From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #517 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 Thursday, November 15 2001 Volume 01 : Number 517 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 12:46:23 -0700 From: Terry L Jeffress Subject: Re: [AML] Brady Udall Interview on KUER Information on receiving the Brady Udall Interview Interview Information Page http://www.kuer.org/kuernews/rw062101.php Stream of the Interview http://audio.kuer.org:8000/playlist.pls?mount=/file/rw062101.mp3&file=dummy.pls - -- Terry L. Jeffress | It is a mistake to think that books have come South Jordan, Utah | to stay. The human race did without them for | thousands of years and may decide to do without | them again. -- E. M. Forster - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 14:58:19 -0800 (PST) From: William Morris Subject: [AML] Writers' Chat (was: Writing Groups) - --- "D. Michael Martindale" wrote: > I hate to put a cloud on everyone's enthusiasm, but I predict that this > ad hoc, voluntary "writers group" idea will not work. Not enough people > will respond with offers to read and critique to provide well-rounded > feedback that isn't heavily biased toward specific people's personal > tastes, and eventually the idea will fizzle out. > I think that D. Michael makes a good point here, although I don't want to discourage other AML list members from posting manuscript notices because one may pop up that I want to read and offer feedback on. My original question (which was in response to Chris Bigelow's rant---a cathartic read for me) was: what we as a community can do to better support each other as writers? I actually didn't mean writers groups. I was thinking more about things beyond critiquing texts, which is a central, important thing but I wonder if there are different needs out there as well. And that's wny I asked the question because I'm not sure what we (or I) need or want. Here's one idea that's related to the recent discussion about possible changes to the list: The Mormon Writers Virtual Cocktail Hour (serving virgin margaritas and shirley temples, of course). I'd be willing to organize some chat room sessions on AOL Instant Messenger if there was some interest. I see this as a way for us to get to know each other in real time and in a more casual conversation than what is on the list i.e. like at a cocktail party. Now I know that we all have a hundred things to do, and the demands of work, family, spouse, church, our own writing, exercise, and chores come first, but such interaction would be both casual (we could talk about food, books, film, what we do for a living, what we like and dislike)and an opportunity for networking. If we know more about each others interests, frustrations and current writing plans/projects, it might be easier for us to create writing groups/teams/buddies (which could then become, perhaps, part of D. Michael's WorLDSmiths). It could also increase our sense of community as a whole. And be a lot of fun. I don't know. There are a lot of problems with this idea. Who has time? When would we set up the hour or two (I'm thinking either Thurs. evening or Sat. morning)? What about the fast-paced, somewhat fragmented medium that is online chat, where people hold parallel conversations and speak in weird acronyms? Are people going to be able to actually get into the chatroom (i.e. all the technical aspects)? What is the minimum and maximum number of people that we'd need to make this work? Theoretically, the AML could set up a chat room on its Web site, but I doubt that it would be very successful becuase the likelihood of finding someone in there at any given time would be remote, so why bother checking in the first place. I think a set time, announced on this list would work best because people are more likely to dip their foot in the water if they see that there are already a bunch of folks taking a swim. And the beauty of using the AIM chat room is that it can be set up easily but isn't a permanent thing you have to worry about. When everybody leaves, it disappears. So, if you have at all any interest in this idea, e-mail me privately and include a response to whether you'd be more likely to chat on thurs. evening or sat. morning. Simply write: AML chat: Yes, thurs. evening. Yes, sat. morning. --Or-- Maybe, don't know when. Feel free to also express time preferences for thurs. evening (I'm thinking (9 - 10:30 mountain standard time) or sat. morning (8 - 9:30 MST)). Oh, and you wouldn't have to commit to an entire hour (I anticipate running the thing for an hour and half to two hours). 10-15 minutes is fine. Bring your own brie and crackers. If there's enough interest I will send a message to the list with the date, time and instructions on how to get to the chat room. I'm looking at the last week in Nov. or first week in Dec. for a trial run. If all goes well, we could try and do this once a month or so. ~~William Morris, who can't believe he actually used the word 'networking' __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Find the one for you at Yahoo! Personals http://personals.yahoo.