From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #795 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 Wednesday, August 7 2002 Volume 01 : Number 795 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 09:22:24 -0400 From: "Tracie Laulusa" Subject: Re: [AML] Jan Karon's Mitford Series I read them, sort of, some time ago. I enjoyed the first couple books, got lost in the middle, and then picked up one of the later ones. In general, I like them. I thought the characters were fairly believable. But, over the series, the story seemed to drag along. Tracie Laulusa - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 09:09:38 -0500 From: "Preston" Subject: [AML] LDS Nominated for Chesley Awards >From Science Fiction News of the Week (http://www.scifi.com/sfw/current/news.html): Organizers have announced the nominees for the 17th annual ASFA Chesley Awards, named for astronomical artist Chesley Bonestell and recognizing excellence in fantastic and science fiction art in the year 2001. The Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists also presents the awards to people and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to ASFA and the science fiction and fantasy art community as a whole. The awards will be presented at this year's WorldCon, also known as ConJose, which takes place in San Jose, Calif., on Labor Day weekend. ASFA is an international organization of professional and amateur artists, art directors, publishing professionals, collectors and enthusiasts. In the category "Best Cover Illustration: Magazine", Latter-day Saint painter and BYU professor James C. Christensen has been nominated for his cover for _The Leading Edge_ No. 41, April '01. Christensen is the illustrator and co-author of the book _Voyage of the Beagle_, which was adapted to the odd and highly-underrated TV miniseries _Voyage of the Beagle_, starring Beau Bridges (2000). Also nominated in this same category is illustrator Jael (also a Mormon, I believe), for her cover for _Science Fiction Chronicle_, July '01. Jael is also nominated in the category "Best Color Work: Unpublished". Christensen is also nominated in the category "Best Product Illustration" for "Faery Tales" (fine art print for The Greenwich Workshop) Preston - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 08:44:28 -0600 From: "Paris Anderson" Subject: [AML] ANDERSON, _Recollections of Private Seth Jackson_ in Bookstores It has taken awhile (it's been more than a year since I first went to = press with this book), but I got a notice in the mail over the week end = from Granite Publishing and Distribution. They said in April 44 copies = of my book, The Recollections of Private Seth Jackson, Mormon Battlion, = Company D, were sold to bookstores. These bookstores were: Timp Missionary Generations LDS Whipple's Book Carr Stationary Bell's Family Book Barn Times and Seasons Sam Weller's Ensign Books Journal Bookstore Franz Beehive Shevells Words of Wisdom Beehive Bookstore Keystone Books. This book is also going to be introduced at the LDS Booksellers = Convention later this month. Granite will be passing out free copies of = the book. Get it while the price is right. Paris Anderson - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 10:44:05 -0600 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Jan Karon's Mitford Series Funny that my reaction is exactly Jeff's. I've tried it TWICE. And can't get interested. She says she writes so that those whose lives are awful can LIVE with pleasant people and circumstances. I guess my life is so pleasant that I like to investigate literature that shows me those whose lives are awful. (!) Has anyone read EMPIRE FALLS, (the very end is especially good) or DROWNING RUTH (though the writing is uneven, the mystery of it grips you until the end)? Right now I'm on PEACE LIKE A RIVER, determined to make it to the end, although I find some flaws in it, too. These books are making thousands of dollars for their authors. And they are not perfect and probably not classics. Well, more power to them anyway! Marilyn Brown - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 11:23:40 -0600 From: "Annette Lyon" Subject: RE: [AML] Irreantum Cutbacks I wonder if 100 pages of text is a big daunting to some people. Maybe cutting back will actually increase subscriptions. Just a thought. Here's hoping, anyway. Annette Lyon - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 11:33:28 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] Chaim Potok Dies I absolutely agree with everyone who has written about Chaim Potok, and = share with you all my deep affection and admiration for his work as a = writer, both his fiction and his non-fiction. His History of the Jews is = a masterpiece. And I quite agree that he is a fine role model for those = of us who would like to write fiction that explores Mormon culture as = thoroughly as Potok explored Jewish culture. But let's not forget one salient fact: Potok was outcast from the orthodox = Jewish community because of what he wrote. That was the price he paid, = and it was for him a deeply painful one. I certainly hope that a Mormon = Chaim Potok would not be excommunicated. But Potok, essentially, was = excommunicated. A very sobering thought. Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 12:00:02 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: RE: [AML] Programs for Poverty Me, a couple weeks ago: >> Demonstrably false. A great many governmental programs to >> alleviate poverty are quite successful, provided that they >> are adequately funded and intelligently administered. >If it's demonstrably false, then you're gonna have to demonstrate. =20 Jacob threw down this particular gauntlet, and then, poor man, had to wait = while his opponent skulked off to Disneyland. (Actually, we went to = Northern California, so it was Paramount's Great America, but same diff.) = Still, there that ol' gauntlet is, laying there on the ground. May I = please beg the indulgence of our esteemed moderator, and offer a response = to Jacob's challenge? =20 When we think of 'government welfare,' most people focus on just a few, = controversial programs: ADC (Aid to Dependent Children) and food stamps = probably top the list. Those programs have been both attacked and = defended,and attacking or defending them may be the most significant = difference between the political right and left. I believe that some of = those programs have been successful and can be defended, but they're not = quite what I have in mind; they're not clearly, obviously successful. Far more successful would be some of the following (and I'm only going to = describe a few): Rural Electrification, the REA and the TVA and similar programs. One = positive role of government is to do large-scale jobs that benefit the = public but that are either insufficiently profitable for private industry, = or, if tackled by private industry, would tend to lead to the formation of = monopolies. Both were true for rural electrification. Private industry = had no incentive to extend power lines to the most difficult to reach = rural backwaters, and those industries which controlled power tended to = become monopolies, unresponsive to citizen needs and prohibitively = expensive. But the TVA and REA absolutely changed the lives of the rural = poor in the middle third of the last century, allowing the poor to feed = themselves far more efficiently than before, and making possible upward = mobility. And yes, these were always described and defended as anti-povert= y 'welfare' programs. Headstart and school lunch programs. =20 The biggest positive impact government can make in the lives of the poor = has to do with extending educational opportunities and benefits. Many = poor families cannot afford pre-school for their children. Headstart = gives their children a fighting chance. Many poor families cannot afford = to buy or send a lunch with their kids. School lunch programs also make = it possible for kids to learn in the afternoons without nagging hunger = pains. I'd also add before and after school programs for the families of = the working poor. These are all funded by and provided by the government, = and they all constitute 'welfare' though they aren't thought of as such. Pell grants, GSL's and other student loan programs. =20 Look at the explosion of public colleges and universities after WWII, and = look at the many programs that make it possible for impoverished people to = attend an institution of higher learning. Loans and grants and scholarship= s, all established by, funded by and underwritten by the governement. In = the nineteeth century, very few people attend college. Now most young = people do, and that's the path to upward mobility. Those are 'welfare' = programs, programs that are intended to assist the poor. They work = spectacularly well. Sure there are private colleges and universities, = most with tuition costs at least four times what public universities cost. = =20 FHA, Fannie Mae, and other housing loan programs. Some programs intended to provide public housing are catastrophic = failures, no question about it. But banks don't lend money to people = without collateral. So how is a poor, hard working family supposed to buy = a home? Well, the government can step in and guarantee the loan. Again, = not thought of as an anti-poverty program, but it is, providing families = with the first step towards housing independence. Civil rights laws and enforcement agencies: Again, we may not think of civil rights programs as 'welfare,' but they = are. Programs outlawing discrimination in hiring, for example, ended = centuries of poverty in some black families in a single generation, and = that's what they were intended to do. =20 The GI Bill, and VA. Look at the history of our nation, and particularly, the history of the = treatment of returning veterans. Until after WWII, really, they got = shafted, and many if not most civil war veterans spent the rest of their = days in abject poverty. We don't think of the GI bill as 'welfare' but it = is, maybe the most successful anti-proverty program ever. When I was in = high school, I dated a girl from a very poor family. Sally (not her name) = lived in public housing, ate using food stamps, and had no advantages at = all. Her mother had four children by four different