From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #492 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, October 24 2001 Volume 01 : Number 492 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 15:22:32 -0600 From: Thom Duncan Subject: [AML] Writer's Block? [Or am I just getting old?] The following occurred to me yesterday. Has this happened to anyone else?= Yesterday, I was going through some unfinished stories on my computer and= I happened upon a story whose title I remember writing, but when I opene= d up the story and begin to read, I was immediately struck with this thou= ght: Who wrote this?; I had no conscious memory of putting these words to= gether. It's a time-travel story dealing with (in an entirely new way, I = might add, so as not to incur the wrath of you sf writers who will immedi= ately recognize the cliched possibilities of this idea) a man who goes in= to the past to kill Hitler. I have him landing in the city where Hitler w= as born. I DON'T KNOW WHERE HITLER WAS BORN. I have no memory of doing r= esearch on that subject. I have no notes to that effect (I usually have = a notes file stored in the same folder as my stories). I read this first = three pages of this story (that's all there are at this moment) and I had= no memory of ever writing a single word. It was as if I were reading a s= tory by someone else (the style is different from mine, for one thing).=20 I've never had this happen to me. I mean I've run across stories I had fo= rgotten about until I found them again; and usually a cursory reading wou= ld seem familiar and I would remember writing the story. But never this = total forgetfulness. Has such a thing ever happened to anyone else? You discover a story in y= our files for which you have no conscious memory of ever having written. Thom Duncan - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 18:21:22 -0400 From: "robert lauer" Subject: Re: [AML] Stories about War Marilyn, I would have to agree with you that Brigham WAS indeed more favorable to the massacre at first. I'm familiar with his utterance about "vengeance is mine," and I think it reveals volumes about what was happening in the territory at that point in it's history. Utah History (being to a great degree Mormon history) has its bloody episodes just as surely as does Acient Israelite history. This is why I find it all so very human, fascinating and dramatic. The makings of a truly awesome and unique genre of American art are there for the taking! ROB LAUER - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 15:47:32 -0600 From: "Paris ANDERSON" Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Battalion Series (was: John D. Lee) [MOD: Note that shameless self-promotion is always appropriate for AML-List, provided it's about literary projects!] Robert Lauer wrote: > Paris, > > Would you care to share more about this series for boys? I had a similar idea a few years back, but was just too lazy to develope it. Thank you for asking about this. I was wondering how I could get a bit of shameless self-promotion onto this list. You've solved my problem. Thank you. It's going to be a three or four book series. I've got the first two books written and a few chapters of the third book. Since the submission/rejection process takes so long and is so unforgivingly merciless and unfruitful (see--I do know big words; I just don't know how to use them), I've decided publish this one myself--at least the first book. So, last summer I got ahold of a guy named Richard White who teaches art at Murrey High. He did Twelve woodcuts for the illustration--they're really good. Anyway, he got those to me in April and I had four or six hand-bound copies by May. I showed them around and there was enough enthusiasum (another big word, probab;y spelled wrong) that I though self -publishing wouldn't be too much of a risk--at least for the first run. In June I sent the manuscript out to be printed and bound, and I thought I would have it back in time To take to show my inlaws in Tennesee when we went there in August. I talked to the printer last friday and she assured me it would be done in time to show at the LDS Writer's Conference on November 3. Sometimes it's hard for me to remember things, so I hope I get this right (I don't have a copy handy I could use to remind myself). The story's about a kid named Seth Jackson. He's 14-years-old. His mother died in Nauvoo from ague (Malaria), and his father died at winter quarters. He joins the battalion just to get away from that place. The rest of the book just follows the march of the battalion until Santa Fe. There is an exersize in T'ai Ch'i called "Push Hands." It's really standing face to face with the back of one wrist contacting the wrist of your opponent. All you do is push back and forth--slowly, slowly, slowly--until one person is thrown off balance. Since it is done slowly not often are people thrown off balance. So it