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 14:26:16 EST From: BroHam000@aol.com Subject: [AML] Memphis Reviewer on Brigham City I thought some of you might be interested in comments from a review by The Commerical Appeal's John Beifuss: "This intelligent, confident work is the second feature from writer-director Richard Dutcher of Utah...If Brigham City represents a step toward the mainstream, it's far from a sellout. Dutcher's faith informs every frame of the film, but it never interferes with the logical resolution of the story or with the non-convert's enjoyment. In fact, because it never preaches, Brigham City should prove a thousand times more effective as a proselytizing tool than did the imitation Hollywood claptrap of the Trinity Broadcasting Network's The Omega Code and Megiddo. The intelligent way Brigham City examines issues of faith and personal moral crisis is more reminiscent of such movies as The Pledge... In many movies, religious faith is portrayed as something suspect - a weakness or aberration...Very rarely is faith represented as a key part of the makeup of a film's hero. In Brigham City, however, viewers are repeatedly reminded of Wes' Mormonism, but the references are as organic to the story as the allusions to law in an episode of Perry Mason...Such authenticity is rare and welcome, and it makes Brigham City more intriguing than similar films told from an outsider's perspective, such as Witness.... overall, Brigham City is convincing, gripping, well-acted and technically assured. It offers reassuring evidence that regional cinema is alive and well, in at least one part of the country. Brigham City also indicates that if Hollywood comes calling, Dutcher is ready - - if he's interested. Whether the filmmaker remains in Utah or moves on, it should be interesting to see how he reconciles his faith with what promises to be an increasingly successful career." The movie is only slated to be here a week; I'd better get out and see it! What a super foray into Mormon arts Richard Dutcher has made, in the true pioneering spirit. I hope to add something in my little stream (me) vs. Big River (Dutcher and so many of the rest of you) sort of way. I take comfort in Madeleine L'Engle's assertion that we are all feeding into the same ocean. Ciao. Linda Hyde Rosemark, TN - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 13:16:40 -0700 From: "Scott Parkin" Subject: Re: [AML] Aliens in Mormon Lit Ethan Skarstedt wrote: > Have aliens ever been done in mainstream LDS stuff? > (The "mainstream LDS" excludes Battlestar Galactica, > Ivan, at least in my mind) I have been itching to explore > "Mormons as Mormons in Space" in my writing and > I wonder if there is any body of work that I need to > be familiar with before I attempt to add to it. On the question of aliens in "mainstream" Mormon stuff...Not really--or at least not to my recollection. There have been some short stories here and there, including an effort to reconcile free will and robot intelligence that was published in _The New Era_ here a few years ago. But no real body of work per se. On the question of explicitly Mormon Mormons in sf...Not convincingly. Of course Orson Scott Card had his explicitly LDS characters in _Lost Boys_ but that was horror, not science fiction. Larry Niven and Robert Heinlein both featured explicitly Mormon characters, but usually did so in a not-quite-right way that didn't encompass me as a Mormon reader. Lee Allred has told some stories set in Utah and dealing with Mromon characters, but those stories weren't really focused on what it is to be Mormon. Of course, Gerald Lund had his near-future post-apocalyptic look at western society in his book _The Alliance,_ but while he dealt with Mormon themes he also shied away from explicitly Mormon characters or situations (see the AML-List Review Archive for reviews on the book that have appeared on this list--including my own amazingly insiteful and useful review on the issue). On the question of religion being dealt with in general market sf...Happens all the time. Roger Zelazny dealt with it a lot, Arthur C. Clarke tried to debunk it a lot, and some of the most interesting science fiction of recent years has dealth with the issue of God and religion (_Towing Jehova_ and _The Sparrow_ and a number of other titles leaps to mind that feature real religion as actually understandable if not purely true). The general sf market can tolerate religion in its characters and settings, but only if the question of absolute truth is left untouched. In other words...not really. Religion is dealt with reasonably often, but Mormon