From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #276 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Thursday, March 8 2001 Volume 01 : Number 276 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2001 20:23:15 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: [AML] Depictions of Christ (was: LUND, _Kingdom and the Crown_) >>D. Michael: >>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? >Thom: >It's not the issue that you would be presenting the Savior that is in the >New Testament. That being is infinitely interpretable by just about >anyone. What you would be battling against is a person' own personal >concept of what Christ is. Okay, my turn. It's possible to learn a lot from another person's personal concept of Him, even if it's far different from our own, or even deemed to be an incorrect or flawed concept. I did, this weekend. And so I agree it's a worthwhile literary venture to undertake, even if others disagree with you. A few days ago I watched a completely fascinating fictional movie on the life of Christ, which I'd often passed over before. It was absolutely, breathtakingly beautifully filmed, powerfully moving and thrilling. I was spiritually uplifted and edified and brought closer to the Savior. It's also rated R (justly so) and was made by Martin Scorsese, and got horribly bad, bad press. Guessed yet? Yes, it was _The Last Temptation of Christ._ I became interested in seeing it only after watching Willem Defoe talk about playing Jesus on his "Inside the Actor's Studio" interview. Because of the bad press, I had always assumed this portrayal of Jesus' life would seriously offend me and I'd rather not see that. I thought it was made to poke fun at or mock him. After watching Defoe's interview, I realized the intent of the movie was to explore the life of Christ, Scorsese's "testimony" of him if you will, and a labor of love. Those involved with the project were saddened by the bad press because many people would now never go see a beautiful movie. (I was one of those people.) This movie is NOT, repeat NOT, for everyone. It may well easily offend members of the Church, though I was not. The doctrine and assumptions made are quite obviously flawed from what we know to be true through the restored Gospel. There is full nudity strewn throughout (most of it, IMO, not gratuitous), as well as two brief sex scenes (questionably gratuitous). There's also a lot of blood. In addition, Jesus is portrayed as not really knowing who he is or what his mission and purpose are throughout most of the film, which I disagree were the case. The scourging and crucifixion scenes (among others) are also very accurate to the descriptions I've read about; if you have a weak stomach for scenes like this (i.e. if you have to shut your eyes during the Lamb of God Church video) this is probably not for you. Those are reasons someone might want to avoid seeing it. In the beginning of the film, it states that it is not intended to portray the Gospels, but is a fictional exploration of the constant struggle we all have between the "spirit and the flesh." And it certainly isn't a representation of the Gospels. It is highly, heavily symbolic. And, as I said, many of the liberties it takes are obviously flawed or incorrect from what I personally feel to be true. So, sure, it's very fictional. But I felt I gained much insight from this film, filtering it through the lens of my Mormon eye, and I'm glad I took the chance on it. Here are some reasons I appreciated it. I've felt all the representations of the Passion of Christ that I've seen previously were much too sanitized and whitewashed. I've been hungry for something more historically accurate. (A lot of people I talk to don't feel that way, so maybe I'm odd.) But I'm primarily a visual learner, and seeing these things depicted with gritty reality only increased my gratitude for the incredible amount of pain He suffered. It was so visually real that it was like being there. It looked like the torture that it was. Nothing could be more thrilling than the final 10 minutes of the movie, when Jesus succeeds in defeating his fictional "last temptation" (which is longing for home, family, and a normal life, something I found not at all blasphemous), realizes he *does* want to be the Messiah, and gives his life as a completely *willing* sacrifice for the world. It was absolute triumph. I can think of no other way to put it. Triumph. I was left awestruck by the magnitude of his sacrifice for us. The emotional power of this movie helped me appreciate more fully how difficult the Atonement must have been to accomplish. All the Scriptures say it was, from the Gospels to Doctrine & Covenants section 20. I was simply amazed. Has anyone else here seen it? Am I alone in my interpretation and response? Was it only the bigger budget and better acting, directing and producing it had, that made it so powerful for me? I don't know. But I do know I gained more spiritually from this fictional, flawed representation, than I have from simpler, more accurate-to-Scripture depictions of the life of Christ I've seen on film. So, after watching this incredible piece of filmmaking, I am even more a proponent for fictional portrayals. The Scriptures are open to us to read and interpret. What do we have Sunday School for, if not to share our different insights into what they mean? We can check the Scriptures for doctrine and accuracy. How is a fictional portrayal of God, honest to one's individual testimony and made with the intent to glorify His name, in any way wrong? Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 20:55:18 -0700 From: Scott and Marny Parkin Subject: Re: [AML] AML Awards Jonathan Langford wrote: >I'm sure this has been explained before, but does >the judge for a particular category see all the works published in that >category, or is there a kind of prescreening process? And if so, how is >that prescreening conducted? A combination of things happens in the screening process. First, I make an open request of the LDS publishers and ask them to send me copies of the books that they consider most worthy of consideration for an award. In this case the publisher screens their own material. I send all titles I receive to the appropriate judge. Second, the judge for a category is chosen on the basis of his/her specific capability to judge in that category, and on their interest in that particular form. We ask a lot of our judges, and ask them to be active in requesting titles for consideration. I try to provide a baseline of material from the known LDS magazines and publishers, then expect the judges to use their own knowledge of the field to request specific additional titles. I then contact the publishers and ask them to send review copies. Some categories, such as Drama, are very hard to solicit copies of and we tend to rely more on the qualified judge's own means to get knowledge about available titles. Third, I canvas the AML-List for titles that come up in discussions and add them to my solicit list. I then get copies and send those pieces to the judges. This list ends up being one of the most important resources I have for finding good titles and getting them to the judges. This year's novel winner, for example had come out early enough in the year that Shadow Mountain forgot that they hadn't already sent me one. When the novel was discussed on this list, it reminded me to get a copy. The same thing happened with this year's short story winner. Darrell Spencer's collection came out in March from an Eastern publisher, and it wasn't until an announcement went out over the list that the collection had won the Flannery O'Connor Award that I even became aware of it. I ended up buying a copy because I couldn't get it from the publisher soon enough. So the discussion on this list is critical to the awards process--not because anyone can lobby for an award (you can't; I run interference for the judges and I have no real influence on who actually wins), but because this is where I get a lot of the titles I send to the judges. So speak up when you find out about a good work of Mormon lit. Your voice may be the one that gets a title considered for the award. >I ask in part because I think AML-List could >play a valuable role not just in generating a list of publishing >information titles, as Sharlee has graciously (been) volunteered to do, but >in having people report the books they think are particularly worthy of >note. Absolutely. In fact, I think this list can make my job easier and list of titles considered for awards more extensive. This makes the scope broader, and the value of the award more significant. >I don't want to turn us into a forum for politicking at awards time, >but recommendations of books we have read and enjoyed in the field of >Mormon letter are always appropriate. People can politic me all they want, but I don't select the winners; I just get copies for the judges. We don't announce the judges' names for precisely this reason. The judges are often working writers who don't deserve to be hounded by would-be award winners, or to be second-guessed by their friends or colleagues for passing over certain titles. The judges' only compensation for their efforts is that they get to keep their copies of the books and magazines that I send them. They don't deserve the heat that poor losers can generate (and there have been some in our nice little community). If the judges want to announce themselves to the public, that's just fine and they can deal with whatever comes of it. The secrecy is to protect the judges, not to hoodwink the public or protect some secret society. >Second: Can you explain what the policy is with regard to the category >judges: how they're chosen, whether their names are publicly known, etc? See above for a discussion of publicizing judges' names. Potential judges are selected by members of the AML board based on their qualifications to judge in that category, and are selected by consensus of the board. I then go down the list for each category and start contacting. When a candidate agrees to judge, I move on to the next category. Judges are almost never members of the AML board, though at times judges have either become board members or have recently stopped being board members. Judges are often recent winners in their category. Judges are usually working writers in the form the judge. While a judge can't award their own work in a category, a judge in one category can be awarded in a different category. Sometimes a judge flakes out on me (happened twice this year). It's no one's business who those judges are. Fortunately, exceptional people were able to come in very late in the