From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #839 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, September 25 2002 Volume 01 : Number 839 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 17:56:28 -0700 From: "Richard R. Hopkins" Subject: Re: [AML] "Religious Educator" Article on Creative Arts I hate to disagree with Ivan, but I'm in much greater agreement here with Eric. In fact, I highly commend his list as a lighthouse to teachers in this state, and the only route that will lead Mormon art to the level of quality we see outside the Mormon community. What is not obvious to some who have not lived outside Utah is the tremendously dampening weight of culture in this state. In saying that, please understand that I do not attribute this weight to the Church, nor it's General Authorities. I think they worry every time they say anything that, as it trickles down through the hierarchy and vibrates through the ranks of the "righteous in their own sight," what starts as solid and simple principles are routinely going to expand into art-numbing cultural rules, rules that far outstrip the original intent of their words. Take "R" rated movies for example. We all have weaknesses, but it is our individual responsibility to resist those in the face of worldliness. I know many people in the Church who will not see Gladiator. I tell them, it is no more "R" rated than the Bible. They say, "Yeah, but I only have to read the Bible." What is it with them? Don't they form a mental picture of what they read as powerful as anything they can see with their eyes? Well, maybe not, but I do. I thank the Lord that, in His writing, he did not spare us because of concerns over our cultural inhibitions. Life is what it is. If we pretend it is not, what are we doing? We might as well write sci-fi or fantasy! It is time that we took more care to identify the principles that are fundamental to us as Mormons, and separate from them the cultural mores that have evolved based on those mores. By this, I do not wish to encourage anyone to pursue something truly unrighteous. Nor do I believe Eric had such a goal in mind with his list. But there is a difference between frankly describing characters so they reflect the mores of our society and putting a glossy sheen on every personality in an LDS novel. Real people are not that glossy, and they are the more interesting for it. Richard Hopkins - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 16:19:39 -0600 From: Gideon Burton Subject: RE: [AML] Robert REMINI, _Joseph Smith_ (Review) An excellent review, Jeff. I met Remini when he visited and lectured at BYU to a sell-out crowd in Oct 2000. It sounds like his book has come out as even-handed and pleasant as he was in person. Thanks for writing the review. Gideon - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 00:57:47 -0700 From: "Jeff Needle" Subject: [AML] WORRALL, _The Poet and the Murderer_ (Review) [MOD: There are times when I wish these reviews could get a larger circulation than just AML-List...] Review ====== Title: The Poet and the Murderer Author: Simon Worrall Publisher: Dutton Year Published: 2002 Number of Pages: 263 Binding: Hardback ISBN: 0-525-94596-2 Price: $23.95 Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle Receiving yet another book about the Mark Hofmann affair is occasion for concern. What can be said that hasn't already been said? Why rehash the story, again and again? Hasn't the whole story been told? Author Simon Worrall doesn't think so. And, to be honest, his approach really is a bit different from the various books that have come from the presses. Students of American literature will welcome this volume; Latter-day Saints may not be as excited. Worrall begins his story, not in Salt Lake City, but on the east coast, in Amherst, Massachusetts, home of the Emily Dickinson Homestead. This seems like an odd place to begin, but maybe not so odd when you consider that Hofmann, by Worrall's count, forged the signatures and works of more than 130 people, Emily Dickinson among them. And it is the Dickinson forgery that leads Worrall on his journey from Amherst to Zion. Chapters 1-4 of this book deal mainly with the Dickinson forgery. Dickinson, a recluse and virtually unpublished during her lifetime, left a corpus of work that represented only a fraction of her actual output. She had ordered letters and poems destroyed upon her death. The publication of a hitherto unknown poem would be a great discovery. The story takes us, in some detail, from the "discovery" of the poem, through the machinations of Sotheby's auction house (who may have known it was a