From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #242 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 Monday, January 29 2001 Volume 01 : Number 242 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 01:34:11 -0600 From: "Rose Green" Subject: [AML] BARTHOLOMEW, _The White Dove_ Does anyone know if a YA writer named Lois Thompson Bartholomew is LDS? I picked up a book called The White Dove off the new book shelf today (publ. 200, Houghton Mifflin Company), and several things in it make me think maybe she is. It's a first novel, so she's probably not known in many circles. The book is about a girl whose king father abdicated in order to establish a democracy, but the democracy was later overthrown by a group of "royalists" (term mentioned several times in dialogue, reminiscent of "king men") and she was captured. The book is about her escape back to the rallying democrats. The guy who establishes himself as king is named Comnor (Com for short). One of the people the ex-princess ends up staying with on her escape says, "No one will hire me as a governess now. I might teach something subversive like all men are alike before God and no one is better than another, or that each man should work for his own living and not glut himself on the labors of others." Later she says, "It is a great celebration...There will be games, dancing and feasting. All free of course--paid for by the taxes Com has placed on us." The characters also do things like say a prayer at a burial and other times. None of the things I mentioned would stand out alone, but collectively (yes, in both dialogue and narration), they seem to sound "Mormon" to me. Am I crazy? Does anyone know anything about this author? Rose _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 09:03:35 -0700 From: Steve Subject: Re: [AML] Year in Review, Pt. 4 (LDS Web Magazines) on 1/25/01 8:20 PM, Andrew Hall at andrewrhall@hotmail.com wrote: > Meridian Magazine (www.meridianmagazine.com) is run by Marnie and Scott > Proctor, former editors of This People. Scot and Maurine Proctor ;-) Steve - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 09:20:34 -0700 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Dialogue List member Morgan Adair has the nameplate to his office door at Novell written in the Deseret Alphabet. Thom - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 09:26:25 -0700 From: "Tyler Moulton" Subject: Re: [AML] BARTHOLOMEW, _The White Dove_ >>> "Rose Green" 01/26 12:34 AM >>> Does anyone know if a YA writer named Lois Thompson Bartholomew is LDS? = =20 Yes, she is. I met her at a booksigning she did at BYU. I don't know = anything more about her--except I told her about AML, so she may be = listening. Tyler Moulton - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 09:33:12 -0700 From: Mike South Subject: [AML] Deseret Alphabet (was: Mormon Dialogue) William Morris wrote: > There's more to be had out there---a google search > will bring up links to a couple of guys who are > actually keeping the alphabet alive somewhat. There > are even computer fonts available that reproduce the > characters. If anyone is interested in seeing what the alphabet looked like, here's a page featuring the characters and describing the sound used for each: http://people.delphi.com/deseret/home/a-a-lett.htm - --Mike South [MOD: Apologies for not renaming this portion of this thread sooner. If we were still doing the archives manually, I'd be going in and renaming the messages that have already gone out on this topic. Sorry.] - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 10:00:29 -0700 From: "Richard R. Hopkins" Subject: Re: [AML] Michael RITCHEY, _Disoriented_ (Review) Michael RITCHEY, _Disoriented_. Review by D. Michael Martindale. Just guessing, but I think this book wasn't D. Michael's cup of tea. :-) That's too bad, but we've gotten favorable feedback on it from most quarters. Personally, I felt the plusses of the story outweighed its minuses. It has a fascinating plot (which you could sense from D. Michael's review), it moves well for the most part and it has some very inspiring moments. I also thought the villain was a fascinating character, quite apart from his backstory. Others who have reviewed it for us privately have said that they found the storyline so fascinating it made up for the writing flaws. The best reviews we've gotten on it, though, have come from the YA audience. That has been interesting. For those who are interested in the publishing process, we were entirely aware of the problems D. Michael pointed out. If we had had more time to edit the book before we had to get it in print, perhaps we could have worked some of them out, but on the whole, the feeling was that it worked best the way it was, for that particular author anyway. We're anxious to do better stuff, though. (BTW, we think Eric Samuelsen's and Linda Adams' books were particularly good examples