process and make excellent choices under difficult conditions. >Third: Would it be helpful to have authors contact their publishers to have >a copy of their book sent to you? Yes! Please! Absolutely! Especially with non-LDS publishers. I need two copies of the book, and it would be wonderful to find out what your publicist's name is, as well, for future reference when soliciting titles. Send me an e-mail letting me know a title is coming, then ship two copies of the book to: Scott Parkin 475 East 560 South Santaquin, Utah 84655 The main problem with the eastern publishers is that we often don't make their radar screen of priorities, so my requests for copies often take weeks or months to be fulfilled (along with a fair amount of time on the phone reminding them), or they aren't fulfilled at all. I've gone out and purchased a fair number of titles very late in the process because a publisher hasn't gotten me copies yet. >I'd like to close with another thanks to Sharlee for working to open up >channels of communication. And please, pass on my invitation to join >AML-List to any writers of juvenile literature who have an interest in >discussing Mormon lit in all its permutations. Hear, hear! Thank you, Sharlee, for the wonderful lists of titles. And thank you, Jonathan, for facilitating the discussion. It's the efforts of folks like yourself that make the awards possible, and that ensure that the awards are meaningful. Thank you for your effort and your passion. We need as much of that as we can get! Scott Parkin - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 20:47:25 -0800 From: "jana bouck remy" Subject: [AML] Reviewer List If your name appears on this list, please send me your snail mail address. As always, thanks to everyone who participates in the AML-List Review Program! Jana - ------------------------------- The Kingdom and the Crown Andrew Hall Second Wind Laraine Wilkins One More River to Cross D. Michael Sarah Cathy Gileadi Wilson Praise to the Man Terry Jeffress On This Day in the Church Larry Jackson Joseph F Smith, Portrait of a Prophet Jeff Needle The Wine Dark Sea of Grass D. Michael Martindale Haven Katie Parker "Well-behaved women rarely make history" --Laurel Thatcher Ulrich - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 23:17:35 -0800 From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: [AML] Call for Funny Pomes (pennyeach) for Irreantum Ear-eye-ant-hums upcoming ish-shoe is about HughMore, so we are looking for well-crafted funny poetry, or satirical verse, or other good stuff like epigrams, even stuff that might cause folks in Ogden to Nash their teeth. Even good limericks (expeshully if you could find a really original rhyme with Nantucket). We're trying to get everything in by the 15th--so if you have something worth while, submit it to harlowclark@juno.com and our discerning staff will look it over. H. Soderborg C. ________________________________________________________________ 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: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 23:05:46 -0800 From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] Year in Review, Pt. 4 (LDS Web Magazines) According to Juno I have 238 unread messages (237 now that I opened Andrew Hall's Fri, 26 Jan 2001,) and am valiantly attempting to read everything, so I was fascinated (and delighted (enough to come out of my semi-perpetual (though not from lack of things to say) lurkdon) to see the following comment: > The most enjoyable read so far is Marvin Payne's column, "Backstage > Glances". It sounds like it might be about the theater, but so far > they have been mostly about the problem of figuring what to write a > column about. Payne indulges (at least here) in the Harlow Clark > extended-and-imbedded-parenthetical-comments school of writing, and > is pretty funny. Hm. I don't know if I like this idea of starting a school. You know the saying, Those who can, teach, those who can't, try and write brilliantly enough to trick people into thinking they can teach. (Hm, I've just listed two things I'm not good at. What do those who can't fake it do?) > Be aware that Meridian also contains a lot of conservative social > commentary. It has a constantly updated news bar, with stories and > opinions taken largely from what appear to be fundamentalist and > conservative news outlets. I'm always astonished at how many LDS are simaltaneously offended by Conservative Christian claims that we are not Christian (or Chrustian in the words of that wonderful glass-eye-and-wooden-leg-stealing Bible salesman in Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People") and enthralled by Conservative Christian social doctrine, as if there were no connection between the rejection and the doctrine. > Anti-UN commentary is especially > frequent, not only from the national news stories, but also stories > about or by Richard Wilkins, our own home-grown anti-UN > activist who has gotten a lot of institutional support from BYU. > I have mixed feelings about Wilkins' positions, but I thought his > recent Meridian column was totally whacked out. If the > International Criminal Court treaty goes through, the Pope might > be in danger of arrest for his support of the institution of > marriage—Puh-leeze. What a lovely opportunity to bring up something I've often thought aobut