fake, but chose to present it as authentic), and finally to the disastrous uncovering of the fraud. The forger, of course, was Mark Hofmann, son of devout Mormon parents, devoted husband and doting father. Worrall uses the Dickinson forgery as a springboard toward understanding Hofmann. What moved him to embark on a career of lying, cheating, stealing, and finally murder? And here is where Mormon readers will blanch a bit. Worrall concludes that it is Hofmann's Mormonism that drives him. He presents Hofmann as a disillusioned returned missionary, a staggeringly bright young man who has come to believe that his religion, and his belief in the founder of that religion, are based upon lies and the rampant libido of its founder. This drives him to do whatever he can to disprove, and embarrass, the Mormon Church and the men who run it. That Worrall would turn this into a psychobiography of Hofmann is not surprising, in that he relies heavily on Fawn Brodie's biography for his understanding of the Prophet. Coming into the discussion from this perspective, and lacking a fundamental understanding of the Mormon religion (as we shall see), the result is predictable and unfortunate. Worrall sees Hofmann's Mormonness as the *cause* of his aberrations. And to do this convincingly, he must present a caricature of Mormonism in place of an accurate depiction. Selections from chapter five, "In the Land of Urim and Thummim," are illustrative of Worrall's approach to Mormonism, the Mormon people, and the Book of Mormon: The Mormon God is a God of order. And business. Mormons, more than any other Americans, believe that it is a religious duty to make money. (p. 65) Imagine a cross between Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and the most long-winded sermon you have ever heard -- the phrase "and it came to pass" occurs more than 2000 times -- and you have the Book of Mormon. Mark Twain called it "chloroform in print." But to the poor, uneducated people who flocked to Joseph Smith's banner, it offered a reassuring illusion, and a history lesson. (p. 69) Joseph Smith had what we would call today a sex addiction. (p. 71) By 1844, Smith's megalomania had reached its apex. He announced that he would run for president. He declared himself "King, Priest, and Ruler over Israel on earth." (p. 73) And so it goes. Other cites call Joseph Smith a liar, a cheat, a forger. One need not read very far to see Worrall superimposing his skewed view of Mormonism and its founder on to the person of Mark Hofmann, and thus providing a template for Hofmann's crimes. His argument might be more convincing if he'd bothered to get some of the plain facts straight. Consider the following: Polygamy was finally outlawed by the LDS church in 1890 under what is known as the Second Manifesto. (p. 89) "Second" Manifesto? This, of course, was THE Manifesto; the Second Manifesto came decades later. Athelia Call's [Hofmann's maternal grandmother] polygamous marriage had been officially sanctioned by the church but, because of the secrecy surrounding polygamy, had never been publicly acknowledged. In the Hofmann family the subject was taboo. A friend of Hofmann's grandmother had been excommunicated for talking about her own polygamous marriage, and Hofmann's mother, Lucille, refused to discuss the subject publicly, for fear of incurring a similar fate. (p. 89) Huh? Being excommunicated for discussing one's polygamous past? I've never heard of it, and there is abundant evidence to the contrary. In describing the lost 116 pages of the translation, he states: Also known as the Book of Lehi, it was described by Joseph Smith as "the cornerstone of our religion." (p. 147) Wasn't the *entire* Book of Mormon the "cornerstone of our religion"? Or was this cornerstone lost when the 116 pages were lost? Some of the first words a Mormon child learns to repeat are, "I swear that the Book of Mormon is true." (p. 93) What ward did Worrall attend where he heard *these* words? Other indications of unfamiliarity are sprinkled throughout the book. Curt Bench, of Benchmark Books, is alternately "Kurt" and "Curt," on the same page! And Deseret Book is consistently called "Deseret Books." Big deal? Nope, except that no one who has spent any time honestly exploring Mormonism would have made this kind of mistake. Some of his observations of Mormonism made me wonder whether I was just out of touch. For example: The LDS church has always been discomfited by Smith's well-documented polygamous liaisons. And in recent years there had been an attempt to whitewash the record by suggesting that, at the end of his life, Smith had been in the process of