men, and serious = alcohol problems. I liked her mom a lot, actually, though she was a very = messed up woman, and she told me one time the secret to parenting in the = projects. "Keep the girls from getting pregnant and the boys out of jail = until they're eighteen. Then they can join the army, and they'll be all = right." Kathy turned eighteen, joined the army, used the GI bill to = finish her education, and is today a high school principal in Texas. =20 I could name a hundred more brilliantly successful government programs = that alleviate poverty. Some are controversial, like labor laws. I'm = very pro-union; some people aren't, so I usually don't like to list them. = But for my grandfather, the steel workers union is the single biggest = reason he was able to rise from poverty. =20 >In a lot of cases, the poor *are* to blame for their poverty. Being shy >to say that is a part of what keeps people poor. Not that there isn't >enough blame to go around--government programs, capitalists, >businesses, >and neighbors can all play supporting roles in keeping people down. Interesting, since King Benjamin absolutely prohibits our saying that the = poor are to blame for their poverty. >Now, I'd be interested in the people of your old ward and how you'd >define poverty. What constitutes "next to impossible"? And who are >the >poor?=20 I define poor as people who go to bed hungry on a fairly regular basis. = =20 > I suspect that our definitions of poor are out of sync. For >example, I don't put any stock into comparative income evaluations >which >are a big part of claims that "the poor are getting poorer" (which I >consider bunk). =20 I don't put much stock in 'em either. I think the government poverty = index is fatally flawed, in that it indexes poverty to food costs, not = housing costs. I think there are far more poor people in America than = official government statistics suggest, and that they're getting a lot = poorer a lot faster than we currently suspect. >I'd be willing to bet that when you talk about "the >poor" you aren't referring to the same folks I am when I talk about "the >poor". Beats me. What do you call 'poor people?' I mean, the poorest bloke in = America is probably richer than the richest bloke in Papua New Guinea. = These things are relative. Some things are obvious; drug and alcohol addictions obviously hold a lot = of folks back. If there's a single demonstrable failure among all = government programs for the poor, it would be current drug laws, which = provide for absurdly draconion penalties for minor drug offenses, ruining = the lives of thousands of young people who, because of a single mistake, = become career criminals. But aside from that, I would say two things hold = folks back, make it impossible for the working poor to escape poverty: = chld care, and housing expenses. Those two expenses just eat people up. = I've seen it hundred times, people (usually women, sometimes single women, = but not always) work long hours with great diligence, but can't get ahead = for a second, because of the difficulty finding decent child care or = decent housing. A third huge expense is medical; you can survive for = awhile without health insurance, but every day you're rolling the dice. = So then one day, you roll your ankle, and suddenly any progress you've = made is lost. =20 =20 I'd suggest some further reading. A great book on welfare is a recent = one, LynNell Hancock's Hands to Work. Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and = Dimed is terrific. There are any number of far more scholarly works, the = titles of which I can't remember right now. =20 >Following the Church welfare program means not accepting government >aid. >You can't have them "in conjunction" within the policy of Church >welfare. Exceptions might be made, but I haven't heard of them and >would be surprised if they passed "official" muster. Not so. The bishop's handbook is filled with programs that he can = recommend to struggling families. Seriously, bishops can't counsel = families to send their kids to Headstart, or to apply for an FHA loan? = Nonsense. Again, you're equating 'welfare' with 'ADC'. =20 >Since all King Benjamin's examples were personal and his address was >personal I think an assumption of personal (as opposed to >governmental) >responsibility towards the poor is warranted. =20 How can you possibly say this? He's the king. L'etat c'est moi. He's = the head of the executive branch of government. He's probably also the = entire legislative branch. He's probably also a one man judicial branch. = He's the government. Look, I like Jacob, and I think he's a friend, and our differences on = these questions are, I hope, the differences of friends. But as Mormon = culture has become increasingly conservative, so have conservative ideas = begun to permeate our culture. This is not a bad thing. But it becomes a = very bad thing when we begin to conflate our own personal political = agendas with the culture itself, or, heaven forfend, the gospel. And = that, frankly, is an interesting subject for writers, especially writers = who have a political bent. What is the relationship between culture and = Truth? What is the relationship between conservatism and Mormonism? As a = writer, I'm interested in the interstices of those relationships. =20 Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 18:05:10 GMT From: daryoung@juno.com Subject: [AML] Re: Education Week Get-Together Alrighty, Folks, votes are in: the official date of the AML unofficial dinner out is now Thursday, August 22. Thanks to everyone who responded. Now, I'd like to ask you to respond just one more time so that I can get a general count. Even if you've already e-mailed me, please drop me a line and mention whether you will be bringing a date. Also, I got paltry few suggestions for an eating establishment. Please, please, if you're familiar with the Provo/Orem area, could you suggest something? I'm leaning more towards Orem so that we can escape the Ed. Week crowds, but make a suggestion. (We've had Thai and Mexican at our last two dinners out. How 'bout something new?) I apologize to those who wanted to come but can't on Thursday. It was the most popular date among those who expressed opinions. Thanks. - -Darlene Young ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 10:38:37 -0600 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Irreantum Cutbacks I don't mind not having it perfect bound! Marilyn Brown - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 12:05:38 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Utopias One final salvo: >In the eighties when taxes went down charitable giving rose much >more sharply than ever before. =20 Sure. Makes for a nice tax deduction. Private charitable giving is = subsidized by the government. It is, in short, a government program. Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 12:10:18 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] "Choose the Rock" >With all due respect to the idea of music being neutral--hogwash. >Who hasn't seen a baby calm down with a soothing lullaby? Hasn't = >everyone >heard a particularly jammin' song and couldn't help but tap their feet = >when >it came on the radio?=20 I mean, it's all morally neutral. Of course music is effective; that's = why we like it so much. That's why we love it. Different sorts of sounds = evoke different emotions. I just think all those emotions are morally = neutral, and that's why they'd better be spiritually neutral. Otherwise = we'd only be able to feel the Spirit when we felt certain emotions, = whereas we need the Spirit during all emotional states. =20 Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 12:24:13 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: RE: [AML] Unsavory Etymologies On the swearing thread. I think the F word isn't a swear word anymore. It's become casual = conversational. =20 Certainly this is true with students. I teach at BYU, but when I leave = Provo and go to other universities, it certainly is the case. F is sort = of an all-purpose modifier anymore. It just isn't offensive for a very = large segment of the population. Of course it's still tremendously offensive in other social circles, not = limited to LDS ones. I do cuss sometimes, and rather like the versatility = of F, but of course won't use it in my ward. Still, I think the evolution = of this word is very very interesting. Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 14:03:41 -0500 From: "Preston" Subject: [AML] Box Office Report Aug. 2 Feature Films by LDS/Mormon Filmmakers and Actors Weekend Box Office Report (U.S. Domestic Box Office Gross) Weekend of August 2, 2002 Report compiled by: LDSFilm.com [If table below doesn't line up properly, try looking at them with a mono-spaced font, such as Courier - - Ed.] Natl Film Title Weekend Gross Rank LDS/Mormon Filmmaker/Actor Total Gross Theaters Days - --- ----------------------------- ----------- ----- ---- 3 Master of Disguise 12,554,650 2,565 3 Perry Andelin Blake (director) 12,554,650 12 Minority Report 1,727,031 1,139 45 Gerald Molen (producer) 126,618,621 26 The Divine Secrets of the 232,061 244 59 Ya-Ya Sisterhood 68,232,522 36 ESPN's Ultimate X 72,358 38 87 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 3,603,833 60 Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man 25,432 8 822 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 13,683,304 70 The Singles Ward 13,928 8 185 Kurt Hale (writer/director) 893,957 John E. Moyer (writer) Dave Hunter (producer) Cody Hale (composer) Ryan Little (cinematographer) Actors: Will Swenson, Connie Young, Daryn Tufts, Kirby Heyborne, Michael Birkeland, Robert Swenson, Wally Joyner, Lincoln Hoppe, Gretchen Whalley, Sedra Santos, etc. 67 China: The Panda Adventure 15,104 6 374 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 2,698,361 75 Galapagos 8,855 3 1011 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 13,672,053 81 The Other Side of Heaven 5,854 6 234 Mitch Davis (writer/director) 4,670,516 John H. Groberg (author/character) Gerald Molen, John Garbett (producers) 103 Mark Twain's America 3D 1,347 1 1494 Alan Williams (composer) 2,257,566 106 The Believer 1,193 1 80 Ryan Gosling (lead actor) 255,061 CALL FOR ENTRIES: The Eclipse Film Festival in St. George, Utah (http://www.eclipsefilmfest.com/) is