of "better stuff.") The toughest thing I've had to do here is to get and train good editors. Everybody wants to be too nice. They aren't willing to get in and really help the author improve his story (assuming they could even figure out what it was about a story that needs improvement). So, D. Michael, how'd you like to come and do some editing for us? That was a very insightful review! Richard Hopkins - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 12:45:30 -0500 From: Tony Markham Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Dialogue Rose Green wrote: > Another distinguishing feature of the Utah accent to me (I was born in NJ > and grew up in Arkansas, by the way), is a very strongly pronounced "r." Rose's entry above reminds me of a time I was chatting with a fellow BYU undergrad, lounging around between classes in the HFAC. I, too, was raised (and born) in Arkansas and my accent is nearly identical with W.J. Clinton's, although in 1980 nobody had heard, or heard of him. The girl told me that I spoke English very well for a foreigner. Tony Markham - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 11:52:56 -0600 From: "Darvell" Subject: Re:[AML] Michael RITCHEY, _Disoriented_ (Review) "D. Michael Martindale" wrote: >DISORIENTED >by Michael Ritchey >1999 Cornerstone Publishing >Hard cover, 280 pages >$18.95 > > > Get Thee to a Writers Group, Ritchey > >I wish I had never read this book. I approach this review with greater >trepidation than any review I have written. I seriously considered never >admitting that I had read _Disoriented_, and not writing any review. But >integrity compels me to be honest and forthright with my reactions to >any significant LDS book I have read. I would want the same from others >when it comes to my writing. [..snip..] >D. Michael Martindale >dmichael@wwno.com Boy, Michael, I get the feeling that you didn't like this book! ;) I am very proud to say that _Disoriented_ was one of the best LDS genre novels that I have read thus far. Let me caveat that with the statement that I did think the characters were a shallow. But this isn't a story where the character need to change, or discover the purpose of life, or anything like that. It is an action/adventure story. It's a plot driven story and not character based -- like all of the James Bond movies. The characters are just the medium to tell the story. Who can deny that James Bond is nothing but a very shallow character? But I like James Bond movies. This novel made me think, it kept me entertained, and I _really_ liked it, throughout the entire book, not just parts of it. I must say that I predicted the ending and didn't really like how it turned out, but it was still good. I didn't love the book, but I did like it very much. It was a good read and I'd proudly recommend it. My father- and mother-in-law and sister-in-law all read it as well and couldn't put it down. There were a few things that bothered me, tho, like a .38 auto gun, where all .38's except a few rare ones are revolvers, but I could look past a few of these problems without losing too much of my suspension of disbelief. If Michael's review discouraged anyone from wanting to purchase this novel, then take courage in my recommendation. Read it for yourself and see. In contrast to Michael's words, I'm GLAD that I read this book! Darvell _____________________________________________ Free email with personality! Over 200 domains! http://www.MyOwnEmail.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 10:07:30 -0800 From: Jeff Needle Subject: Re: [AML] Michael RITCHEY, _Disoriented_ (Review) At 03:14 AM 1/26/2001 -0700, you wrote: >DISORIENTED >by Michael Ritchey >1999 Cornerstone Publishing >Hard cover, 280 pages >$18.95 > > > Get Thee to a Writers Group, Ritchey >Which reminds me. Someone needs to take Ritchey's box of exclamation >marks away from him. He keeps spilling them all over his manuscript. I very much appreciate this review. I came close to purchasing this book. I may hold off having read your summary. The comment above should be laminated. I'm reading (or rather, plodding through) a book by a man named Newell titled "World History for Latter-day Saints -- Vol. 1." He also fills his book with exclamation points, and clearly doesn't realize how distracting they are. When I'm finally through with the book, I'll post a review. It's a real oddity, and merits some comment. - --------------- Jeff Needle jeff.needle@general.