abandoning polygamy. (p. 108) Is this true? If so, I haven't heard about it. At times he seems to enter into the minds of his subjects, in a way that presents his views as established history. For example, in his discussion of the apostasy of William McLellin, Worrall reports Joseph Smith's reported reasons for expelling McLellin. But then: What Smith really hated was that McLellin had left the inner caucus of the early Mormon church with some deeply damaging insights into his former colleagues. (p. 192) How can he possibly know what Joseph Smith *really* hated? I suggest he cannot know this, and ought not to present his view as fact. Perhaps enough has been said on this subject to convince you that this book ought not to be used as a reliable reference to Mormonism or Joseph Smith. But what of the rest of the book? Frankly, it's fascinating. As already mentioned, the first four chapters deal with the Dickinson forgery. And it is a fabulous story, well worth reading. Chapters five through nine take us into the heart of Worrall's faulty understanding of Mormonism, but intertwines some good history about Hofmann's production of the Anthon Transcript, the Salamander Letter, and others. Worrall takes us through the steps necessary for producing a convincing forgery. We learn a bit about chemistry, inks, paper types, etc. This is not to mistake this volume for a handbook for the budding forger, but it does go to show just how painstaking the work was, and how dedicated Hofmann was to doing his best work. Interestingly, on page 85, Worrall credits lessons learned in BYU classes taught by Stephen Covey, and attended by Hofmann, for Hofmann's incredible work ethic. Given the wide circulation of the Covey books, I trust this was an isolated case. The narrative takes us through the agonizing story of Hofmann's successful sales to the Church, the esteem in which he was held, the access granted to Church documents. And this is just what Hoffman wanted -- access to the leadership. He wanted to show everyone that they were just human after all. When was this ever doubted? When did the prophetic calling ever guarantee perfection in every detail of life? Did Hofmann think that an anointed leader would also automatically be an art expert, a forgery detector? Do we not have sufficient evidence that the God allows leaders to make mistakes, if only to teach them larger lessons? One need only recall that the 116 pages of the Book of Mormon were lost because the Lord permitted Joseph Smith to engage in an act of disobedience. And what of Israel's desire for a king, resulting in the anointing of Saul, who was a disaster in his rule over Israel? Was this not also the result of the Lord allowing His people to go against His will? But readers may ask, given the above, how is it that the Church was fooled by Hofmann? Inspiration aside, how is it that they didn't immediately spot the forgeries? Worrall offers an explanation, and it merits consideration, both as a history lesson and as a caution: The hunger for hype, combined with a captive clientele, has created the perfect environment for what Samuel T. Coleridge called, in a different context, the willing suspension of disbelief. This operates just as powerfully with the purchaser. "There is an incredible desire on the part of people to believe that something they have published is real," Jennifer Larson ["a respected rare books dealer and former chairperson of the Ethics Committee of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America - page 47] said. "It is what you think you have and want to believe you have -- not what you really have -- that matters." Mark Hofmann knew this too. He once said of his Mormon forgeries that they were documents he felt could have been part of Mormon history. He also said that deceiving people gave him a feeling of power. More than greed, this hunger for power -- the power to shape and change history -- seems to be ultimately what drove him. His forgeries found willing buyers because they told stories people wanted to hear. (p. 55) And speaking of the Anthon Transcript, Hofmann's first work of Mormon forgery: Hofmann knew that to do a complete forensic examination, part of the document would have to be destroyed. And he rightly assumed that the Church would not take such a drastic course of action, in case the Transcript was genuine. He also knew that forensic tests can never be conclusive. They can detect signs of forgery. They can never conclusively prove authenticity. He also rightly assumed that the Church's desire to believe in this faith-promoting document would be so great that they would not subject it to