?num=3D54-Sum01 By Richard H. Cracroft 12. Recommendation: Gift of the Whale: The Inupiat Bowhead Hunt, A Sacred Tradition A Bibliophile's Paradise BYU Magazine Summer01 A6 http://advance.byu.edu/byumag/article.tpl?num=3D54-Sum01 By Richard H. Cracroft 13. Recommendation: Winds of Change More about "Winds of Change" by Dory J. Peters at Cedar Fort A Bibliophile's Paradise BYU Magazine Summer01 A6 http://advance.byu.edu/byumag/article.tpl?num=3D54-Sum01 By Richard H. Cracroft 14. Review: Sister Wife Murder and mayhem, from Utah to Australia Chicago Tribune 22Jul01 A6 http://chicagotribune.com/features/books/chi-0107220021jul22.story?coll=3Dch= i% 2Dleisurebooks%2Dhed Reviewed by Dick Adler 15. Review: Brothers in Valor: A Story of Resistance Fine novels eye wars' impact at individual level Sacramento CA Bee 29Jul01 A6 http://www.sacbee.com/lifestyle/news/lifestyle05_20010729.html Reviewed by Judy Green: Bee Copy Editor 16. Review: Restitution Two Takes on the Old West Salt Lake Tribune 29Jul01 A6 http://www.sltrib.com/07292001/arts/117375.htm Reviewed by Martin Naparsteck: Special to the Tribune 'Restitution' Is Contrived and Thin; 'Code of the West' Is a Gut-Wrenching Good Read 17. News: The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint Washington Is Also Reading... Washington Post 5Aug01 A6 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25437-2001Aug2.html >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/ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 07:59:06 -0600 From: Chris Grant Subject: Re: [AML] Editing Literature D. Michael Martindale writes: [...] >If art is, after all, to afflict the comfortable, letting the >comfortable excise the parts that afflict them subverts the >whole purpose of art. The hypothesis of this conditional statement--that art is to afflict the comfortable--is a statement we've heard a lot on AML-List lately. That some artists feel that they have sanction to afflict others through their art doesn't make it so. Howard Stern, Tomas de Torquemada, and Osama Bin Laden may have felt they had a similar mandate for the things that they've done. Even if we accept the hypothesis, must the conclusion follow? After all, I can believe, with C.S. Lewis, that pain is used by God as a "megaphone to rouse a deaf world" without being obligated by that belief not to try to avoid certain painful experiences, can't I? Chris Grant grant@math.byu.edu - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 08:48:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Steffany Name Subject: [AML] Orson Scott CARD, _Lost Boys_ (Review) Lost Boys By Orson Scott Card HarperCollins, 1992. ISBN: 0-05-109131-6 Suggested retail price: $5.95 reviewed by Steffany Jamison (Sacramento, CA) "Lost Boys" is a departure from Sci-fi and fantasy novels for Orson Scott Card. To me, it is a welcome departure. I loved this book, and I cried all the way through the last chapter. "Lost Boys" tells the story of the Fletcher Family as they adjust to their new lives in North Carolina where the father, Step, has taken a job with a software company. The the main story involves a mysterous change that begins to happen to their young son, and the ending has a wonderful twist. The subplots dealing with how they adjust to their new Ward and the members rang very true to me and were extremely humorous. This is a novel that portrays LDS people as flawed, normal people who have the same desires and feelings as everyone else. It was refreshing to see fully fleshed-out LDS characters with rich personalities. My husband read this book with me and he loved it as much as I did. He is the real Orson Scott Card fan in the family and he wasn't disappointed by this book, even without the sci-fi stuff. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2001 11:35:54 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: [AML] (On Stage) Visitor's Centers vs. The Baseball Hall of Fame ON STAGE Visitor's Centers vs. The Baseball Hall of Fame OR What I did on my family vacation. By Eric Samuelsen My family and I just got back from three weeks seeing Church History sites = and visitor's centers. We did Nauvoo. We did the jails, Liberty and = Carthage. We participated in a Kirtland Temple drive-by shooting, cameras = a-blazing. We did Palmyra. We got lots of missionaries to tell us who = what when and where, and we saw several Church-made films. We saw a short = musical about life in Nauvoo. (Not City of Joseph, The Pageant,as the = horses in Nauvoo are mostly tame, and it would have taken wild ones to = drag me there; what we saw was a little missionary song and dance number = held in the Visitor Center. My main reaction to it was how come I didn't = get to hang out with sisternaries that pretty on MY mission.)