end up being a method of teaching people about their bodies--and about relationships. You push on me, and I yield. I push on you and you yield. You push on me, and I learn where is my center. I push on you, and I learn unbridled aggression can be my undoing. You push on me and I learn to move my center ever so slightly to deflect your force. I push on you, and I realize co-operation is a way to win. I learned this exercize a few years ago and was practising it, when I dawned on me this is exactly what the Church has been trying to teach me for 40 years and I never could quite understand. Maybe it's the sixties influence, but I never was very good at obedience. I never have been able to follow. It was always pointless to me, and it cause a lot of anger, resentment and, dare I say--wrath. After doing push hands I came to realize obedience was not, in itself, evil--an insult to my dignity. Obedience was a way for me to learn and achive. I tried to explain this idea in the first book. Hopefully, it will be clearer when examples are given. And on that march there were plenty of opportunities to choose to be submissive or to rebel. Thanks for asking, Paris Anders9on. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 13:22:51 -0700 From: "althlevip" Subject: [AML] Re: John D. Lee - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paris ANDERSON" The things he is reported to have said and done during the few days he shows up led me to conclude the government got the right man--and if they didn't get the right man they did a service to mankind by exicuting the wrong man. It sounded to me that John D. Lee was Ervil LeBarron's evil twin. Paris Anderson A good point, Paris. But we do need to cut John D. Lee a little slack. It is clear from Juanita Brooks' account of the massacre that he was prominent in the affair. Her point is that it was wrong to single him out. He truly had an abrasive personality, and that might be one reason why those around him were willing to see him singled out. Still, as Juanita's biography of him shows, he was often generous and helpful to others, he could be relied on to do what he was assigned to do (that is why Brigham Young sent him to bring back the battalion's payroll), and he survived an awfully lot of harsh frontier experiences. A month ago I was taken to the grave of Isaac C. Haight, the stake president who gave John D. Lee his orders before the massacre. The cemetery is in Thatcher, Arizona, President Kimball's home town. When the town cemetery was moved from an older site, Haight's coffin was not reburied in it but allowed to sit for decades in the basement of a hotel. A descendent discovered it there and buried it where it presently is. My brother, who talked to this descendent and who took me and Althea to the present grave, opines that it was Haight's role in the massacre that made local citizens reluctant to rebury him in their new cemetery. Juanita indicates in her history of the massacre that Haight and the local military commander, Colonel Dame, were more to blame than John D. Lee. She did this on the principle of responsibility in a line of military authority. Evidence is that Dame, technically in charge of military affairs, had a yeilding personality. Neither Haight nor Lee had such pesonalities. I think Haight is much more responsible than John D. Lee for authorizing the massacre in the first place. But he hoped the white role would be subsidiary. The Indians were to do the job. (Keep in mind that even Brigham Young, in his letter telling the whites not to be invovled in the massacre, said something like, "The Indians we expect will do as they please.") The tough question is who made the decision, once the initial Indian attack had been repelled, to have the whites assist in the total annihilation of the immigrant band. It probably was Haight. But John D. Lee was on the field, and Haight wasn't. And it may well have been John D. Lee would decided to use deceit in luring the immigrants from their defenses. It made sense from a military point of view. It cut the losses on the side of the Mormons and Indians to zero. But it put John D. Lee in a prime position for blame when revulsion over the deed swept the local population. Levi Peterson althlevip@msn.