From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #274 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, March 7 2001 Volume 01 : Number 274 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 15:07:26 -0700 From: Eileen Stringer Subject: [AML] Query about AWP I received an invitation from AWP - The Associated Writing Programs to join their program. It was a Direct Mail invitation and I just wanted to know if anyone had heard of this group, what they are all about and any other pertinent information. You may contact me off list if our moderator determines that this may not be conducive to this list. [MOD: Fine for here--discussions of various writing programs are of great interest to many of our members, and have a pretty close link to Mormon lit--i.e., the production of by us...] Thank you, Eileen Stringer eileens99@bigplanet.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 14:57:41 -0700 From: Eileen Stringer Subject: Re: [AML] Agents/Editors Open to Mormon Material > As promised, following is the list of agents and editors who read my > query letter about "Confessions of a Mormon Missionary" and asked for > the manuscript, indicating an openness to Mormon-oriented material. Thank you Chris. > By the way, someone offered the AML enough of a donation to put all > the following people on Irreantum's mailing list for a year to receive > copies, so maybe some of these agents and editors will scan issues for > interesting writers. I think this is a very noble and valuable undertaking and would be willing to donate toward extending the subscriptions past a year. Eileen eileens99@bigplanet.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 17:05:39 -0700 From: Melissa Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] In Defense of YA Literature At the risk of daring to address someone who ACTUALLY WRITES young adult fiction.... :) On Mon, 5 Mar 2001 10:59:49 -0700, Sharlee Glenn wrote: > But the other day someone asked me for a >recommendation for a really great read, and I told them to get _Holes_, = by >Louis Sachar. It's found in the juvenile/YA section of the library. = Too >bad, because as a result most adults won't read it, and that will be = their >loss. This is true. When I recommend YA books to adult readers, usually I get very funny looks and comments like "Isn't this a kid's book?" Most = people don't realize the kind of fiction that is being produced in this genre, = or that the mark of the best young adult fiction is its lasting appeal to people of all ages. But examine your last statement--that adults won't read YA fiction = because of the library placement--in light of what it means to science fiction = and fantasy. Ivan is right about how many libraries handle SF. More than a = few of them shelve most, if not all, of their SF in the YA section. The implication of this policy is clear: SF is *by definition* not something adults would read. In fact, this denigrates not only the SF genre but = the YA genre as well, by implying that such books are something one outgrows, and happily so. I happen to agree with Ivan about some of Orson Scott Card's books being incorrectly classified as YA. It's not that I wouldn't give them to my teenaged children, assuming I had any--after all, I was a teen when I discovered _Ender's Game_. I am simply not content to let only the protagonist's age define a book as either YA or not. It's an important factor, but not the only one. There's a difference between "books a = young adult can read" and "YA books." We briefly discussed Barbara = Kingsolver's _The Poisonwood Bible_ on this list a while back; the protagonists are = all teens or younger for most of the book, but does that make it a YA title? Not at all. And you won't see it shelved as such in any store or = library. One of the best classes I took at BYU was on adolescent literature. (It = was made doubly interesting because the textbook cited the Mesa Public = Library for their excellent YA section, something I heartily applaud--what a = great library!) I wish I could remember everything we talked about, because = there were several other factors that made a book a YA title. The ones I remember, aside from the age of the protagonist, were: *protagonist having to solve problems on their own, without adult help *emphasis on age-specific problems *a simple plot and since I'll get jumped on for that last one, let me emphasize that = simple does not mean EASY or JUVENILE (in the pejorative sense); it means straightforward, usually just one major plotline, and any complexity is going to arise from interpreting that plotline, not from interweaving several plots. These are generic characteristics, and any given YA novel may ignore one or all of them, but they offer a more specific picture of what a YA book looks like. =20 Read Jerry Spinelli's _Maniac Magee_. Read Louise Plummer's _A Dance for Three_ (please, if you read no other YA this year, read this one!). Read John M. Ford's _Growing Up Weightless_, which may be the best SF coming = of age novel ever written, even though the ending is slightly = unsatisfactory. Toss aside all the dreck that is published as adult fantasy these days (well, not David Farland) and read Garth Nix and Margaret Mahy and = Patricia McKillip's early stuff and absolutely everything ever written by Diana = Wynne Jones. These are not the sort of books you give children. These are written for thinking, intelligent, well-read people of all