=20 As it happens, I was also able to worship at my other church, and visit = the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY. Took my two sons with me, = the main women in my life (wife and daughters) electing to stay behind = with my sister-in-law in Ithaca. =20 So, HOF and VC's. Spent a lot of time in both. And had very similar = experiences. First, some differences. Abner Doubleday did not invent baseball in = Cooperstown NY. That sense of iconicity of place that makes Palmyra = special is lacking in Cooperstown, because the event it celebrates didn't = happen there. Joseph and his family really did live in Palmyra. Baseball = was invented by Alexander Cartwright, in New York City. The evidence that = says that Cooperstown is special is bogus; everyone knows that now. =20 So there's a feeling at the Hill Cumorah or Sacred Grove that really is = unique. =20 But on presentation issues, there are tiny other differences. First of = all, the music's better at Cooperstown. The fourteen minute film there had = the same reverential, mythical, hushed awe, aiming-for-transcendental = quality as the fourteen minute films in Carthage, Nauvoo and Palmyra, but = in Cooperstown, you end the film with John Fogerty singing Centerfield. = Yes, the founder of Creedence Clearwater Revival is a baseball fan. For = some reason, we didn't ask Randy Bachman to do our music, so unfortunately,= baseball gets better music. We're still stuck with all that soaring = flute and strings stuff. VC's have missionary tour guides; the HOF leans = more toward displays, with just a few guides to answer questions. VC's = don't have gift shops; the HOF has two.=20 However: Both the HOF and the VC are in the business of historical revision and = mythmaking. At the HOF, Babe Ruth gets a whole room all to himself, and = the tone is heroic and reverential, with much emphasis on his love of = small children and charity work at hospitals. Ruth's frequent bouts with = syphilis, general vulgarity of language and manner, and trysts with = prostitutes aren't mentioned. Even Ty Cobb, a vicious bully and overall = racist creep if there ever was one, gets a wholesome makeover. By the = same token, Nauvoo never mentions polygamy, and rather gives the impression= that a whole bunch of folks from Illinois just suddenly took into their = heads the notion that Joseph needed shootin'. No mention of the destructio= n of the Nauvoo Expositor, except briefly, in passing, in one display in = the Visitor's Center. (No mention whatever, of course, of the fact that = the Expositor was destroyed, essentially, for telling the truth about some = embarrassing Nauvoo realities.) =20 No, both places, the story is told very carefully. The HOF mentions the = color bar, but the emphasis is on Jackie Robinson and the integration of = baseball. The VC's mention polygamy, but the emphasis is on persecution, = faithfully endured.=20 I also thought it was ironic that in the VC's, we saw a short film that = included footage of Joseph playing baseball with kids in Nauvoo (and = hitting a home run). And at the HOF, they quote Roger Angell on eternal = verities: "in baseball, you can remain forever young. Because there is no = clock, if you can keep the rally going, keep hitting safely, the game will = never end. You will have defeated time." So baseball gets an eternal = perspective, and the Church gets a prophet . . . playing baseball. =20 Let me also say that at both the HOF and the VC's, the carefully edited = presentation of history doesn't much matter. Both institutions exist = primarily to affirm the faith of believers. At the HOF, I didn't meet a = single non-baseball fan. Some fans were more knowledgeable than others, = but there wasn't anyone there who needed converting. At the VC's I = visited, I never once saw a fellow visitor who wasn't LDS. Those sorts of = museumy places exist to serve the converted. I have a testimony of Joseph = Smith's mission, and found my testimony strengthened by what I saw at all = the VC's I visited. I know more history than was presented for me, but I = didn't visit either VC's or the HOF looking for actual history. I went to = have my faith strengthened, and I got what I was looking for. =20 And the setting isn't right for anything more involved. The temperature = in Nauvoo was