a rigorous examination. He was right. After examining it for four months the LDS's manuscript experts declared that the Anthon Transcript was genuine. (p. 101) Is this correct? Was the Church's acceptance of the Anthon Transcript partly a result of wishful thinking? One really can't blame them -- what a find this was! And, to be fair, reasonable precautions were taken to ensure its authenticity. But, in the end, they were fooled. And to the degree that wishful thinking was a factor in their failure, the Church ought to exercise so much more caution, as it has since the Hofmann affair, when presented with such documents. Chapter 10 lets us take a breath, as Worrall gives us an abbreviated history of forgery. It's not a new crime; it's been around a long time. Reading this chapter gave me a nice perspective on the topic. The balance of the book takes us through Hofmann's financial troubles, the murders he committed to cover up his crimes, and his eventual conviction and imprisonment. It's a hair-raising tale of madness and desperation. It kept me reading into the night. I was fascinated that Hofmann was so dedicated to his craft. His forgeries became so numerous, and so exotic -- many reaching into the roots of our nation, letters ascribed to Presidents and statesmen, to literary figures and other notables. And with each success, his hunger for fame and money deepened and grew, until he finally found himself at the vortex of a Ponzi scheme -- using investors' money to pay off other investors. Before long he was facing bankruptcy, and worse. Suspicions grew, even his friends began to distrust him. And as the pressure grew, he finally resorted to murder, in an attempt to remove the one person who most threatened him, and then another murder to deflect attention from himself as a possible suspect. I'm not entirely sure whether I should recommend this book. The problem is credibility. And in "The Poet and the Murderer," there are two levels of credibility to consider: the broad subject of forgery as an art and as a crime, and the specific case of Mark Hofmann and the role his Mormonism played in the development of his character. As far as I can tell, Worrall really knows his stuff when it comes to forgeries and how they are produced. And he shows some facility with the Emily Dickinson story, which he returns to at the end of the book, to make these chapters worthwhile reading. But he loses credibility when he enters into the world of Mormonism. The few examples I gave -- there were more, but the ones cited should suffice -- do not encourage us to believe his other statements about the Church, about Joseph Smith. His errors are not the kind made by a careful scholar, but rather the kind made by a man who decided that the subject wasn't really worth his time. It isn't just getting a date wrong here and there, but it's an overall sloppiness, a narrowness, that stains the discussion. This credibility gap, in my opinion, undermines his central thesis sufficiently to wonder whether his motivation for writing this book should not be suspect. Did he write it to explore, explain and analyze Mark Hofmann and his forgeries? Or did he intend the book as a deconstruction of Mormonism as a religion, and Joseph Smith, as religious leader, in particular? Worrall's tone is at times mocking; at other times, he borders on the malicious. He clearly wants his readers to know he doesn't buy any of the Mormon faith. Worrall sees the Mark Hofmann saga through agenda-colored glasses. How much of his telling of the story is distorted by this agenda? Seasoned Mormon readers will have no problem picking apart the good meat from the spoiled. But the general public will find Worrall's telling to be at least titillating, and worst deeply disturbing. And, sadly, it is likely to reinforce stereotypes that continue to circulate. Perhaps someone will do a thorough refutation of the Mormon chapters. I'm glad to have the book. I've learned more about forgery as an art and a science from this book than from the other volumes I've read on the subject of Mark Hofmann. But relax, my talent is sufficiently spare to discourage me from ever putting any of these skills into action. - -------------------------------- Jeff Needle jeff.needle@general.