ages. Read a good YA title. Pass it on to your adult friends. Don't wear dark glasses when you venture into the "children's" section of the library. = It's not too late to keep the python of old age from swallowing you entirely. Melissa Proffitt - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 17:13:38 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Agents/Editors Open to Mormon Material Chris, thank you so much for this list! I see several I have already worked with. I think if we bombard the market in numbers, some of the "spaghetti is going to land on the wall." Thanks! Marilyn - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 17:28:34 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] A Mormon Criticism I had to read this three times to get it! Duh. Marilyn (Do fly over, Terry!) - ----- Original Message ----- From: Scott Tarbet To: Sent: Friday, March 02, 2001 2:13 PM Subject: RE: [AML] A Mormon Criticism > > Thank you for the invitation. I will certainly consider writing a > > paper for next year's conference. I'm not sure about how to charter a > > flight from South Jordan to Salt Lake City, but I'll look into it. > > > > -- > > Terry L Jeffress > > Easy. I'll come fly you from Salt Lake #2, which is down by you, up to Salt > Lake #1, which is within the city limits. Hope you like *small* planes. > > -- Scott Tarbet - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 20:03:20 -0500 From: "Tracie Laulusa" Subject: RE: [AML] Awards at the Conference Well, if adults want to be stuffy and not read something that they *think* may be beneath them just because it's on a different shelf, that's their unintelligent loss. It is not, however, just a matter of what the librarians do or do not do-at least to my understanding. It is a publisher decision. OSC is a big name now, so perhaps his books would be published in the adult category no matter what the age of the protagonist. By and large, however, if the protagonist is not an adult, a publisher that publishes for adults does not want to see it. A writer researching markets will send their manuscript to the publisher most likely to publish that type of piece. Youth protagonist-YA market. Adult protagonist-adult market. I know there are those on the list much more knowledgeable in the ins and outs of publishing. Perhaps they could shed more light on the subject. Tracie L. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 22:21:10 -0700 From: Scott and Marny Parkin Subject: Re: [AML] Children's/YA Lit by Mormon Authors (was: Awards at the Conference) Sharlee Glenn wrote: >The fact that no award was given in the juvenile/YA category this year >(together with the fact that it hasn't been given since 1998) caused quite a >stir in the children's writing community. One well-respected member of that >community went so far as to post this on the utahchildrenswriters listserv: >(quote): "My advice to LDS writers of books for children or teenagers: >don't waste your time with AML. They're not interested, and they won't >appreciate the work you do." (end of quote) I'm sorry that people are upset, and I can't argue that they don't have a right to be. All I can say is that I'm trying, and I apologize to both the AML and the juvenile/YA community for my failure to make an award this year. I can't comment to prior years, but this one *was* mine. >(This first list was provided by Rick Walton, LDS picture book writer >extraordinaire!) >(This next list was provided by Chris Crowe, YA writer and Professor of >English at BYU. Thank you for the marvellous list. This is an absolutely invaluable resource for me, and I will start soliciting titles from publishers immediately. Three quick notes... First, I can't make up for past years, but I will certainly make sure that all the books published during my watch (1999 - present) are made available to the judge for consideration. Second, we can't recognize all worthy books. The judge will select a small number of titles to be awarded. I know some will feel slighted that their titles are not recognized, and I can only remind that any set of awards must be limited and subjective. But the effort will be made, and the books will be considered. I promise that. Third, lists like these are the only way I can have any hope of knowing what's published by or for Mormons in this market. I desperately need the help of those of you who know what's been published, and can recommend specific titles that I can chase down and obtain copies of. A general plea to whoever is reading out there... PLEASE SEND ME TITLES OF ANYTHING THAT YOU THINK IS WORTH READING. THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH SENDING ME THE TITLES OF YOUR OWN BOOKS! Feel free to send those privately; then again, there's nothing wrong with posting them on the list, either. [MOD: Amen!] >Chris includes here only those LDS YA authors who have >published in the national market. There are twice as many publishing in the >LDS market. We'll provide you with a list of those at a later date) Thank you. I will be soliciting titles from the major LDS publishers, but I would appreciate such a list to make sure that I have all the titles. >We will provide you with a list of middle-grade authors and YA and picture >book authors publishing in the LDS market at a later time. Cool. Thank you for your good work. Scott Parkin AML Awards Coordinator [scottparkin@earthlink.net] - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 