approximately 175, with 290 percent humidity, and the place = has mosquitos the size of red-tailed hawks. Ten minutes outdoors, and my = shirt was soaked. And it's a very long walk from place to place. What = you want from a visitor's center is, a) air conditioning, b) a drinking = fountain, and c) a presentation that's short and undemanding. By the same = token, Cooperstown is a tacky little town with no parking. What I want = from the Hall of Fame isn't Bob Creamer's Babe Ruth biography. I'll read = that at home. I want to feel good about liking baseball. And Babe Ruth = did enjoy kids. That's the other thing; you don't get real history, but they do make some = effort to get basic facts right; I mean, you don't see anything, or I = didn't, that wasn't factually true. Shoeless Joe Jackson isn't in the = Hall of Fame, and he shouldn't be, but his actual contributions are = acknowledged. We may not think much of Sidney Rigdon, but he is mentioned,= and about as prominently as he should have been.=20 When they do talk about history, it's from the perspective of 'this is how = they did things back then.' I loved the Grandin printing press, in = Palmyra, for example. I loved learning about how they printed books back = then. I loved the room in Nauvoo where you learned how they made rope, or = how they made candles. I made a rope and I made a candle. I wouldn't = have liked that room if it hadn't been air-conditioned, but I liked it = just fine as it was. And I loved looking at Tris Speaker's glove, and the = flannel uniform Bob Feller wore when he pitched. =20 Both places also had a medieval holy relic feel at times. I felt this = particularly at the HOF, looking at Lou Gehrig's locker or Ty Cobb's false = teeth. At Carthage, they're very quick to point out that this is the = actual door through which Hyrum was shot, but overall, I didn't get quite = that 'a piece of the True Cross' feel at VC's that I got at the HOF. = =20 Still, what really stuck out was how similar both places were. The = message of Mormonism is unique and remarkable, and I do believe in it. = But the presentation of that message is not out of the ordinary; it's = essentially the same as the celebratory presentation style used by other = museums with an agenda. And, let me add, that's okay. =20 Eric Samuelsen - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 11:50:23 -0500 From: Jonathan Langford Subject: Re: [AML] GA Interview for Irreantum Another good candidate for the interview would be Jeffrey Holland, who I believe has an advanced degree in English, and if my memory serves me was listed as a member of the English department during his tenure as BYU president and may even have taught a course or two for the department from time to time. I don't have details about his area of specialty, literary activity, or the like. I think that before conducting the interview, you would need to get someone who is informed on these matters and revise the interview questions accordingly, including some of the same material but focusing also on areas of his own personal activity in English. Does anyone on the List know about this? Another candidate, in my view, would be Elder Oaks. I recall that when he was president of BYU, he talked (in some venue for students) about the kind of care he felt was essential in order to do good writing--15 or more drafts, as I recall. And I think he's the person I remember advising that English was an excellent major for future lawyers. (I don't know what his major was.) I don't know what his level of involvement has been with literature--what he reads, etc.--but he's done writing for general audiences outside/prior to his call as a General Authority; he has that experience as a university president; and he's always struck me as exceedingly well-rounded and intellectually potent. 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 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 10:44:23 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: RE: [AML] Medved's Arguments Jacob wrote: >I sort of agree with the premise that the artists in Hollywood tend to >depict things out of proportion to reality and tend to give their own >lives more validity than they truly have in the "real" world. =20 But of course this is true. All artists do this. That's the fun thing = about being an artist; you get to dramatize your life, your concerns, your = issues. I mean, that's topic A on this list, right? How do we as LDS = artists get our concerns, lives, issues out there. And what's this 'real = world' thing anyway? =20 >How else >do you explain that *every* sympathetic fictional Hollywood U.S. >President is a liberal? =20 Again, this makes perfect sense. Most artists are politically liberal. = If I'm going to write in a positive way about a politician, I'm going to = have him support the 'right' opinions: mine. I mean, we define a = political figure by the ideas he/she supports, right? =20 >Or that a successful professional can light up >a joint in the middle of a session with no other affect on the character >(seriously, a 50 plus year old professional woman tokes up like it's no >big deal and she's not spacey or furtive or any other indication of what >that would mean for the character? C'mon.)? It bugs me. I had bosses who did that. I used to manage a restuarant in a big national = chain, and the VP who came to visit us used to toke up with us. (Not with = me, of course, but you know what I mean.) =20 >Movie studios don't >release the data you would need in order to figure out if a movie was >profitable or not. They don't release that information to the people >who *make* the movies, let alone to the public. In order to tell if a >film is profitable, you have to look at costs (an unknown) vs. revenues >(also an unknown despite what you might think). All true. >Since Hollywood keeps >making money (they're still in business after all) and since they >continue to be able to afford to pay individual actors upwards of $20 >million per movie I would guess that rated R movies are profitable >enough to keep the studios going. Good point. And remember, most of these analyses focus on domestic = grosses. The foreign markets, though, are hugely important nowadays. = There are lots of films that tank in the states that do fine internationall= y. >The very fact that the majority of rated G movies are produced by a >single studio and that studio doesn't dominate the overall movie market >shows me that rated G movies are *not* the best way for *every* >movie >studio to make money. Obviously, rated G is working out pretty well for >Disney. =20 G rated films are generally box office poison--except for Disney films. = Remember that Disney has an enormous marketing advantage over all other G = rated films. Brand name loyalty, for starters. Amusement park tie-ins. = Their own TV network. Took my kids to see Princess Diaries last night, as = it happens, a film that I essentially found unwatchable. But it's going = to do fine. >But how well are they doing for anyone else? What happened to >Don Bluth? =20 The conventional wisdom is that DreamWorks has a chance to catch Disney. = I doubt it; even a great film like Prince of Egypt did very poorly. Shrek = did well; we'll have to see. Chicken Run did great, but it should have; = he's building the audience he's created with the Wallace and Gromit fans, = and besides, the picture was terrific. Disney wouldn't be doing well, = though, if it weren't for their purchase of Pixar. =20 Remember, great family movies are great because they tell great stories, = and they're great because great talents create them. The 'Disney magic' = wasn't very magical when it came to Pocahontas, or Hunchback. Their big = Mermaid/Beauty/Aladdin/Lion King winning streak came because they found a = guy like Alan Menken working off-Broadway and had the sense to hire him. = The Pixar people are geniuses, and the two Toy Story movies are brilliant = films. In other words, G rated films don't do well in the box office. = Terrific films do well in the box office, provided that they're marketed = well. And since there are fewer G rated films released than the other = ratings, a few wonderful films can have a disproportionate statistical = impact. =20 >If rated G really rocks like these people claim, why isn't >Don Bluth a household name? Titan AE (the last movie I know about >from >Don Bluth) is an awesome movie. =20 Well, Don Bluth has a very mixed record. A lot of his films haven't been = very strong. And when he says his films lose money, he means domestic = gross is disappointing. Kid's films do disproportionately well on = video-cassette. (That's why they've now made Land Before Time VII.) >And even Disney is busy trying to branch out into R-rated >movies (through subsidiaries). =20 Touchstone isn't a subsidiary; it's part of Disney. It's just another = label. Disney doesn't want to branch out into R-rated movies; it just = wants to make movies, like any studio. =20 Eric Samuelsen - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #422 ******************************