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 09:59:32 -0600 (MDT) From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: [AML] Mormon Culture: Good & Bad Okay - here's a challange to all of us - I'll get the ball rolling. I hear a lot of condemnation "the culture" on this list. To me, it's an easy straw man that remains undefined. I find Mormon culture to be diverse, multi-faceted and generally good. Of course, I am a cultural conservative, so that changes how I view it, of course. But I'm asking all of those who constantly condemn "the culture" to be more specific. List the specific cultural practices you like/dislike. I doubt anyone thinks we should jettison Mormon culture in its entirity - so there has to be some good things as well. As for the literay tie-in - well, our cultural biases influence the art we create - it helps to understand Mormon art by understanding how artists view the culture. Here's my list of likes: 1. I know it possibly opens us up to more fraud, but I like the fact Mormons tend to be trusting. I really don't like overly cynical people - it's refreshing to be among people who actually trust each other. The world needs more of that. A Zion society will be built on trust, not on cynicism, IMHO. 2. I like the Michale McLean song "From my heart to yours" (do not confuse it with "from God's arms to my arms to yours" a song I don't particularly care for). Granted I don't like 90% of his work, but that song is in my top ten of best written songs of all time (#6 - between "Stairway to Heaven" (#5) and "The Boxer" (#7)) - and the only LDS pop song on my personal top ten. If McLean had existed only to write that song, he has had a worthwile existence. It's too bad the disdain for Mormon pop that exists is so strong many people will hate it before they hear it and not give it a fair listen. 3. I like the fact AML, Sunstone, Dialouge, FARMS and BYU studies can all exist. None of those (despite calims to the contraty by the first three) are truly outside Mormon culture. They are all very much a part of it. 4. I like the fact Mormons are often willing to help each other out. I have never been to a move where at least one other memeber of the ward didn't show up to help out. 5. I like the emphasis on community building that Mormons have. I could list more, but that should suffice for now. - --ivan wolfe - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 20:10:39 -0600 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: RE: [AML] Rachel Ann NUNES New Book Ah, yes, here's a relevant quote from her website: I left the company who published 14 of my 16 books (16 at this writing, that is), mostly because of the issue of respect, but also because of contractual and content differences. I felt strongly that it was time to move on if I was to be true to my stories and to my readers, as well as to myself and my career. I am striving to broaden the scope of my writing in both the LDS market and the national one. So far it has not been an easy change but a rewarding one. Everyone at CFI (the publisher of this book) has been really great to work with, and I thank them for their kindness and their quick job of getting this book published for my readers who have been anxiously waiting. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 09:57:21 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: [AML] Feeding Your Inner Gnostic I know when the world will end. I know the date of the day of judgment, = the specific moment in which the seventh seal will be opened, leading to = the Second Coming, the binding of Satan, and the Millennium. In fact, it = happened already. Sept 22, 2002 is the day of days, the beginning of the = end. The Enoch Calender makes it clear. I know this, because I was = there, one of the 144 lucky souls who heard, and saw, and partook of the = sublime ritual of the Feast of Trumpets. At least, I think so. It's all very confusing. Okay, what I'm about to tell you about really happened. I may not have = understood it all; in fact, I'm pretty sure I missed a lot. But I swear, = I'm not making anything up. This post is part theatre review, though what = I saw isn't theatre, and it's part book review, though I haven't read the = book, and it's very large parts cultural study. =20 So Friday night, I get a call from my sister-in-law--wife's sister--and it = turns out she has an extra ticket to this thing, because her husband, my = brother-in-law, suddenly can't go, and so, what did I think, did I wanna = go? My wife didn't, but hey, there was a dinner involved, with carrot = cake, followed by a lecture, I was told, on the Enoch Calender, which I've = never heard of. It sounded potentially fun and possibly very strange, and = so I went, met L, my sister-in-law, at this rec center in Orem. Turns out = it was very important that I go, not just because L had forked out fifteen = bucks for the ticket her husband now would not be able to use, but also = because there had to be exactly 144 people at this thing. They were = counting. =20 =20 Seems there's this guy, a computer geek/calender expert guy named John = Pratt. Very pleasant, genial fellow, looked maybe 55-60. We're all there = in the room and we're told we're there to participate in the Hebrew Feast = of Trumpets, only the Hebrew Feast of Trumpets was actually a couple weeks = ago, this is the Feast of Trumpets according to the Enoch calender. This = is a calender found in the Book of Enoch, not the truncated version we get = in Moses in the P of GP, but the apocryphal work Hugh Nibley got us all = excited about twenty five years or so ago. Now, I'm gonna try and explain = Pratt's beliefs, but I feel like I'm describing a movie to you that I = actually showed up an hour late for, and left after watching it for = fifteen minutes. Most of the people in the room (the other 143) have = clearly been followers of Pratt for years, while I've heard one brief = presentation, plus spent a couple hours on his website. =20 Basically, the stars form a giant celestial calender. God does things = according to a very specific chronology, which can be ascertained by = carefully watching patterns in the sky. A key to understanding all this = can be found in the Book of Enoch, in the calender described therein. And = the most important dates in the history of the world have all coincided = with holy days in the Enoch calender, usually, I gather, on the holy day = of a holy year. =20 There is, of course, a word for the practice of looking at the stars and = figuring out the future. That word is astrology. Pratt acknowledges this = on his website, but points out that ancient practices have their roots in = ancient truths. =20 So, based on this stuff, it turns out the First Vision actually took place = on 26 March, 1820, which is nifty because there are weather records that = suggest that was the only nice day in the Spring of that year. And it = also turns out that 22 Sept. 2002 is a big day, the Feast of Trumpets day = in the Year, Feast of Trumpets. Unless I'm going deaf, or crazy, Pratt = said directly that 22 Sept (yesterday, that is) was the day, der tag, the = day the seventh seal was opened, though he did point out that we might not = notice much change immediately, and that we still had ten years to repent. We then got to see a play. It wasn't a play; it was a mimetic representati= on of divine events, which according to our latest Victor Turner driven = understanding of such things means it was actually a ritual. It certainly = looked like a ritual. Program went as follows: 1) Pratt's wife sang 'Yo Ho, that I were an Angel."=20 2) Seven young guys wearing white shirts, slacks and robes came out, and = each blew a trumpet, or pretended to. They were Peter, the angel Uriel, = sounding the trump for the Celestial resurrection, Moses, the angel = Raguel, sounding the trump for the Terrestrial resurrection, Abel, the = angel Sariel, sounding the trump for the Telestial, Enoch, the angel = Raphael, trump sounding for the resurrection of the Sons of Perdition = (that dude got all the thankless tasks), Joseph Smith, the angel Phanuel, = sounding trump for the Gospel being sent to all, Noah, Gabriel, tooting = for the destruction of the wicked, and Adam, Mike, sounding taps. I gotta = say, BTW, I dig the names. Raguel--an absolutely divine pasta sauce. And = Phanuel, on the premise, I guess, that we're all Mormons and hence members = of the Joseph Smith phanuel club. =20 3) We all got to listen to a recording of Handel's The Trumpet's Shall = Sound. =20 4) Angels came back and pronounced individual blessings on us.=20 5) Satan showed up. Young dude dressed in tan slacks, a dark colored = shirt and tie, and a black robe, basically what I wear to teach Gospel = Doctrine, only without the black robe. Anyway, he showed up and mocked = 'em all for awhile (insert your own joke here), and then they took out a = key and a chain and locked him symbolically up and cast him out, hauled = him off. =20 6) We heard a recording of the Hallelujah chorus. 