but never mentioned. I sometimes wonder whether extremism isn't embedded in western philosophy. Consider a very common rhetorical tack, the reductio ad absurdum, where you take an idea as far as you can take it and show that the consequences of the idea are absurd. I've often wondered if this practice doesn't teach us to take all ideas we oppose and try to find the extreme consequences of them. One of the things from Jim Faulconer's hermeneutics classes that has been resonating in various ways for nigh 20 years is that all ideas, those we agree with and those we don't, have unintended consequences that don't show themselves for a good long time, and the unintended consequences are almost always things we wouldn't have any way of foreseeing. That is, the reductio ad absurdum may be particularly bad at showing us the consequences of an idea. We can guard against things that we recognize as dangerous, but it's harder to guard against things we don't think of as dangerous. I can teach my son that many of the mores he sees on TV are not our mores, and he accepts that; it's harder to teach him to resist the desire Pokemon, or Lady and the Tramp II or any video he pops in creates to buy more (and more expensive) things--NOW. > A new web magazine has appeared since my first column, called > Element: an e-journal of philosophy and theology > (http://www.nd.edu/~rpotter/element4.html). Is affiliated with the > e-mail list LDS-Phil, and edited by Dennis Potter, a professor at > UVSC. It is the web equivalent of a scholarly journal, rather > than a magazine. Its first issue is on the nature of God, and > includes five articles by scholarly authors, including James E. > Faulconer, Blake Ostler, and Eugene England. Well, now, isn't that gratifying. Mention Jim in my response and he turns up later in the post I'm responding to. I'm not going to click on the Read tab and see if he was actually in the original post. That would strip away the mystery. Well, that's enough rambling for tonight. Thanks for the overview of web-zines, Andrew. 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: Thu, 08 Mar 2001 01:13:38 -0700 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] LUND, _Kingdom and the Crown_ Thom Duncan wrote: > It's not the issue that you would be presenting the Savior that is in > the New Testament. That being is infinitely interpretable by just about > anyone. What you would be battling against is a person' own personal > concept of what Christ is. > Such is the cross that the LDS writer must constantly bear, if he deigns > to write about prophets and gods. Someone, somewhere, is not going to > agree with your assessment of things, believing that their own personal > understanding of that person is superior to yours. I wouldn't be bothered that others disagree with my interpretation (I'll no doubt disagree with theirs too). But I'm avoiding the Christmas rush and becoming irritated in advance at the people who will say I shouldn't write such things because my interpretation differs from theirs. - -- 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 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 09:46:46 -0700 From: "Eric D. Snider" Subject: [AML] An Amusing Anecdote - --============_-1228052486==_ma============ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" I thought the group might be amused by this story. In Wednesday's Daily Herald, I wrote a column that was a parody of small-town news ("so-and-so's kid won first prize in the spelling bee," etc.). The whole thing was ridiculous, with made-up names and even made-up Utah town names like Beaver Fork and Lamanville. One of the items in the article referred to the onslaught of historical fiction in the Mormon community. It read: - -- If you want a real tear-jerker, find yourself a copy of LyniMar Peterson's "Pioneers to Glory Volume 1: Why Won't My Feet Stop Bleeding?" Peterson is a local author, from right here in Orvo, and this is the first part in a series of historical novels in which a fictitious family -- the Smiths -- joins the real-life Mormon pioneers of 1847. In the first book, Bob Smith and his family meet none other than Brigham Young! And I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that by the end of the book, several of Bob Smith's unmarried daughters are a little less unmarried, if you know what I mean! By which I mean, Brigham Young marries them. I can't wait for volume 2, which LyniMar tells me will be called, "This is the Place ... for Love." - -- (Yes, "LyniMar" is an intentional anagram of Marilyn, as in Marilyn Brown, noted local author.) Anyway, I got a phone call from Timp Bookstore. The woman said there was a customer there wanting to know who the publisher of this book was so that she could buy it! Bear in mind that while this excerpt of the column is clearly a joke by itself ("Why Won't My Feet Stop Bleeding?"?), the rest of the column made it even more obvious. But no matter how obvious a joke is, never underestimate people's capacity to not get it. Eric D. Snider - -- *************************************************** Eric D. Snider www.ericdsnider.com "Filling all your Eric D. Snider needs since 1974." - --============_-1228052486==_ma============ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" An amusing anecdote
I thought the group might be amused by this story.