a very friendly venue for Utah-made, Latter-day Saint-made, and quality family-friendly films. The festival currently has a call for entries posted, and its founders are looking forward to hearing from some of you. AUGUST is an unusually big month for movie releases by Latter-day Saint directors. Starting things off, feature film production designer Perry Andelin Blake marked his directorial debut with "Master of Disguise" written by and starring "Saturday Night Live" alum Dana Carvey. The movie opened in the #1 spot nationwide, behind the much anticipated debut of M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs" starring Mel Gibson and the 2nd week of "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (produced by Moab, Utah native Eric McLeod). Blake's "Master of Disguise" took in $12.5 million over the weekend. The critical response was... well, let's call it "unanimous." On the bright side, critics generally singled out Carvey for criticism, and left Blake alone. A number of them said that the movie's production design was quite good -- not surprising for a movie directed by a very talented and experienced production designer. We're just ten days away from August 16th, the debut of Neil LaBute's LONG-awaited "Possession," starring fellow BYU graduate Aaron Eckhart and Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Mark Swan's equally LONG-awaited animated feature "The Princess and the Pea" will have a Salt Lake screening that same day. Blair Treu's "Little Secrets" (from Samuel Goldwyn Films) is having a by-inviation preview screening in Utah on August 14th, and then opens nationwide August 23rd. Finally, August wraps up with the August 30th wider release of producer Cary Derbidge and Ryan Little's feature film "Out of Step," featuring Alison Akin Clark as a Latter-day Saint dance student in love with a non-LDS musician played by Jeremy Elliott, while pursued by a Latter-day Saint film student played by Michael Buster. Also, Chris Heimerdinger's documentary "Lehi's Land of First Inheritance" and Christian Vuissa's award winning short film "Roots and Wings" are scheduled to hit stores in August. Then in September, "Jack Weyland's Charly" and "Day of Defense" will premiere. THE R.M. WRAPS: Kurt Hale wrapped production last week on the Latter-day Saint-themed comedy "The R.M." Excellent newspaper articles appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune (http://www.sltrib.com/08062002/tuesday/759341.htm), Deseret News (http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,405021210,00.html?), and Daily Universe (http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/39407). Cameos in the movie include Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner, Utah broadcaster Ruth Todd, and business mogul/JAZZ owner Larry H. Miller. Pop singer Maren Ord has been heard in a number of films (including "Thomas and the Magic Railroad", 2000), but makes her onscreen feature film debut in a supporting role as the R.M.'s little sister. In other HaleStorm Entertainment news, Kurt Hale's debut feature film, "The Singles Ward" reached a total box office gross of $893,957 this week, and is set to pass "Brigham City" next week to become the 3rd-highest grossing "LDS Cinema" film, after Davis' "The Other Side of Heaven" ($4.7 million box office) and Dutcher's "God's Army" ($2.6 million box office). HaleStorm's "Singles Ward" (with a production budget of about $425,000) already has the 2nd best box office to production budget ratio in the niche, after "God's Army" ($300,000 budget). (This is a good place to remind readers that "box office receipts" DO NOT equal "profits." Theaters and distributors take in a significant portion of box office receipts. A film whose production and advertising budget is matched by box office receipts is not yet profitable to investors -- a movie may need to take in 3 to 4 times the production budget in order to turn a profit. On the other hand, box office receipts are not the only revenue stream for movie. Video/DVD sales and rentals, as well as television rights, often make the difference between profitability and loss for a movie. Many movies also profit from licensing deals. But don't expect to see "Singles Ward" action figures any time soon.) T.C. CHRISTENSEN is currently in production on "A Pioneer Miracle", a short film about Latter-day Saint pioneers. Christensen is one of the most accomplished and prolific cinematographers in Latter-day Saint film history. He has been the D.P. on numerous Church videos and films, IMAX films, Feature Films For Families videos, and other projects. He was recently the co-director of the new Church-produced film "The First Vision," and the Kirtland Visitors Center film, both of which will debut at Church historic site visitor's centers in early 2003. TROY THROUGH A WINDOW is feature-length documentary recently completed by Brad Barber. The film should debut some time soon on television or in a film festival. Barber describes his film: "For his last film at school, Brad Barber decided to go home to Tennessee for Christmas break to try to answer some questions. He wanted to come to terms with the event