7) We all performed the Hallelujah shout. This is performed by shouting = Hallelujah three times, and . . . well, I can't tell you what else. = Suffice it to say that at least some of the people accompanied the shout = with an action. All I can say is that as an endowed member of the Church, = I found the action inappropriate in this context. =20 8) Closing prayer, and book sales. Yes, there's a book. It's called Divine Calenders: Astronomical Witnesses = of Sacred Events. It was on sale for twenty five bucks, so I didn't get = it. There's also a website: www.johnpratt.com I checked it out, and = read a few of the articles contained therein. A few comments. This isn't theatre, it's a ritual. And I thought it was pretty creepy. I = got a strong feeling this whole thing is veering into a cult type thing. = =20 I read some of the articles. Pratt cultivates an air of superior = knowledge, and of esoteric knowledge, which, if you mastered it, would = make you, well, smarter, more in-the-know than other folks. Would it make = you somehow special, extra holy, extra spiritual? I'm sure he would = disavow any such intention. =20 I think one of the reasons these kinds of things flourish in Mormonism is = that we all have a need to feed our inner gnostic. But when you read = Pratt carefully, you can see the special pleading, the quick dismissal of = inconvenient facts, the wresting of evidence, the questionable assumptions = assumed to be factual. To the degree that I'm still a scholar, it's = pretty horrid scholarship. =20 They're all real nice folks, I'm afraid. Whole room full of pleasant LDS = folks. I sort of felt right at home, and also weirded out. My sister-in-l= aw is really into this, and that worries me; like, they've canceled their = life insurance, because, hey, if the Second Coming is really in ten years, = what's the point? Satan was ritually bound on Friday, but this morning, I = checked out CNN.com, and I don't see much sign of it; no peace in the = Middle East, violence abounds, Dubya's still President. =20 I undoubtedly misunderstood quite a bit. Anyone here ever heard of this = guy? But one final comment: the Media depicts Mormons as very white = bread, bland, conservative, buttoned down, more than a little corporate. = If only they knew the deep and all abiding weirdness that lurks under the = surface of much of Mormon culture. =20 Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 22:15:27 -0600 From: "Travis Manning" Subject: Re: [AML] Truth & Responsibility in Writing Scott Parkin wrote: The thing I wrote on Monday was fiction,
though it was based entirely on real events, and I included no names because
in that case it wasn't the specific people I was trying to reveal so much as
the general attitude of giving....

Scott, are you saying your mud slinging adventure is fiction?  I don't quite understand.  How can it be fiction if it's being specifically reported about by an eyewitness and active participant such as yourself?  Your story sounded very nonfiction-like to me.  You may not have quoted individuals word for word from a taperecorder, but didn't you describe actual events, people, situations, memories?

Or, is your story akin to the former Elder Paul H. Dunn's exaggerated WWII stories?  It's sort of true, and it happened, or could have happened, to a soldier, somewhere--just not to Paul H. Dunn himself. . . .

Troubled in Spokane,

Travis K. Manning

"Men and women die; philosophers falter in wisdom, and
Christians in goodness: if any one you know has suffered
and erred, let him look higher than his equals for strength
to amend, and solace to heal." (Jane Eyre)

Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: Click Here
- -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 00:29:17 -0600 From: "Eric D. Snider" Subject: Re: [AML] Advice for LDS Cinema (SL Tribune) >Andrew Hall wrote: >> >> Free Advice to Help LDS Filmmakers Avoid Sophomore Slump >> >> BY SEAN P. MEANS > >> The best thing you can do for your >> movie is to rewrite the script a few times, polish it until it >> gleams. Here's the beauty part: Rethinking your script, if you >> do it before you start production, doesn't cost you a dime. > >> Assemble a professional crew. Alas, some LDS-themed >> movies I have seen were missing that certain something -- like a >> focus puller or a decent sound mix. > >Ah, where was Sean P. Means and his advice when _Singles Ward_ was being >made? Sean Means, along with all the other critics, was being ignored by the makers of "The Singles Ward" before, during and after it was being made. Eric D. Snider - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 01:32:06 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] _Charly_ (Film) (Review) Preston wrote: > > Thomas C. Baggaley, film composer and LDSFilm.com > co-webmaster comments on "Jack Weyland's Charly": > Walking away from the theater, I couldn't help but think > that "Charly" by all rights should have been the first > successful LDS Cinema film - nothing against "God's Army" of > course. It just should have been made into a film long ago. > That's how right they got it. "They" didn't have the courage to make _Charly_ the first LDS movie. Richard Dutcher is the one who had the courage to blaze the trail--to stick his