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 12:10:31 -0700 From: Scott and Marny Parkin Subject: Re: [AML] BARTHOLOMEW, _The White Dove_ Here's the news article that ran on AML-List last August when the book came out: [From Mormon-News] New LDS Writer's Character Relies on God PROVO, UTAH -- Lois Thomas Bartholomew's book, "The White Dove," has everything "Harry Potter" does not: a character who relies on her faith in God. The inspiration for Bartholomew's heroine, Tasha, came from a dream she had one night. "I had a dream about a woman and a girl running from someone and hiding in a shed," Bartholomew said. Tasha is a princess who watches her father abdicate his throne for the sake of democracy. Tasha's father is threatened by Comnor, a man who overthrows the people's elected leader, Marko. Tasha and her small group of followers flee King Comnor and struggle to rejoin Marko. "It is an exciting book. I am a mother, so I am often tired. I think, 'I will read just a few pages.' Then I start reading and I can't put it down," said Bartholomew's daughter-in-law Amy. The book was written with a theme for a national young audience of readers with themes that promote Bartholomew's Mormon's beliefs. "Being a Mormon, my mother has put some underlining themes that you don't see in other books for children, like a faith in God," Ruth Bartholomew said. "There are certain things worth sacrificing for: family, your country and freedom," Lois Bartholomew said. "The White Dove" is Bartholomew's first published novel. She is working on a sequel to "The White Dove." There are also plans for a boy's adventure book. "It is important for BYU graduates and LDS authors to publish to national audiences. We have a responsibility to do good in the world," Lois Bartholomew said. Source: Local writes her own children's book BYU NewsNet 12Aug00 A2 http://newsnet.byu.edu/show_story.cfm?number=10622&year=current By Kami Cook: NewsNet Staff Writer >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ Send join and remove commands to: majordomo@MormonsToday.com Put appropriate commands in body of the message: To join: subscribe mormon-news To leave: unsubscribe mormon-news To join digest: subscribe mormon-news-digest - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Jan 1997 20:51:24 -0700 From: "mcnandon" Subject: [AML] RE: Mormon Dialogue Having been railed on and thoroughly chastised for _coming into an area and making fun of the way people talk_ may I make a final comment in my defense. I was born and raised in *this area* and I attended college at BYU, Utah State and Weber State. People choose the way they talk. My friend from England has an elegant English accent that she chooses not to use. Another friend moved to Texas for one year and picked up a Texas accent that she continues to use 20 years later. My children and I lived in Texas for 25 years and although we love Texas and consider ourselves Texans, we choose not to speak with a Texas accent. I don't care how people speak, except when it applies to theater. I believe in *excellence in theater* and it is annoying to me to see someone on stage portraying a well-educated, cosmopolitan person using their regional accent. It makes me feel that they are not giving their best effort. Yes, this is my problem and since I am a theatre-goer and an actor, I must deal with it. I support all theater and I will continue to do so, but I can't help but wish it was different. Nan P. McCulloch - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 13:07:18 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] BARTHOLOMEW, _The White Dove_ Will someone please inform us as to who the publisher is? Thanks much. Marilyn Brown - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 13:17:39 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Regionalism (was: Mormon Dialogue) I loved to hear Michael say maybe the time will come when we don't have to hope/wish/pray/beg for New York to accept our literature or our culture. Exactly! I'm assuming the time has already come. I know I've butted heads with New York and they are a foreign country. They just CAN'T publish our stuff--they would be laughed off. I know some reviews laughed at God's Army. Oh well. It was great, and we Mormons are more numerous now. My goal in life is to produce our stuff and make it REALLY GOOD. Thanks, Michael. Marilyn Brown - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 12:21:48 -0800 (PST) From: plus two Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Regionalism - --- "D. Michael Martindale" wrote: > As some Mormon authors yearn to be accepted by the > New York > establishment, the above quote makes me wonder if an > alternate route > won't prove more effective in the long run. I don't > think we're quite > used to just how cosmopolitan the Church is > becoming--especially those > who grew up in Utah and always thought of the Church > _as_ Utah (plus > "the missionary field," which means "everywhere but > Utah"). - ---And--- > I wonder if the time will come when we don't have to > hope/wish/pray/beg > for New York to accept our literature or our > culture. I wonder if the > day will come when we will be dictating some > publishing trends. Again I > point to _God's Army_ as a role model. Dutcher > didn't wait around > hoping/wishing/praying/begging for Hollywood to > accept him. And he did > okay. I think that