that forever changed his Mormon family seven years earlier--when his idolized oldest brother announced he was gay. Since Troy came out, it seems as if a window now stands between him and the rest of family--making two distinct places which each side may see but can't always share. For Brad, interviewing his own family raised new issues to be addressed--How far can each side go to reach through the window and show acceptance to each other? The result is a challenging, emotional, and redeeming look at the effects of this complex, seldom talked about issue in his family." JAMES C. CHRISTENSEN RECEIVES CHESLEY NOM: [From Science Fiction News of the Week, http://www.scifi.com/sfw/current/news.html] Organizers have announced the nominees for the 17th annual ASFA Chesley Awards, named for astronomical artist Chesley Bonestell and recognizing excellence in fantastic and science fiction art in the year 2001. The Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists also presents the awards to people and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to ASFA and the science fiction and fantasy art community as a whole. The awards will be presented at this year's WorldCon, also known as ConJose, which takes place in San Jose, Calif., on Labor Day weekend. ASFA is an international organization of professional and amateur artists, art directors, publishing professionals, collectors and enthusiasts. In the category "Best Cover Illustration: Magazine", Latter-day Saint painter and BYU professor James C. Christensen has been nominated for his cover for _The Leading Edge_ No. 41, April '01. Christensen is the illustrator and co-author of the book _Voyage of the Beagle_, which was adapted to the odd and highly-underrated TV miniseries _Voyage of the Beagle_, starring Beau Bridges (2000). Also nominated in this same category is illustrator Jael (also a Mormon, I believe), for her cover for _Science Fiction Chronicle_, July '01. Jael is also nominated in the category "Best Color Work: Unpublished". Christensen is also nominated in the category "Best Product Illustration" for "Faery Tales" (fine art print for The Greenwich Workshop) - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 13:10:14 -0700 From: "Bill Willson" Subject: Re: [AML] Institutional Repentance Scott Parkin wrote: > snip A lot of people have a hard time with the fact that Church leaders are sometimes just plain wrong, and that fact tests their faith in very serious ways. But what good does it do us to condemn? We've learned better, so now the right answer is to move forward in the light of that new knowledge. > snip Amen to that! It is my understanding that humanity, and that includes the church, because when you really think about it, the church includes all people (we are all God's children) are here on earth 1.) to be tested; 2.) to be taught; 3.) to learn right from wrong and to work out our own salvation so that somewhere in the eternities to follow this mortal probation, we may become perfect. Only one was perfect here on earth and He made it possible for the rest of us to avoid justice and embrace mercy. If none are perfect, then it stands to reason the church is not yet perfect, only He who stands at the head, and whom we follow is perfect. That leader and head being Christ. So, . . . we have made mistakes, and will continue to make mistakes. This is part of progression. The only shame in a mistakes which leads to temporary failure is to let that shame and failure prevent us from learning from it and moving forward. We cannot be punished for the sins and or mistakes of our fathers, and dwelling on those mistakes and failures only holds our progress back. We need to take what truth we have today and move forward with it instead of pointing fingers back at the mistakes and errors of the past. Let's just get over it and move forward. Our prophets aren't always perfect, and we don't always understand perfectly what they have to share with us, which comes from God. Our prophets are the best source of truth we have other than our own limited access to the spirit of the Holy Ghost. All we can do is do our best, and trust in God's plan. No matter what the final outcome His plan will succeed, and it will be the perfect solution to the dilemma of mortality. He will succeed in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of mankind. Regards, Bill Willson - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 21:56:17 -0700 From: "jana" Subject: Re: [AML] Carol Lynn PEARSON, _Day Old Child_ (Review) The Pearson review was written by a non-AML-List-member so she can't answer your query. I don't have the book in hand right now, but if I recall correctly, it is an anthology of previously published poetry. If you're a big Pearson fan you should take a look at her series of gift books from Gibbs-Smith. She also recently co-authored a book with her daughter called _Fuzzy Red Bathrobe_. Jana Remy - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kellene Adams" To: Sent: Monday, August 05, 2002 11:17 PM Subject: Re: [AML] Carol Lynn PEARSON, _Day Old Child_ (Review) > I adore Carol Lynn Pearson's poetry and have (I think) every book she's > written. The