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 20:50:35 -0700 (PDT) From: William Morris Subject: Re: [AML] Audience for Journals I couldn't resist one last post about journals. The following is a note from Montaigne to the readers of his essays: "Reader, thou hast here an honest book; it doth at the outset forewarn thee that, in contriving the same, I have proposed to myself no other than a domestic and private end: I have no consideration at all either to thy service or to my glory. My powers are not capable of any such design. I have dedicated it to the particular commodity of my kinsfolk and friends, so that, having lost me (which they must do shortly), they may therein recover some traits of my condition and humours, and by that means preserve more whole, and more life-like, the knowledge they had of me. Had my intentions been to seek the world's favour, I should surely have adorned myself with borrowed beauties: I desire therein to be viewed as I appear in mine own genuine, simple, and ordinary manner, without study and artifice: for it is myself I paint. My defects are therein to be read to the life, and my imperfections and my natural form, so far as public reverence hath permitted me. If I had lived among those nations, which (they say) yet dwell under the sweet liberty of nature's primitive laws, I assure thee I would most willingly having painted myself quite fully and quite naked. Thus, reader, myself am the matter of my book: there's no reason thou shouldst employ the leisure about so frivolous and vain a subject. Therefore, farewell. --Montaigne, June 12, 1580" His essays are not like a daily journal. But they do offer insight into his character and personality. I myself am incapable of writing "without study and artifice." ~~William Morris __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals. http://personals.yahoo.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 01:38:44 EDT From: Paynecabin@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Mountain Meadows (was: Stories about War) I think it might be too simple for anyone to suggest, as did Robert, that "the massacre at Mountain Meadows was meant to show" anything in particular. The last time I was down there working on a film documentary about the tragedy, I got the overwhelming feeling that events simply got beyond the Mormons ability to fix without the extermination of, as the order put it, "everyone who could speak." Until very late in the drama, the Mormons were still trying to create the illusion that the Indians were doing the exterminating, which doesn't seem like the actions of people who are "meaning to show" anybody anything. That there was a climate of war, with outsiders seen as the enemy, I don't doubt. But I think the massacre happened to keep anything from showing at all. Marvin Payne "...come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift..." - -the last page of the Book of Mormon - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 20:49:52 -0600 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: [AML] re: Audience for Journals Thank you, Marvin, for a very moving (and motivating!) response to this question of why we keep journals. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I've been a rather sporadic journal keeper. When I was younger (14-23ish), I wrote faithfully--but then life (marriage, kids, teaching, laundry) overwhelmed me. For the past 15 years it's been feast or famine. I'll write consistently, obsessively even, for several months at a time, and then nothing at all for weeks and weeks. Gradually I have come to realize that those blocks of time when I am writing regularly in my journal are the ones I remember with the greatest clarity--and the greatest joy--as the years go by. Joan Stein said: "My writing is a conscious letter to myself. It's a way for me to hold on to pieces as I grow and change and get on with my life." I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I truly believe we are commanded to keep journals as much for our own benefit as for that of our posterity. I was cleaning my office the other day and ran across an old spiral notebook labeled "Sharlee's Poor Excuse of a Journal." In it I had recorded my thoughts and feelings and experiences during that very intense time several years ago when my mother was dying of cancer. As I re-read my various entries, I laughed and cried and was utterly amazed to realize that I had forgotten so many things--things that I thought I would never forget, things that I had truly *learned*--profound, life-altering things about love and courage and pain and endurance. But I had forgotten I had learned them until I re-read my poor excuse of a journal. I do re-read my journals. I re-read them so that I can remember. I *need* to remember. As the mother of a 15 year old who tends to be hopelessly dreamy, I need to remember my own youthful propensity toward castle-building. As I deal with a sometimes insolent 12-year-old who never, and I mean never, makes his bed without being reminded and who has to be bribed into the bathtub, I need to remember how utterly in love I was with him when he was a charming and sweet-smelling toddler. I need to remember the moment I first understood pain. I need to remember the moment I first truly understood joy. I need to remember those precious occasions when I have felt the sudden and overwhelming inrush of God's love. And now, I need to go to bed. But before I do, here are two of my favorite quotes relating to journal keeping: "Every person should keep a journal. If there is anyone here who isn't doing so, will you repent today and change--change your life?" --President Spencer W. Kimball "How comfortable are we with our imperfections, our humanness, our vulnerabilities, our silliness, our pomposity? Can we live with the fact that when it's all written down, we aren't Toni Morrison or Margaret Mead or Anne Morrow Lindberg or Joseph Smith? Count on being imperfect. It will make the writing much easier and will be a relief to your posterity. --Louise Plummer Ha! Love that. Sharlee glennsj@inet-1.