D. Michael has really hit on something that I only hinted at----the future strength of Mormon literature (and probably all LDS artistic production) should lie in the fact that the combination of regionalism (based on Mormonism as a religious culture) and cosmopolitanism (based on the wide range of local cultures where Mormons are to be found) can create a fascinating hybrid effect----a wide field for artistic production, grounded in Mormon history, theology and cultural practice but reflective of the Mormon experience in its various locales (Minnesota, Romania, Oakland). This wide field has been very fruitful for LDS science fiction, and I think that there is evidence that it is providing excellent fodder for literary fiction as well. Although I am not the best judge of this since my exposure is limited---it remains a problem being out on the West Coast. [Even though there is a significant Mormon population in the Bay Area, access to works remains difficult, especially if you can't afford to buy a lot of books---I'd love to create a regional library of Mormon literature based near the Oakland temple. Yes, I know Inter-Library Loan is available, but it can be unwieldy and the fines often pile up because I forget due dates.] Of course, for things to really take off, the market for LDS publishers needs to continue to mature and grow. This is where publication like _Irreantum_ come in. For growth, you need exposure, and for exposure you need venues that feed readers into specific titles (i.e. reviews, author profiles etc.) My family members are avid, sophisticated readers who have stayed away from the Mormon fiction market because they still see it as producing inferior product. However, when I saw them over the holidays, I came bearing the latest issue of _Irreantum_ in hand and my parents and brothers and sisters all looked at it rather hungrily. They all especially wanted to read the Richard Dutcher interview (even though none of them had seen the film they had all heard of it and wanted to see what he had to say). So to get back to what D. Michael mentioned in his post, I too think that the 'alternative' route is a good one, and I'm seeing more and more signs that it is possible. Now I just hope that it can be steadily sustained on all ends (production, publishing, distribution, review and news) for a while. ~~William Morris, who is right now working at University PR, so while this isn't my preferred career track, who knows, I could become the first Mormon literary super agent. Watch me spin, baby! Press release and book tour, anyone? __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - Buy the things you want at great prices. http://auctions.yahoo.com/ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 10:36:43 -0700 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: [AML] First Attempts to Be a Writer How about: "Thy lusts and passions wither cold, especially since I've grown so old." Roy Schmidt HA! Love it. Maybe you should just go ahead and finish the poem, Roy. Or maybe that does finish it. Sharlee Glenn glennsj@inet-1.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 13:54:05 -0700 From: Thom Duncan Subject: [AML] Re: Michael RITCHEY, _Disoriented_ (Review) I've not read the book, and having read D. Michael's review, I don't intend to. Let me tell you why. Sure, the book may have a nice plot, it's characters need not to well-drawn (My own Moroni Smith isn't the deepest character in LDS fiction). But there are certain truths in regards to writing modern fiction that only the greats can break and not pay the price. One of those is the sparse use of exclamation points. Another is the overuse (or the use at all) of flashbacks. Every book on writing I've ever read seems to agree that a writer who has to resort to flashbacks isn't telling his story from the right starting point. And explanation points (like the too often use of adverbs) is a glaring mark of amateurishness. The existence of these two elements alone tells me that, one, the author is too new and inexperienced for my time. His story may be marvelous despite all that; he may be a genuis who, like Charles Dickens, doesn't understand grammar or punctuation but whose story-telling skills are worth the clunky prose. He may have found a way, in the face of the hundreds of failed examples preceding him, to use extensive flashbacks to his advantage. If so, I'll wait for other reviewers and perhaps history to confirm that fact and then I'll read the novel. At this point, I'm not willing to invest the money in a book that shows such signs of being so amateurish. Thom - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 14:40:37 -0800 (PST) From: "R.W. Rasband" Subject: [AML] "The Big KSL Holiday Broadcast" (Musical) (Sorry this review is belated--but here it is before January ends, at least:-) I was only vaguely aware of the Provo Theatre Company when I received as a gift tickets