In Wednesday's Daily Herald, I wrote a column that was a parody of small-town news ("so-and-so's kid won first prize in the spelling bee," etc.). The whole thing was ridiculous, with made-up names and even made-up Utah town names like Beaver Fork and Lamanville.

One of the items in the article referred to the onslaught of historical fiction in the Mormon community. It read:

--

If you want a real tear-jerker, find yourself a copy of LyniMar Peterson's "Pioneers to Glory Volume 1: Why Won't My Feet Stop Bleeding?" Peterson is a local author, from right here in Orvo, and this is the first part in a series of historical novels in which a fictitious family -- the Smiths - -- joins the real-life Mormon pioneers of 1847.

In the first book, Bob Smith and his family meet none other than Brigham Young! And I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that by the end of the book, several of Bob Smith's unmarried daughters are a little less unmarried, if you know what I mean! By which I mean, Brigham Young marries them. I can't wait for volume 2, which LyniMar tells me will be called, "This is the Place ... for Love."

--

(Yes, "LyniMar" is an intentional anagram of Marilyn, as in Marilyn Brown, noted local author.)

Anyway, I got a phone call from Timp Bookstore. The woman said there was a customer there wanting to know who the publisher of this book was so that she could buy it!

Bear in mind that while this excerpt of the column is clearly a joke by itself ("Why Won't My Feet Stop Bleeding?"?), the rest of the column made it even more obvious.

But no matter how obvious a joke is, never underestimate people's capacity to not get it.

Eric D. Snider



--
***************************************************
Eric D. Snider
www.ericdsnider.com