religion hasn't really been handled well to this point, and certainly not explicitly Mormon looks at the question of aliens. Feel free to start the wave. > 1: The question of alien aliens. Are non-human, intelligent > aliens going to be so incompatible with the "created in my > image" concept that mainstream LDS readers will be put > off when I have Mormon men, with the priesthood and > everything, dealing with them? Many readers will be put off by tinkering with non-humanoid aliens in a specifically LDS theological construct--there is little or no orthodox doctrine on the matter, and a great deal of disagreement on exactly what it means to be created in God's image. Most tend toward a concept of distinctly humanoid aliens. Once again, feel free to start the wave. You'll meet resistance, but that doesn't mean that people will try to firebomb your house and burn you as a heretic. It is fiction, and Mormon readers have been amazingly resilient about the idea of putting modern Mormon teenagers into Book of Mormon settings (Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites). If you want acceptance in the Mormon market, though, you're going to have to portray those aliens as having either an equal or superior brand of Mormonism to our own, or else have them respond well to missionary efforts. At least to start with. In the absence of strict orthodox doctrine on the issue I've personally tended toward a liberal definition of the image of God. I think it has more to do with the covenant than with a specific set of physical attributes. In other words, "in the image" is about being created with the potential of God more so than his specific looks. As such, I don't have a problem with intelligent non-humanoid aliens that are specifically adapted to their planet of origin. In Scott's Private Heresy #4b, people are adapted to their planet of origin and can take on a great many variations that border on the non-humanoid, because in the end physical appearance is essentially irrelevant to the covenant between God and Man. In the worlds spawned by my private heresy there can be twelve-foot tall blue aliens with four arms ending in hands with only three fingers--if it makes sense in the physical context of their world. Likewise aquatic fish-people on an ocean world (or turtle-people or dolphin-people) can be intelligent and recipients of divine light and revelation. In a story I started close to fifteen years ago and have never finished, I deal with four-foot talking ferret-people who practice an obviously Christian religion that looks suspiciously close to modern Catholicism (I figured more readers could identify with Catholic imagery without seeing it as a missionary tract than if I used Mormon imagery and concepts). The story revolves around whether the Ferrets got that religion as a result of cultural contamination by Earth, or whether it was a native religion. Since I'm Mormon and believe in many worlds, I'll give you one guess how I resolve it. Here's a hint: the working title is "Other Sheep." (I'm also working on a story called "Aliens in Mormon Country" set in cultural Mormonism that deals with the Christian ideas of charity and compassion in an explicitly Mormon setting. Doesn't touch doctrines about the nature, shape, or color of God, but does feature a three-fingered blue alien who finds safety and refuge and acceptance among the Mormons that he doesn't find from the US government. My goal is to show Mormons as good people, not to defend a Mormon theological construct.) Of course the question is what form God takes in relation to those people. Does God appear as a Ferret to the Ferret-people, or a Dolphin to the dolphin-people? Or is God always the blinding white, human, robed personage we are familiar with? I think that's a thornier issue for most Mormons than how the aliens are constructed. Either approach would be fine with me, though I suspect even my heresy detector would be activated by making God appear as a non-human--unless the story clearly left the question of God's actual form completely ambiguous. > (I wonder if even Mormons who are regular SF readers > will be made uncomfortable when I include the gospel as > the gospel in an SF world (Earth being the only planet with > human looking humans on it)) I think Mormons will tend to be uncomfortable by any explicit dealing with LDS theological concepts in an sf context, but that has as much to do with a desire to see those concepts done right (aka in an "orthodox" manner) as with inherent problems with depicting things Mormon in a science-fictional context. Of course I could be very wrong on that. In any case, it ould be something sufficiently new and startling that people would tend to react with either caution or mistrust. That happens whenever you blaze new conceptual ground with an audience, be it in the Mormon or any other community. Such a