23:03:03 -0800 From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] FARLAND, _Wizardborn_ On Sat, 3 Mar 2001 08:46:58 -0700 Marny Parkin writes: > Book three of the Runelords series, WIZARDBORN, is now in the > stores. > > Also, Ottakers bookstores in England is initiating a David Farland > fantasy writing contest. Details will be posted at Runelords.com > as they become available. I got my middle son, Andrew, copies of The Runelords and The Brotherhood of the Wolf for Christmas, and my oldest son, Mason, read them. He told me last night he had sent Wolverton a letter, said some nice things, and Wolverton wrote back, saying he was going to use the comment in some advertising. Mason's writing a fantasy novel that is somewhat reminiscent of Farland, but he'd never heard of Wolverton before reading The Runelords. Says he hopes to have it finished and off to a publisher before leaving on his mission this summer. He's posted 4 chapters on his website, http://www.geocities.com/land_of_tur/, and says he may have the fifth this week or next. He plans to move the site soon because of some policy changes at Geocities. Harlow S. Clark ________________________________________________________________ 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/tagj. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Mar 2001 08:35:02 -0700 From: Gideon Burton Subject: RE: [AML] Children's/YA Lit by Mormon Authors Sharlee-- Thanks for the great list of Children's/YA Lit! I'll make sure this gets put into the Mormon Literature Database which is currently under revision. It's high time we knew more about these authors and titles--especially given their strong national publishing! Gideon Burton - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Mar 2001 10:31:54 -0700 (MST) From: katie@aros.net Subject: Re: [AML] LUND, _Kingdom and the Crown_ (was ADAMS, _Prodigal Journey_) Quoting LuAnnStaheli : > Katie, > I have read Gerald Lund's first installment in the Kingdom and the Crown > series, > and actually almost every quote by the Savior is just that, a direct > quote from > scripture. The only exceptions I noticed were chitchat moments that we > all have: > Hellos/Goodbyes, etc. I was not a fan of the Work and the Glory--never > even > finished it--but surprisingly I really enjoyed this one. > Lu Ann Staheli > Interesting. I probably should have guessed it would be like this. I have been leery of picking up this book because I really don't want to see the Savior fictionalized to the extent that Joseph Smith et. al. are in _The Work and the Glory_. But I should've known Lund would stick to his facts like this. - --Katie Parker - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Mar 2001 10:35:24 -0700 From: Margaret Young Subject: [AML] Re: In Defense of YA Literature (was: Awards at the Conference) At the AML Conference in 1999 (?), Dean Hughes made some wonderful comments about authors of children's books (he being one, though he is currently most famous for the _Children of the Promise_ series). I wonder if we could get a summary of his acceptance speech for novel given in 1999 (check when his novel won). It was funny, poignant, and really spoke to the issue children's writers confront in being considered "less than" writers of adult fiction. [MOD: I'd certainly be willing to post such a thing on the List, if (a) someone can get it to me in plain text format, and (b) we get permission to do so.] - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Mar 2001 11:03:22 -0700 From: "Christopher Bigelow" Subject: RE: [AML] Agents/Editors Open to Mormon Material We would welcome such a donation at any point you see fit to send it. = Please earmark it as "agent/editor subscriptions" so the treasurer knows = how to credit it. - -----Original Message----- From: Eileen Stringer =20 Sent: Monday, March 05, 2001 2:57 PM To: aml-list@lists.xmission.com; eileens99@bigplanet.com Subject: Re: [AML] Agents/Editors Open to Mormon Material > As promised, following is the list of agents and editors who read my > query letter about "Confessions of a Mormon Missionary" and asked for > the manuscript, indicating an openness to Mormon-oriented material. Thank you Chris. > By the way, someone offered the AML enough of a donation to put all > the following people on Irreantum's mailing list for a year to receive > copies, so maybe some of these agents and editors will scan issues for > interesting writers. I think this is a very noble and valuable undertaking and would be willing to donate toward extending the subscriptions past a year. Eileen eileens99@bigplanet.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Mar 2001 15:31:06 -0700 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] LUND, _Kingdom and the Crown_ katie@aros.net wrote: > Interesting. I probably should have guessed it would be like this. I have > been leery of picking up this book because I really don't want to see the > Savior fictionalized to the extent that Joseph Smith et. al. are in _The Work > and the Glory_. But I should've known Lund would stick to his facts like this. Then I recommend you never read my book on the life of Christ (when it appears sometime in the nebulous future). I can't think of a reason to write a book like that if I'm just going to present the Savior everyone can read about in the New Testament. What would be the point? - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #274 ******************************