neck out on the line. "They" made _Charly_ after it became safe to make LDS films. Under those circumstances, _Charly_ has absolutely no right to be the first LDS film, I don't care how good it is. A superhighway is a much more pleasant ride than a machete-hacked trail through the wilderness. But no one admires the construction crew of the superhighway. They admire the trail blazer. - -- 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 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 21:02:50 -0600 From: "Thom Duncan" Subject: [AML] GRAND OPENING of Center Street Theatre At long last, our long-held dream of opening an all-Mormon theatre has come to pass. We premiere this Friday, September 27, after surviving many starts and stops and skirmishes with the city (in all fairness, they were very nice to us considering we started the insprection process rather late). We open with My Turn on Earth, by Carol Lynn Pearson and Lex de Azevedo. Tickets are $10 General Admission (two dollars off for students with ID.) The show will run every night but Tuesday through October 26. The musical is directed by my long-time friend and partner (and fellow list member), J. Scott Bronson. The theatre is located at 50 West Center Street, Orem, two doors from Chuck-e-Cheese. - ---- Thom Duncan Nauvoo Theatrical Society in residence at the Center Street Theatre "Mormon artists exploring Mormon life through theatre" - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 07:15:40 -0600 (MDT) From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: Re: [AML] "Religious Educator" Article on Creative Arts > I think what Eric is referring to here is the tendency Mormons sometimes > have to assume that because someone shares their religion, they are by > default trustworthy. Not that Mormons are more or less likely to be > dishonest than anyone else, but that those crooks who *are* Mormon often > trade on the reputation our religion has. > Melissa Proffitt That would be fine, if Eric had said "Where people are more likely to be taken in by crooks." But he didn't say (or write) that. He said Mormonism is a culture where "crooks abound." Saying crooks abound is not the same thing as saying Mormons are more likely to be taken in by crooks. I feel there are no more crooks in mormonville than most other cultures - we're just more sensitive to it when it happens, so we make a bigger deal over it and so it seems like we have more crooks. - --ivan wolfe - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 08:19:45 -0600 (MDT) From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: Re: [AML] "Religious Educator" Article on Creative Arts > I hate to disagree with Ivan, but I'm in much greater agreement here with > Eric. > > Richard Hopkins I have no real problems with Eric's list - it just needed some clarification. As worded, it had a few problems - but none so bad I didn't agree with its basic principles, IMHO. I for one, see the culture of Mormonism as a good springboard to use in art - not something to be cast off and thrown away because some don't like it. That doesn't mean you can't be critical of it - go right ahead and be critical - but casting of entirely would be a mistake. There's good reasons Mormon culture has become what it is. Unless we want to argue that our theology is flawed, it played a part in creating the culture. - --ivan wolfe - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 08:57:49 -0600 From: "Rachel Ann Nunes" Subject: Re: [AML] Rachel Ann NUNES New Book > There's got to be a story behind this . . . . Rachel, are you still online > with us and able to elaborate? > > [Chris Bigelow] I'm still here. Yes, it's true, my newest novel has just come out with Cedar Fort. As for an explanation, all I can say is that Covenant and I had some differences of opinion. At the same time, I had some family, personal, and writing goals that I wanted to work toward, things I could not accomplish without making major changes in my life. After a lot of soul-searching about where I wanted to be in five or ten years, I realized I had to start moving out of the box in which I had become so comfortable. When the opportunity presented itself, I took the first step (always the hardest!). The path has not been easy, but then I believe that nothing worthwhile is ever obtained without difficulty. Thanks for your interest, Rachel _______________________ Rachel Ann Nunes (noon-esh) Best-selling author of the Ariana series and Twice in a Lifetime Web page: http://www.rachelannnunes.com E-mail: rachel@rachelannnunes.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #839 ******************************