handling would definitely limit the story to a Mormon audience, though. I don't think the rest of the world is willing to accept aliens who were Mormon when we first met them--smacks too much of a proselyting action. > 2: What about human aliens? Humans that look like earth > humans living on other planets, perhaps waiting for the > Earthers to get their butts into space so they can bring > the priesthood authority with them? Offend anyone? Of course it will offend someone. But again, I think broader acceptance will have more to do with how you depict that alien Mormonism than anything else. If we get there and they lecture us on our slothfulness in not bringing them the priesthood I think you'll get two kinds of rejection from a Mormon audience. First, it's a very old sf cliche to have the aliens always be morally superior to humans, and people will tend to reject the story on that basis. Second, if the aliens have been given sufficient revelation to know about us and to anticipate our coming, why didn't deity deliver the priesthood directly? How you handle that issue will determine how many Mormons will suspend their disbelief for purposes of the story. It's an area of a fair amount of speculation in popular culture, and is one that a lot of people have thought about. I would tread lightly and beware of too much moralizing. In any case, it's new and uncharted territory. He who first blazes the trail takes the most heat for encroaching on the previously untouched. I think you should write your stories and try to publish them in the Mormon market. You're going to run into a lot of resistance, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Just grow a very thick skin, because many well-meaning people will try to call you to repentence for treating holy things lightly. It's one of the few consistent, predictable things about the Mormon market. Scott Parkin - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 13:01:55 -0800 (PST) From: Darlene Young Subject: [AML] Writer's Dream I just have to tell you what I dreamed last night. I found myself in a large chapel, sitting in the choir seats. The person conducting was explaining to us that we were all artists who had been invited by the church to participate in a new program. (Our families were sitting in the audience.) The Church had set up a fund to sponsor artists in their independent endeavors. They (the Church) would pay our employers, or our spouses' employers, enough money fund a leave of absence and reserve our positions for one year. During that time the church would also provide for our own family's upkeep (and our spouses would be expected to parent/home-make full-time) for one year. During that time we were to do nothing but follow our muse, wherever it would lead, with no strings attached. The only requirement was that if we got tired of it and wanted to do something else, we would resign from the program. It didn't matter whether we ever produced anything. We simply had to enjoy and participate in the process. To qualify for this program, we had to take a test. Earphones and Walkmans were issued for this test which played recordings of babies crying, phones ringing, and loud rock music. While we listened, we were to complete a written test. My alarm clock woke me up just as I was looking at the first page of the test, but I remember it was somewhat like the test they give at the church publications department ("Come up with a title for the following article," "Write the first three paragraphs of this subject . . ." etc.) Anyway, that was a REAL dream! Not an imagined parable (or daydream). I guess it shows what I have been thinking about lately. I think it was all sparked by a deep discussion my husband and I had been having just before bed about how to know how much time and effort to put into pefecting a talent such as writing, and how God might help with it. We had just read two scriptures, D&C 33:10 ("Open your mouths and they shall be filled") and D&C 24:6, 9 ("And it shall be given thee in the very moment what thou shalt speak and write," "And in temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling"). These scriptures obviously apply to very specific missionary callings, but couldn't they apply to my own writing too? Especially when my desire is to contribute to the amount of light and truth in the world? ===== Darlene Young __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Find the one for you at Yahoo! Personals http://personals.yahoo.