poems quoted here are ones I've read. Is there any new poetry > in this book? > > Kellene R. Adams > > > > -- > AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature > > > - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 16:54:23 +1200 From: "Gordon Ryan" Subject: Re: [AML] Institutional Repentance Regarding Scott Parkin's treatise: "Maybe we have to decide most of this stuff for ourselves, and it's to our ultimate good to be forced to research and pray on our own rather than await an orthodox institutional pronouncement." This single statement perhaps encapsulates best my appreciation of the need for, and support of, personal revelation. As opposed to the various churches available where one can "shop around" for the pastor who offers an interpretation closest to what we are seeking, LDS can, after a period of study and meditation, come to a pretty good understanding of the "doctrine" surrounding any particular issue. Yet, free agency provides the medium whereby we can accept, or reject, that premise. Failproof? Of course not. But it leaves room for progression, as Scott also points out, including growth by the GA's. Gordon Ryan - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 16:58:34 +1200 From: "Gordon Ryan" Subject: Re: [AML] Jan Karon's Mitford Series Barbara wrote: why is everyone afraid any book with Mormons in it will be pushy? Like Amway, we have a reputation! Not certain, Barbara, but when I wrote the first volume of Spirit of Union: Destiny, I wondered if Deseret Book would accept a "good" Catholic character and a "bad" Mormon character. I did! So did they! Still, the "Amway" rep persists, doesn't it? Gordon Ryan - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 17:25:01 +1200 From: "Gordon Ryan" Subject: Re: [AML] Unsavory Etymologies [MOD: Welcome to the joys of AML-List, Gordon!] Eric wrote: "I think the F word isn't a swear word anymore. It's become casual conversational." Upon first subscribing to the AML list a couple of weeks ago, I was quite astonished to see the continuing thread regarding this particular word. Literature? Well, frequently used to punctuate literature, but value? Then I recalled something I had read fairly recently in researching for a particular military scene I was inserting into one of my manuscripts. And I thought back to when I first joined the Marine Corps, roughly three months AFTER joining the Church, (1962) What a combination! An LDS Marine! Anyway, the statement I read, in "Semper Fidelis: The History of The United States Marine Corps," does the word justice I think. The author, a reserve Marine Colonel and University professor states: "Always there was the word. Always there was that four-letter ugly sound that men in uniform have expanded into the single substance of the linguistic world. It was a handle, a hyphen, a hyperbole; verb, noun, modifier . . . It described food, fatigue, metaphysics. It stood for everything and meant nothing; an insulting word, it was never used to insult; crudely descriptive of the sexual act, it was never used to describe it . . . one could only surmise that if a visitor unacquainted with English were to overhear our conversations he would, in the way of Higher Criticism, demonstrate . . . that this little word must assuredly be the thing for which we were fighting." Fortunately, I learned much more from the Corps than this particular "modifier." But for a new member of the Church (who, during Basic Training one Sunday attended a Reorganized Church service, not knowing the difference) it was tough to learn a new jargon and exclude the primary additive. But forty years is a long time ago. I doubt the Corps has changed, despite electronic transmission of "the word." Gordon Ryan - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 17:30:13 +1200 From: "Gordon Ryan" Subject: Re: [AML] Jan Karon's Mitford Series Marilyn wrote: "These books are making thousands of dollars for their authors. And they are not perfect and probably not classics. Well, more power to them anyway! Marilyn Brown" Marilyn, are we circling back to "good books that go bust, and bad books that break the bank?" I haven't learned a lot in the eight years I've been writing, but I HAVE learned that there is no relationship between the two. BTW, I enjoyed Statehood half a dozen years ago! Gordon Ryan - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 22:46:02 -0600 From: "Eric D. Snider" Subject: [AML] R-Rated Movie Quotes [MOD: Okay to send it to AML-List, and I guess (gulp) that I'm willing to accept whatever appropriate discussion it may prompt.] Someone a while back mentioned a list they had compiled of general authority references to R-rated movies. I wonder if he or she might send it my way, or post it to the list, whichever seems more appropriate. I am trying to put together a form letter to send to people who write me asking, "How does an LDS film critic like yourself justify reviewing R-rated movies?" The short answer, of course, is, "None of your business." But I like to be more thorough than that when I can. Thanks, Eric D. Snider - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #795 ******************************