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 01:49:16 -0700 From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] Patriotic Music On Mon, 15 Oct 2001 10:28:53 "Eric R. Samuelsen" writes: > But if we want a song that is > unabashedly American and celebratory, but also popular in its > approach, sung by a genuine American original, we need look no > further than Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land." By golly, > that's what we should be singing in sacrament meeting. A folk song, > a song that ties us all together, a 'let's travel around and meet > each other' song. Not an homage to salt foam. > > Eric Samuelsen I found a bio or bibliography or study of Woody Guthrie one day browsing thru the U of Warshington music library. It had the original, suprisingly bitter lyrics of "God Blessed America." (Note the past tense, to contrast with Israel Berlin's stein of foam.) It's clearly a union song, and a song about the disenfranchised. I like the verse that talks about seeing a No Trespassing sign. "On the other side it didn't say nothing. That side was made for you and me." And there's the verse where Woody inverts the chorus, "Was this land made for you and me?" Which is not to say the song isn't patriotic. It's patriotic in pretty much the way I am. It loves the geography and topography of the land. It loves the people. It loves freedom from signs and other forces that oppress and keep people out. Of course we sing a watered (foamy) version of the song. When I first heard/sang it in grade school I couldn't get all the lyrics, couldn't make sense of them enough for them to be memorable--especially the line about "From the New York ___________ to the Californias." Why would California be plural? So I made up my own rhyme. "From the New York Yankees," (Well, that makes sense, now what rhymes with Yankees? Has to have something to do with California) "To the Calibrankees." Well, I didn't say the rhyme had to make sense. (Yes, you did. Look in the second line of the paragraph.) So now, much to my embarrassment you know one of my secret words. I won't tell you the lyrics I made up for Baycloven's setting of Schilling's (gotta have some spice w/a name like Baycloven) "Ode to Goys," except there's one 4-note phrase in there that is a perfect match for Tarjoilia (emphasize the 2nsd syllable) (Finnish for Waitress) and, since joi is first-person past tense for the Finnish verb 'to drink,' Tardrankliank (the Yanks are back? Where? Over there?) I will leave for another post how I acquired the ickname Hickalovi from the other kids at Keitokeskus Normaalilyseo in Oulu, Suomi. Harlow Clark (Who has just demonstrated with an extended bit of silliness why he would like to keep things just the way they are on AML-List--and why other people would like to change things.) ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 06:13:51 +0000 From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] Sweeny Todd in Provo List member Eric Snider wrote this article for the Herald. It is especially noteworthy for us because of the connection to Scott Bronson mentioned in the last line. 'Sweeney Todd' coming to Provo's Castle Amphitheater ERIC D. SNIDER The Daily Herald on Friday, October 19 PROVO -- What better way to celebrate Halloween than with a little revenge and cannibalism? For the second consecutive year, Actors' Repertory Theatre Ensemble (ARTE) is producing a concert version of Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd" at the Castle Amphitheater in Provo. Last year's production ran for only a handful of performances but was met with enthusiastic response. This time around, the run has been extended, and an extra show has been added on Halloween night. Loraine Edwards, an ARTE board member and director of "Sweeney Todd," said the venue is perfect for a Halloween show. For years, the state hospital sponsored a haunted house at the facility. ARTE began doing shows in one of the castle's anterooms, then moved to the outdoor main stage last year with "Sweeney." "This might be the last time we do a Halloween thing there," Edwards said. "It's too bloody cold." Most likely ARTE will find another venue, though attendance at this year's production may encourage them to stay put, she said. "We really want it to be a yearly or bi-yearly event up at the Castle," said Marcie Jacobsen, musical director both years and this year starring as Mrs. Lovett. "We want people to