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 12:29:27 -0700 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: Re: [AML] Fluff Kathy Fowkes wrote: > Then how does one explain the one aspect that is frequently left out of > this discussion? That of the witness of the Spirit about eternal truths > to the readers of particular stories such as "The Touch of the Master's > Hand" and "Free the Birdies" (which, btw, was written and given as a > sacrament talk, not a publishable story)? This is my personal measure of > fluff. To some these stories and others like them are banal, dishonest, > false, easy, sloppy and any other label one feels like applying to > satisfy their feelings about a piece. But for me, it's whether or not the > Spirit reaches a heart that is in need of something that particular story > has at that particular time. And it does with these, and with many > others. I'm not talking about warm fuzzy emotions. I'm talking about > witness. First of all, I think it's often terribly difficult to distinguish between warm fuzzy emotions and the workings of the Spirit. I know it is for me. I also happen to find it difficult to distinguish between being moved by the Spirit and being moved by something that is just sublimely beautiful. Maybe the distinction is unimportant. I don't know. I recall reading an essay by Todd Britsch (published in the _Ensign_?) on this very topic. Does anyone else remember it? I believe it was entitled "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee." I would love to have a reference for it so that I could read it again. I absolutely agree that fluff is in the eye of the beholder. I was reminded of that fact very recently at a family gathering when I dared suggest that perhaps Greg Olsen was really *not* the greatest artist of all time. :-) The problem here, as Kathy has pointed out so articulately, is that we cannot judge anyone else's response to a work of art. A couple of years ago I sat through a Relief Society presentation (slide show set to music) that made my spirit cringe. I felt that the choice of music and images trivialized the Atonement in a way that was unconscionable. But as I looked around the room, I saw tears streaming down the faces of many of the sisters in the ward, and I realized that they were genuinely touched by what they were seeing and hearing. Whether it was the Spirit, emotional manipulation, or post Taster-Table gas is not for me to say. I don't get to make that judgement. But what about judging the work of art itself? Can we never do that? And I'm talking here about judging it according to standards of literary/musical/artistic excellence. A brief anecdote: I used to teach a unit on didacticism and sentimentality in the Honors writing class I taught at BYU. Invariably I would offend someone by "picking on" one of his/her favorite poems, stories, songs,or paintings. I didn't want to do this, but I *did* want to teach my students the difference between well-wrought art and sloppy art, between genuine emotion and emotional manipulation, between honesty and superficiality in dealing with complex issues. So, when I wanted to show a contrast between a *good* poem and a *bad* poem dealing with a similar subject (in this case, the death of a young child), I chose John Crowe Ransom's "Bells for John Whiteside's Daughter" and then, to avoid tromping on anyone's pet verse from _Especially For Mormons_, I wrote the *bad* poem myself, deliberately making it as sappy and cliched as possible. When the time came, I would pass out copies of both poems (leaving off authors' names). The students would read both silently, then I would ask them which was the better poem. Most of them would choose Ransom's poem, but, wouldn't you know it, there were always at least a couple of kids in the class who would insist that my bad-on-purpose poem was, by far, the better of the two. And when asked why they thought so, they would usually say something like: "It was just so powerful, and it made me cry." Now, here is a case where I can say, unequivocally, that the work of art in question was bad art. It was meant to be bad. I employed every low-down trick that I could think of to deliberately manipulate my reader's emotions through overblown rhetoric and unrestrained pathos. I misused words, inverted syntax to serve my rhyme scheme, and ignored meter. And yet someone was always moved (to tears!) by it. Is the poem then somehow justified? Should we all refrain from saying that it is a dreadful poem simply because someone was obviously touched by it? Of course, this is an isolated and atypical case. Most poems (even bad poems) aren't written to be bad. Most people try to write the best stuff they are capable of writing. So, let us always assume that authors have the best of intentions and let us refraining from judging other people's responses to art, but, by golly!, let's continue to hold the art itself to the highest possible standards and let's continue to teach our young people what those standards are. Sharlee Glenn glennsj@inet-1.