"Filling all your Eric D. Snider needs since 1974."
- --============_-1228052486==_ma============-- - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2001 10:31:46 -0700 (MST) From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: Re: [AML] Depictions of Christ (was: LUND, _Kingdom and the Crown_) > Has anyone else here seen it? Am I alone in my interpretation and response? > Was it only the bigger budget and better acting, directing and producing it > had, that made it so powerful for me? I don't know. But I do know I gained > more spiritually from this fictional, flawed representation, than I have > from simpler, more accurate-to-Scripture depictions of the life of Christ > I've seen on film. > Linda Adams Basically, I thought it was a boring mess. To me it's an example of a film that would have dissapeared into obscurity if the Christian Right had ignored it. In my mind, the only real reason it won several awards was due to the fact the Religous right spent so much time complaining about it. If the pastors and activist groups had ignored it, I doubt most people would have even heard of it. I wasn't offened - I was bored and annoyed (though I did see an edited for TV version, maybe some nudity/sex would have helped). Since I admire Martin Scorsese, I was surprised he directed what I saw as a cinematice mess. But that's just me. - --Ivan - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2001 09:24:39 -0800 From: "LauraMaery (Gold) Post" Subject: [AML] YA or Not? (was: Awards at the Conference) Ivan writes: > Why is it that serious, adult-oriented (not porn, though) Science Fiction is > often labeled as Adolescent? Allow me to offer a different paradigm: Ever watched a PG or a PG-13 movie? In theory, they're intended -- or at least rated -- for adolescent audiences. That doesn't stop adults from watching them. Why is it that we don't consider the adolescent section of the library the equivalent of PG and PG-13 movies? Sure, teenagers can read them. That doesn't stop adults from reading them too. What interests adolescents should also interest former adolescents. I've been offlist for such a long time, I suppose it's time to reintroduce myself...I'm LauraMaery Gold, I have moved to Seattle since I was last on the list, and I'm not worthy of being in y'all's eminent presence. You see, I write (gasp) non-fiction. But wait! Drop those stones. I ASPIRE to write fiction. And sometimes when I write non-fiction, I lie. Does that count? - --lmg - --------- WHAT DO WE DO? We homeschool! Here's how: "Homeschool Your Child for Free." Order your copy today, from Amazon.com. - --------- . - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2001 12:09:16 -0700 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] YA or Not? (was: Awards at the Conference) "LauraMaery (Gold) Post" wrote: > > I've been offlist for such a long time, I suppose it's time to reintroduce > myself...I'm LauraMaery Gold, I have moved to Seattle since I was last on > the list, and I'm not worthy of being > in y'all's eminent presence. You see, I write (gasp) non-fiction. Wrong. Laura writes about computers, as do I. And THAT's fiction writing! I often tell people I'm a full-time science fiction writer. Science because computers are science. Fiction because I'm trying to explain this alien life force called techonology to human beings, trying to give the impression that the dang things actually work the way we want them too. Thom - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 13:03:48 -0700 From: "J. Scott Bronson" Subject: [AML] Audition Notice For those actors in the Utah Valley vicinity: Actor's Repertory Theatre Ensemble announces a call for actors. Needed: Two men and one woman For STONES a new play by J. Scott Bronson Date: Saturday, March 17, 2001 Time: 10:00 am Place: BYU -- Harris Fine Arts Center -- Pardoe Green Room Prepare a one minute monologue or Read cold from the script or Contact me for sides STONES is a drama in two one-act plays on biblical themes. Rehearsals begin Monday, April 23 Play opens Friday, May 25 Closes Saturday, June 16 In the Chamber Theater at the Castle in Provo. Contact Scott @ 226-7876 bronsonjscott@juno.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 13:58:25 -0700 From: Gerald G Enos Subject: Re: [AML] YA or Not? (was: Awards at the Conference) I don't usually say much on this list but I thought I would put my two cents worth in on the matter of YA fiction. Come in any time you want and look at my book self. (The two I actually can say that have MY books on them and not any other member of my family.) With the exception of the boxed set by Carl Sandburg on Abe Lincoln I'd say all of it could be classed as YA. It should be, most of them I aquired, or became interested in the Author, when I was a teenager. But that doesn't mean that they are not good reading today. I don't care how many times you read C.S. Lewis, you will always get something new out of it. And as someone pointed out YA means 12+. Well I am over 12, aren't we all? Konnie Enos ________________________________________________________________ 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: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 11:03:03 -0700 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: Re: [AML] Children's/YA Lit by Mormon Authors Thank you to Scott, Gideon, Jonathan, and others who have so graciously acknowledged the concerns and contributions of writers and supporters of children's/YA fiction. I have forwarded some of your posts on to the utahchildrenswriters listServ and I think your words have done much to diffuse the "heat" and to clarify the AML's attitude toward juvenile literature. Thank you, again. You are good folk! I genuinely feel blessed by your association. 