look forward to it." The musical tells the tale of a man who returns to London after years in exile and seeks revenge against the town. He opens a barber shop and slits the throats of men who come in seeking a shave. Mrs. Lovett, who runs the pie shop downstairs, makes the unlucky patrons into meat pies. Trick or treat! "It's dark," Jacobsen said. "It's so dark, and yet it is so funny at the same time." This is a "concert version" of the show, which means sets and props are minimal and most of the acting is done straight out to the audience, with the actors standing at microphones to sing. "We're still acting the story," Edwards said. "We're doing the show. It just won't have all that fancy-dancy blocking. We're scaling it down to celebrate the music." Actors will be in costume and will move about the stage as necessary, making it similar to a reader's theater, except the actors' lines will be memorized. Playing Sweeney Todd is David Barrus, a local actor who has just returned from the national tour of "Les Miserables." Jacobsen, a voice teacher at BYU, most recently played the title role in "Hello, Dolly!" at the SCERA Shell. Other lead roles are played by Wade Foster, Kristin Crockett Montgomery, Scott Montgomery, Miriam Latour, David Hanson, Oliver Gaag and Brad Montgomery. The ensemble includes another couple dozen performers, Jacobsen said. The proceeds from Monday's performance will go to J. Scott Bronson, an ARTE board member suffering from cancer, Edwards said. Eric D. Snider can be reached at 344-2560 or dhfamily@heraldextra.com. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 11:19:16 -0600 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] BROWN, _The Wine Dark Sea of Grass_ (Review) It was fun to see that my book was still on the "subject heading" of this post. After we talked, and after your review, Scott, I began going through WINE-DARK again, and I am getting the picture. I am SO GRATEFUL you said something. There are QUITE A FEW THINGS I would knock out for the next version (which will probably be the paperback). "Romance" is not always a CHICK story. Although women audiences buy these things by the tons. I haven't been into categories lately, but I remember Cracroft and Jorgensen arguing about two opposite poles of literature.And I know "romance" is on one side, (Cracroft's) and it means more than just finding your life's sexual love. There are other "idealistic" things that fit that nomenclature too. Help with some academic definitions, please, someone? Marilyn Brown - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 11:30:23 -0600 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Cedar Fort Publishing The author begins to receive royalties right up front as soon as the book is out. The publisher distributes and markets the books. In vanity press, the press prints your book (and it costs twice as much as this) and gives the pile of books to you. Thanks, Ronn! Marilyn Brown - ----- Original Message ----- At 10:47 AM 10/19/01, Marilyn Brown wrote: >We charge new writers $2900 a book (doesn't cover costs). It >is called Author Participation Plan, and you have to be accepted by the >editing staff to do it. How does that differ in practice from "vanity publishing"? Does the author ever _receive_ any money? - -- Ronn! :) - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 09:23:51 -0800 From: Stephen Carter Subject: RE: [AML] Gideon Burton on _Left Behind_ Johnathan Langford wrote: >Witnessing to Howard Stern may >strike many folk as inappropriate--after all, why should you be on his show >to begin with? And yet it can be argued that if Howard Stern is a "modern >media Antichrist" (Gideon's words), this is precisely where a public >witness--indeed, a call to repentance--is needed. The effectiveness of >such an approach is certainly open to question, but to dismiss this as >"play[ing] into, rather than critiqu[ing], the worldliness of modern media" >strikes me as at least a misreading of the intent of the action--a failure >to grant the validity of someone's religious activity based on simple >proximity to a major media icon. I think you will find some food for thought on this subject in Neil Postman's book "Amusing Ourselves to Death." He has a chapter devoted exclusively to religion's effectiveness on television. What his argument boils down to is basically Marshal McLuhan's theory "the medium is the message." Postman argues that television is ill-suited to point one's attention toward God, because in the land of television the image is god (an interesting contrast to the tenants of Islam and Judaism). I got a snootful of this idea one night when I watched a bit of the 700 Club. It was obvious to me who the real stars of that show are, not necessarily because the preachers wanted to supercede God, but because it was their faces on television, not God's. Television is notorious for being unable to point to things higher than itself