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 14:40:24 -0700 From: Barbara Hume Subject: RE: [AML] Fluff At 10:12 AM 11/13/01, you wrote: >I took the implication of this statement to be that fluff is the plain >but kind-hearted man and that the works with "artistic merit" are the >self-centered Adonis. That in turn implies that works with "artistic >merit" are beautiful on the outside but lacking in depth, shallow; and >that fluff, while plain on the outside, runs deep. What I say and what I mean are often quite different, as my descendants enjoy pointing out, but that isn't what I meant. I meant to imply that it is short-sighted and judgmental to look at a piece of writing and say that it can have no value because it doesn't look the way the observer has determined that "true" literature should look. Such a judgment says that other people's enjoyment of said writing is irrelevant--only the observer's trained, sophisticated analysis has merit. I was trying to say this without appearing to attack anyone on the list and subsequently being bopped by Jonathan's staff. I am now quite sick of the fluff thread, isn't everyone? especially since I think our discussion has been a prime example of what Ben Franklin meant when he said, "A man convinced against his will/Is of the same opinion still." [MOD: Actually, it was Alexander Pope...] Barbara R. Hume Provo, Utah - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 13:00:13 -0700 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: Re: [AML] Fluff Scott Parkin wrote: > Yet the effort is repeatedly being made to claim that the author of the > bridge story (or the violin story or the footprints poem) set out to > intentionally misdirect or subvert the real faith of readers, to lead them > into false paths of stupidly or dangerously narrow interpretation. I just > don't accept that claim I don't think I've ever heard anyone make such a claim. Do any of us really believe that the writers of fluff (or the makers of jello pudding mixed with cool whip) are being intentionally subversive or deceitful? My belief is that most of them think they're writing profound stuff (making an elegant dessert). I do believe, though, that the fluff crowd is sometimes guilty of being lazy. Some of them don't want to have to work too hard. And sometimes it's simply a matter of taste. There are people, after all, who genuinely prefer jello pudding mixed with cool whip to mousse. And that's okay. I guess. :-) Sharlee Glenn glennsj@inet-1.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 15:21:56 -0700 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] Repenting of Stories D. Michael Martindale wrote: > Wasn't it on this list that someone told a real-life story about an > author repenting of something he'd written? (If not here, it was on > _some_ list I'm on). > > Stephen King wrote a novel about school violence. (Not being an avid > Stephen King reader, I don't recall the name.) When some students > committed a copycat act of school violence after reading the book, King > removed the title from bookstores and has refused to let it be carried > anymore. I hadn't heard this, though I am a big King fan. If true, King, imnsho, made a mistake. He confused his role in life. He's a storyteller, and his readers make of his stories what they will. He is not a teacher, responsible for the molding of young minds. He is not a politican, responsible for social programs that directly affect millions of people. He is no more responsible for what those students did based on his work than Jesus is responsbile for the way the Arayan Nation uses his words to preach racism. Thom - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 17:53:54 EST From: OmahaMom@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Success in Movie Making Is there a follow up project to Brigham City now? (It still hasn't hit Omaha, and we're waiting.) Karen Tippets - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 16:49:12 -0700 From: "Annette Lyon" Subject: Re: [AML] Writing Groups I think critiquing only manuscripts that are very close to your own in style and content is a bad idea. Speaking for myself, I would get horribly bored reading only one type of manuscript. I think there would also be a real danger of falling into ruts, inadvertently copying each other, getting blinders for real problems and such. Isn't the point of a critique to have fresh eyes? Someone writing the same style is not someone with fresh eyes. The group I attend has a great combination of styles and genres (we've had manuscripts in YA, article, thriller, LDS, fantasy, picture books, historical romance . . .). As long as your group is composed of people who critique well and read a lot, your group can be a success. I think our group members have all benefited from each other's strengths, which often spring from different genres we are writing in. Annette Lyon - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 18:43:04 -0500 From: "Debra Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN Saints at War Preserves a Legacy of Faith, Courage, and