to the Christmas show "The Big KSL Holiday Broadcast: A Musical Salute to the Golden Age of Radio (it ran from Nov. 24-Dec. 30.) They have a nice little theater in a renovated old church in downtown Provo. The revue was presented as a sort of "Prarie Home Companion"-ish radio broadcast from church-owned Salt Lake City station KSL-AM that spanned the years from the stock market crash to the end of the Second World War. The lively music of the era alternated with comedy bits and news items from that time. The non-musical material was compiled by the director, Tim Threlfall, and Dean Hughes, who should be very familiar with the subject because of his LDS-themed novels dealing with the war. It was a very enjoyable evening of theater with a thoroughly professional cast. I mean it as a compliment when I say it was the most perfect old-fashioned "roadshow"-type presentation I've seen in a long time. The standout cast members were Daniel Law, (very funny as Jack Benny and Charlie McCarthy), and pretty Amy Ashworth, who delivered the sizzling tune "Hit Me With a Hot Note and Watch Me Bounce." One particularly amusing moment came when the news reported that the Democrats once again dominated the local elections, especially in Utah County (although some in the audience didn't seem to find this very funny--a reminder of how much some things change.) My immediate reaction to much of this was to reflect how ephemeral popular culture is. Who now remembers Fibber McGee and Molly, Lum and Abner, or even Jack Benny and Will Rogers? Fifty years from now our grandchildren will shake their heads in incomprehension at the mention of Dave Letterman or Jay Leno. Visiting the past must be like landing on the surface of the moon: alien, but in some ways strangely familiar. The most jarring "alien" thing about the evening was how innocent it all was. Remember, these 16 years were the worst in American history (if you don't count the Civil War.) And yet the comedy and music reflect only in the most oblique way the anguish the country was going through. But that is a recurring theme in human nature--remember the good, forget the bad. I'm sure it rings true in conservative Utah County. From now on I will keep an eye open for future productions from Provo Theatre Company. It may be their next shows won't be so conservative--in the past they put on David Mamet's "Oleanna." Mamet in Provo--now that would have been something to see. ===== R.W. Rasband Heber City, UT rrasband@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - Buy the things you want at great prices. http://auctions.yahoo.com/ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 15:11:28 -0800 (PST) From: "R.W. Rasband" Subject: Re: [AML] SAMUELSEN, _What Really Happened_ (Performance) I attended the Saturday night performace and was quite impressed. Eric's work featured subjects and language that I'm sure haven't been seen much on BYU stages, and that's all to the good. The cast was first-rate; the production easily compared to anything put on at the U. of Utah's experimental Babcock Theater (although I doubt Eric's ethically challenging play will soon be produced there, because of its perceived politics. Eric calls himself a liberal, but I would classify this play as part of the "consevative avante-garde"--David Lynch and Tom Wolfe also produce stylistically adventerous work that has a morally tough, even traditional core.) "What Really Happened" does echo a little of Mamet and Labute, although Samuelson has a more observable sense of humor. In the discussion afterwards, he indicated he might take out some of the laughs in the first act. I think this would be a mistake. We need to begin to identify early on with the characters so we can be sucker-punched in the second act by their despicable acts. Readers of this list will know that Eric is a very funny guy; what was interesting to me was the deeply serious uses to which he puts his comedy. I really hope this play gets a larger audience; I also hope this is the beginning of an encouraging trend of artistic courage at BYU. ===== R.W. Rasband Heber City, UT rrasband@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - Buy the things you want at great prices. http://auctions.yahoo.com/ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 16:00:23 -0700 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] SAMUELSEN, _What Really Happened_ (Performance) Linda asked: >Can I read it? I'd be happy to make this available on the List, if no one objects. Or I = could just email it to Linda, if you don't mind a hundred page file = showing up. What do y'all think? Eric Samuelsen [MOD: I'm willing to put it up on the List if there's interest in using this as a jumping-off point for discussing artistic trends among Mormon artists, a la R. W. Rasband's recent post. Or people can e-mail Eric individually for a copy, although he informs me that he'll be out of town for a week. As