because it provides the viewer with everything, the image, the music, the words, nothing is left to implication, thus nothing is actually sacred. I think that is the point undergirding Gideon's argument. Getting on the television to witness to Howard Stern may reach a lot of people, but the experience will be television experience, not spiritual experience. Stephen Carter Fairbanks, Alaska - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 14:05:30 -0400 From: Tony Markham Subject: Re: [AML] MOON, Elizabeth _The Deed of Paks_ A while back as we were compiling lists of seminal Fantasy titles, several listers mentioned Elizabeth Moon's Paksennarion trilogy. Intrigued, I checked it out of the library. I'm about halfway through Book three, and several things intrigue me, some fairly specific Mormon references. I've checked the author's official website and while she admits to being active in church youth groups, no denomination is given. The most obvious reference is the name of Luap's (that's Paul spelled backward) stronghold: "Kolob"ia. A distant place of great power. There's other stuff too, mostly the way she is prompted and moved and influenced that sounds like a textbook for describing the workings of the spirit, but it's the Kolobia that makes me want to ask, is this Mormon Literature? And its a fine bit of writing; Moon belongs up there with the BIG names of fantasy. Tony Markham - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 15:43:07 -0500 From: Jonathan Langford Subject: Re: [AML] Is LDS Film a Literary Concern? (comp 1) >From rareyellow@yahoo.com Mon Oct 22 11:38:52 2001 - --- Gideon Burton wrote: > > The question came up, do we want to track Mormon film in the Mormon > Literature Database? > > I would be interested in responses from those on AML-List. How central > is LDS cinema to the core interests of this literary community? Should > it be included in our database? If so, to what extent? (Only if > novelized or if the screenplay is published? What about student LDS > films?) > I think that film should be included. The study of film has crept into academic literary studies and I see no reason why Mormon literature shouldn't follow suit. I suppose the question then becomes----if film, then why not other artistic media such as the visual arts or music (both of which can be found in film)? I guess my answer to that would be that film is more of a narrative medium than visual art or music (of course, published libretti should be included as well) and it can be written about in ways similar to literature. I'm not sure what I mean by that, but having reading some art and music criticism, it seems to me that film criticism has more in common with literary criticism and so if part of the reason for this database is to create a resource for and encourage criticism, then film belongs. ~~William Morris - ------------------------------------------- >From Paynecabin@aol.com Mon Oct 22 12:04:37 2001 It seems to me that if you're tracking plays, you should track films. If you're tracking poetry, you should track lyrics. Whether something has been published on pages is irrelevant. Literary types often think of plays as something written, but people in general, including playwrights, think of plays as something seen and heard. Same with lyrics. Marvin Payne - ---------------------------------------- >From scottparkin@earthlink.net Mon Oct 22 13:19:39 2001 I think we should, for a couple of reasons. First, films start as scripts and scripts are considered literature. That the final product is a visual representation of that written script in no way alters that important origin. Yes, that then begs the same question for music lyrics and/or operatic libretti, but where those words form a substantial basis for the communication of the core story I think you need to interpret liberally. Second (and continuing the theme), I tend to favor a more liberal consideration of scripts because I believe that some of our most dynamic work is being done in that arena, and I would hate to see our literary organizations define themselves away from one of the more influential media currently available. Beside, it's reasonably easy to tag a script so that it's clearly differentiated from a poem or essay or story. >Should it be included in our database? If so, to what extent? (Only if >novelized or if the screenplay is published? What about student LDS films?) In the case of a film, once it's produced, you have an ongoing tangible work that doesn't require a script for a consumer to experience the finished product, so I'm not convinced that it only becomes worthy of tracking if it remains in written form (published novelization or screenplay). The film itself is the performance and is essentially permanent (assuming it's available--a completely different problem). At the same time, I understand that a film is more easily studied as literature when its screenplay is available. And, as