Sacrifice: Covenant Communications Press Release 10Nov01 US UT Prov A2 Saints at War Preserves a Legacy of Faith, Courage, and Sacrifice AMERICAN FORK, UTAH -- As part of the groundbreaking Saints at War project, more than one thousand accounts from Latter-day Saint veterans have been gathered. Many of these accounts will be available in November with the release of the book, Saints at War: Experiences of Latter-day Saints in World War II. In addition, a Saints at War conference will be held at Brigham Young University on November 10, and a KBYU Saints at War documentary will air on Veterans Day, November 11. Dr. Robert C. Freeman and Dr. Dennis A. Wright, professors in the Church History department at BYU, started the Saints at War project two years ago. "More than 1,100 American veterans are dying each day," said Dr. Freeman. "These brave men and women will pass from our view very quickly and we felt an urgent need to capture their stories for future generations." Saints at War: Experiences of Latter-day Saints in World War II combines over 200 remarkable stories from Church leaders and veterans around the world with hundreds of images that literally capture faith in the midst of war. Among the veterans' accounts are several general authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints including Thomas S. Monson, James E. Faust, Boyd K. Packer, Neal A. Maxwell, and David B. Haight. "There is much to be learned from the valiance of these veterans. Their stories teach us the meaning of courage, sacrifice, and what it means to be an American," said Wright. William Slaughter, an archivist with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the bravery and faith of LDS veterans will have lasting value and will inspire future generations. "Saints at War is one of the most exciting and important endeavors in the field of Mormon history," said Slaughter. The Saints at War project is in partnership with The Veterans History Project, a larger effort being undertaken by the Library of Congress. "These projects give families the means to revive and share the memories and preserve their stories," said Sarah Rouse, Program Officer of The Veterans History Project. "It becomes a strengthening time for families and a priceless gift for everyone." Herbert Frost contributed to the Saints at War archive just four months before he passed away. "My father was very proud of having fought in the war and was so grateful for the opportunity to express his feelings," said Susanne Olsen, Frost's daughter. "I was touched by his experiences, particularly his participation in the Church during World War II." It is the focus of faith during war that makes the Saints at War project unique. "These men and women didn't set aside their religious convictions even though they were carrying rifles and machine guns. They still found time to read their scriptures, take the sacrament, pray, and share the gospel with others," said Wright. "In the most trying of circumstances their spiritual life did not end; in fact it became a sustaining force." The Saints at War archive will be housed in the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU and will include personal histories, journals, letters, period photographs, artifacts, and first-hand accounts of war experiences both oral and written. "We are hopeful that the book Saints at War: Experiences of Latter-day Saints in World War II, the KBYU documentary, and the conference will alert people to the existence of the archive so more veterans will be able to participate," said Freeman. "The book also gives the reader a wonderful opportunity to have a piece of the archive in their homes and share it with their families." Saints at War: Experiences of Latter-day Saints in World War II, by Dr. Robert C. Freeman and Dr. Dennis A. Wright ($39.95 hardcover) is published by Covenant Communications. The Saints at War book and video ($19.95 VHS, $24.95 DVD) are available at bookstores everywhere. To contribute to the Saints at War archive, visit http://www.saintsatwar.org. Founded in 1958, Covenant Communications publishes more than 100 book, audio, and software titles annually, and is the largest independent publisher in the LDS market. ### Source: Saints at War Preserves a Legacy of Faith, Courage, and Sacrifice Covenant Communications Press Release 10Nov01 US UT Prov A2 >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 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 19:27:57 -0500 From: "robert lauer" Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Mysticism Scott Parkin: Is one of the >requirements of Mormon literature a strong sense of realism? Then how do we >deal with spiritual events without being dismissed as either mystical or >superstitious? > I think a strong sense of realism IS a requirement of Mormon literature.I know this list is not the place for theological