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: Thu, 08 Mar 2001 15:51:41 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] Depictions of Christ At 11:31 AM 3/8/01, you wrote: >I wasn't offened - I was bored and annoyed (though I did see an edited for TV >version, maybe some nudity/sex would have helped). Since I admire Martin >Scorsese, I was surprised he directed what I saw as a cinematice mess. > >But that's just me. > >--Ivan Hm, I wonder what-all they edited? I'm willing to bet you missed a lot. I think it would've been extremely difficult to cut this movie to be suitable for television without ending up with a "cinematic mess." (Or maybe it really was and I just didn't notice. That's entirely possible.) Even with everything you *can* show on TV these days, it would have been hard even to get it to a "TV-14" level and retain clarity. It's not the kind of thing where you can just bleep 20 seconds out and be done. Non-TV-material is mixed in everywhere. There's background nudity in several scenes (people bathing or walking around bare), there are bloody animal sacrifices going on, etc., while in the foreground other important things are happening. Christ was also nude on the cross (although strategically positioned--however, that wasn't done just for cinematic effect; both the nudity and the knees bent & together position they used were historically accurate, according to references the DVD version provided). If the scenes containing this stuff were just chopped out willy-nilly , you could easily end up with a very messy result. As to boring, it was a slower-moving film, yes; very introspective, but I wasn't bored. I was too busy comparing my restored-Gospel knowledge against the character of Jesus they presented. As to annoyed, yes, I'll admit there are potentially annoying things in it, such as John the Baptist sprinkling Jesus in a shallow stream. And I have never quite figured out how most of Christianity pins Mary Magdalene for a prostitute. (I can't find that scripture.) But those are allowable "errors" to me considering the source. This is the best "light" Scorsese had to go on. If an LDS filmmaker depicted Jesus' baptism as by sprinkling, then I'd be irritated. But not by this. Anyway, to each his own. Here's a piece of trivia on crucifixion I learned from the extra articles included on the DVD I rented. I'd never have known this otherwise. Researchers have unearthed only one authentic victim of crucifixion (in 1968). The proof is the nail was still in his heel bones. From the placement of the bones and the nail, they learned that a single nail was driven through first the right and then the left heel _bone._ (Ouch.) I always thought it was done between the bones of the feet. I find the heel placement specifically symbolic. There's another fascinating scene at the end, and I'd really like to know how they came up with it. Jesus (in his temptation/dream) is on his deathbed as an old man, having lived out his life. His "guardian angel" (Satan), a little girl, is with him, who has led him along this "normal life." Peter, Nathaniel (who should be James), and John come into the room. Peter says to the angel, moving her aside, "Get out of the way. We were sent here." Then they remind him what he was supposed to be doing. Now: without saying more, how *did* they do that? Wild. Little tidbits like that are what really made the film interesting to me, and worthwhile. Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2001 15:53:26 -0700 From: Jacob Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] Audition Notice On Thu, 8 Mar 2001 13:03:48 -0700, J. Scott Bronson wrote: >Actor's Repertory Theatre Ensemble announces a call for actors. >Needed: Two men and one woman >For STONES a new play by J. Scott Bronson Woohoo! I can't *wait* to see this produced. Congratulations, Scott! Jacob - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2001 16:39:21 -0600 From: Brent Hugh Subject: [AML] Brent HUGH, "Earthquake Fugue" I recently released my newest work, "Earthquake Fugue", on MP3.com. The work is a followup to "Music of the Human Genome", which has generated a lot of interest and hit the #1 spot on MP3.com's "Minimalist" chart. "Earthquake Fugue" is made entirely of actual earthquake data as recorded by seismographs and underwater hydrophones by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration. The earthquake sounds were speeded up (to bring them into the human hearing range) and processed electronically in a variety of ways to make "Earthquake Fugue". You can hear "Earthquake Fugue--A Soundscape for Six Elephants, Two Rhinoceroses, and Solo Brontosaurus" at http://mp3.com/Brent_D_Hugh The music is free for the listening in near-CD quality MP3 format. (Lower-quality, smaller versions are also available, so that modem users can listen instantly. Those with slower internet connections or slower/older computers, might want to listen in at http://mp3.com/stations/MathMusic, which is a smaller and less complicated page). - --Brent +++++++++++++++++ Brent Hugh / bhugh@mwsc.edu +++++++++++++++++ + Missouri Western St College Dept of Music, St. Joseph, MO + + Piano Home Page : http://www.mwsc.edu/~bhugh + + Music IQ Songs : http://mp3.com/MusicIQ + ++ Music of the Human Genome : http://mp3.com/brent_d_hugh ++++ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 20:20:03 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Children's/YA Lit by Mormon Authors Sharlee's daughter Erica is Anne Frank. (I just had to slip that in.) And she's great! I've been watching rehearsals and this YA performance is absolutely wonderful. Okay, so here's the challenge, YA "supporters and fans." Are you going to come and see the YA play? Marilyn Brown - - 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 #276 ******************************