with stage plays, there is a limited opportunity to publish such scripts, making study of the literary foundations of the film quite difficult. Good question. I'm generally for inclusion, but that does open up a number of issues related to the availability of the actual text for purposes of study. And it begs the question for LDS-oriented video games and other audio/visual media based around scripts. Scott Parkin - ------------------------------------- >From petersent@suu.edu Mon Oct 22 15:34:10 2001 In response to Gideon's question about LDS film being included in the = database, I say absolutely, particularly those student films. When and if = those filmmakers make it to a point where they are of critical interest, = future scholars and critics will really need a resource that can help them = get oriented on non-commercial fare. Todd Robert Petersen - ----------------------------------- >From robertlauer@hotmail.com Mon Oct 22 16:14:25 2001 I would vote to include all produced or published screenplays. ROB LAUER - ------------------------------------- >From dmichael@wwno.com Tue Oct 23 02:00:32 2001 For now, at least. Hopefully the day will come when LDS films is such a large group of works that it merits its own database. But I think film is as literary, using its own hybrid language of words, images, music, and sound effects, as any book. And it's a much more relevant literature in our times than books, sad as that may make us feel. D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com - ---------------------------------------- - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 10:51:33 -0400 From: "Debra L. Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN New Civil War Epic Sells 15,000 Copies in Two Weeks: Covenant Communications Press Release 20Oct01 US UT Prov A2 New Civil War Epic Sells 15,000 Copies in Two Weeks AMERICAN FORK, UTAH -- The turmoil and triumph of the Civil War are powerfully brought to life in the new epic historical fiction series, Faith of Our Fathers, by N.C. Allen. "The first printing of 15,000 copies sold out in two weeks," said Robby Nichols, Vice President of Marketing for Covenant Communications. "It's already one of the best-selling LDS books of the season." Volume one of Faith of Our Fathers: A House Divided, begins on the eve of the Civil War, when the delicate fabric of a young nation threatens to tear apart. James and Jeffrey Birmingham, brothers, now find themselves and their families on opposing sides of a great and terrible conflict. Caught in the middle are the slaves who were desperate to find their place in a country drawing its battle lines. "Although the idea of brother fighting brother is not new, it was a reality that can't be ignored," said author N.C. Allen. "Families at war with one another makes for good fiction, but was a tragic consequence of the Civil War." It is through the fictional families that Allen portrays the historical events as those living through the conflict might have seen them. "I wanted to show the complex relationships that existed during the Civil War," said Allen. "A slave with fond feelings for a master but hatred for the imposed imprisonment or a daughter who abhors slavery even as her family embraces it as essential to their way of life." Allen also highlights issues given scant attention in the past. "It is not widely known that women, although caught in a male-dominated society, were often not content to sit in the background," said Allen. "Women dressed like men and joined the battles, acted as spies and saboteurs for their respective causes, joined aid societies, and acted as masters of vast plantations." "Although most Latter-day Saints were far removed from the conflict, they were still very much involved," said Shauna Nelsen, managing editor at Covenant Communications. "The Latter-day Saint characters show the reader how Church members and leaders viewed the vital issues of the Civil War." Dr. Richard Cracroft from BYU Magazine said, "A House Divided is a rich and historically based tapestry of several fast-moving, exciting tales of a family divided, north and south, by abolitionism and slaveholding. It's a very exciting way to experience U.S. history." Faith of Our Fathers: A House Divided, by N.C. Allen ($22.95 hardcover, $29.95 book on cassette, $29.95 book on CD) is published by Covenant Communications, and is available at bookstores everywhere, or at www.covenant-lds.com. Allen plans to have the next book in the series ready for fall of 2002. Founded in 1958, Covenant Communications publishes more than 100 book, audio, and software titles annually, and is the largest independent publisher in the LDS market. ### About the Author N.C. Allen is a graduate of Weber State University and currently lives in Ogden, Utah. >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/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #492 ******************************