discussion, but I need to make some reference to theology here. Read some of the early Church missionary literature by the the Pratts and others. (THE ESSENTIAL PARLEY P. PRATT and THE ESSENTIAL ORSON PRATT, published by Signature Books, contain many.) These early Apostles dismissed the linking of the spiritual with the mystical. I think our scriptures do also. Consider the D&C statements that "there is no such thing as immaterial matter" and "all spirit is matter, but it is more refined." Mormon metaphysics differs drastically from those of Orthodox Christianity. An ignorance of these differences is (I think) a major contributing factor in things such as "fluff." Also, consider Joseph Smith's King Follett Discourse in which he defined God in a completely rational, naturalistic way. He also said in that discourse that he (Joseph--that is) intended to put down the superstition that dominated religion. Here's my own take on this matter: Deism was an approach to religion held by many of our nation's Founding Fathers. According to Deism, God is bound by natural law and reason is "the only oracle." I think that Mormonism IS a Deistic religion--not a traditionally Theistic religion. As Deistic faith, its theology (and I would assume the art it inspires)would be set in a rational rather than mystical framework. As far as I am concerned, I will attempt in my own "Mormon" works to demonstrate how the rationalistic view (not the mystical) is the one most in agreement with LDS theology. ROB LAUER - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 19:50:15 -0700 From: "Nan McCulloch" Subject: Re: [AML] Fluff Barbara, this is such a good point. Overuse can be death to otherwise good art. The first time I heard the *footprints* story I was moved, but I have come to dislike it intensely because of extreme overuse. The first art that I saw by Greg Olsen was stunning. Then I happened upon a Seagull Book Store and I was forced to overdose on the stuff. How sad. Or could this be one of the attributes of good art--overexposure will not reduce its value or appeal. DOES EVERY PIECE OF ART THAT APPEALS TO THE MASSES BECOME KITSCH? Nan McCulloch Draper, UT - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 19:40:45 -0700 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: Re: [AML] Moral/Ethical Criticism With regard to Jonathan's brilliant treatise on moral/ethical criticism: Yeah, what he said. I wrote my clumsy response to Kathy Fowkes' excellent question before I read Jonathan's post. He said what I think I was trying to say, but with much greater clarity and grace. Sharlee Glenn glennsj@inet-1.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 11:14:01 -0600 From: LDS Film Festival (by way of Jonathan Langford ) Subject: [AML] LDS Film Festival Announcement Here's a news release that came in my in-box: Get ready for the First Young LDS Film Festival! With over 70 entries, the film festival goes into its first promising year. Filmmakers from the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia submitted their work, with most entries coming from either Utah or California. The film festival will take place in Provo between November 29 and December 1, and in Salt Lake City on December 8. Please go to: http://www.ldsbox.com for more information on the festival's program, finalists and exact dates and times for all events. If you are interested in bringing the "Best of Competition" program to your city, stake or ward, please contact us at feedback@ldsbox.com - --------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPPORT YOUNG LDS FILMMAKERS WITH YOUR ATTENDANCE! - --------------------------------------------------------------------- Be part of a weekend that celebrates LDS filmmakers and films! You can support young filmmakers with your attendance at the festival. The competition programs will play at the Provo Theater on Thursday, November 29, at 5.00 and 7.30 p.m. As an audience, your vote will count as an additional judge. Besides the festival competition, the program in Provo also includes a symposium and panel discussion featuring prominent LDS filmmakers and theoriticians, filmmaker's presentations on the art of moviemaking and screenings of films that are not part of the competition. For program details, go to: http://www.ldsbox.com/cgi-bin/program.php We'd love to see you at the First LDS Film Festival 2001. Celebrate with us the talent and artistic diversity of young aspiring LDS filmmakers! Bring a date or come with friends! Christian Vuissa vuissa@home.com http://www.ldsbox.com [creativity connected] You either signed up for our newsletter or were recommended to us by a friend. If you would like to unsubscribe from future LDSBox mailings, simply reply to this message with the word REMOVE in the subject line. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #517 ******************************