a general rule, we've tried to keep AML-List from becoming either a critique group for works in progress or a publication outlet for creative work--not because those things are negative in the least, but because they're not central to the purpose of the List as currently constituted, and could easily change the tenor of the List. However, we do occasionally allow posting of creative works either as a prompt for discussion (not critique), as an illustration, or as an aside... Anyway, I'm willing to do it this time if there's interest, or we can handle it the other way and let people contact Eric directly.] - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 18:16:08 EST From: Turk325@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] First Attempts to Be a Writer In a message dated 1/26/01 4:13:46 PM, glennsj@inet-1.com writes: << How about: "Thy lusts and passions wither cold, especially since I've grown so old." Roy Schmidt HA! Love it. Maybe you should just go ahead and finish the poem, Roy. Or maybe that does finish it. >> Could we drop the "so" to maintain the meter? "Thy lusts and passions wither cold, especially since I've grown old." Kurt. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 16:24:24 -0700 From: "Annette Lyon" Subject: Re: [AML] First Attempts to Be a Writer Can't resist this one. I don't remember my earliest attempts (I've been writing since I can remember), but I know my first attempted novel was in either first or second grade and titled, "Mean Marvin the Mouse," about a mouse who pulled the girls' (girl mice) hair at school. In third grade I turned to helping hamsters escape in "Richmond's Runaways." Almost everything was anthropomorphic back then. The first peek into successul was a non-fiction book I wrote when I was eleven called, "Helpful Hints for Kids." My mother told Ardeth Kapp about it, gave it to her, and Deseret Book actually considered publishing it. (I was told later they decided not to because they didn't think it had enough of an audience, which they probably didn't back then.) Instead, The Friend magazine decided to do a "Friend to Friend" piece on me and my book. We were living in Finland at the time, but we came home the month it came out, so the headline wasn't accurate when it said, "Meet Annette of Helsinki, Finland." Fun stuff. Annette Lyon - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 16:20:47 -0700 From: Barbara@techvoice.com (Barbara R. Hume) Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Dialogue > People choose the way they talk. This is an interestin' idea. I'm not sure it works all the time, though. Just today I noticed that I was leavin' the final "g's" off the verbs I was usin'. That's the way I grew up talkin', and I hate it, but sometimes it sneaks up on me. I think it makes me sound like a hick, but there it is. I notice that my grandsons, born and raised in Utah, come down so hard on that final "g" that it sounds almost like a "k"; while I'm goin' somewhere, they are goink somewhere else. I know that one's childhood accent is supposed to return under stress, but if you have a suggestion for doin' away with those old habits, I'd be pleased to hear about it. I'd also like to knaow haow to stop raollin' those vaowels araound and araound in my maouth before I let 'em come aout. barbara hume - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 16:27:15 -0700 From: Barbara@techvoice.com (Barbara R. Hume) Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Regionalism This comment makes me think of that Western movie in which Gene Wilder was a Polish rabbi who came to the American west to marry, and Harrison Ford was the outlaw who befriended him. Wilder's rabbi found himself in an alien culture that bewildered him, but the strength of his faith carried him through. And when he reached the Jewish community, he joined with the people there who shared his beliefs and his cultural heritage, symbolized by the wedding ceremony with the crushed wineglass and everything. (I do find it hard to imagine marrying Gene Wilder when Harrison Ford is standing right there, but it was a movie. . . . .) I can envision something like that with a Mormon protagonist. Not sure I could write it, though. barbara hume >I think that D. Michael has really hit on something >that I only hinted at----the future strength of Mormon >literature (and probably all LDS artistic production) >should lie in the fact that the combination of >regionalism (based on Mormonism as a religious >culture) and cosmopolitanism (based on the wide range >of local cultures where Mormons are to be found) can >create a fascinating hybrid effect----a wide field for >artistic production, grounded in Mormon history, >theology and cultural practice but reflective of the >Mormon experience in its various locales (Minnesota, >Romania, Oakland). - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #242 ******************************