From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #661 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 Friday, March 29 2002 Volume 01 : Number 661 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 10:15:52 -0700 From: "Marianne Hales Harding" Subject: Re: [AML] Sharing Experiences > > And, there is almost a prescription again being too open at > > church. I frequently have people say to me after some of my > > comments in Sunday School or Relief Society, "you are so honest. > > I would never dare say that. You are saying what no one else will > > admit to," etc. > >I see that, too. I wonder why that reticence exists? I don't find it >very useful. Is there a fear of judgment, do you think? I can think of >two factors that might make sense: Speaking for the risk-averse....there's a reason for that :-) In the throws of a major health problem, I tearfully revealed a recent diagnosis of a chronic illness in a testimony in Relief Society (and also did this horribly self-pitying mass e-mail to most of my address book). When the smoke cleared and I realized that everything was going to be just fine I wished that I hadn't been such a baby. People are very supportive but some tend to treat me like a china doll etc. My condition is not a secret, but I'm a little more reticent to blurt it out. Which is a good thing. I don't think it's such a bad thing to be hesitant to say certain things or be open about some things. The problem with being an open book is that once someone peruses your pages you can't take it back again. Once you've made your controversial statement it's out there forever so I think things through very thoroughly before I raise my hand in Sunday School. Once you've shared this story or that it's out there forever too so I try to be careful what I put out in that big open pot of common thought. Marianne Hales Harding, Chronically Risk Averse _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 10:03:22 -0800 From: JLTyner Subject: Re:[AML] Sharing Experiences I have to second what my husband said and say also that one of my AML friends has told of the kind and wise words that Gae Lyn has sent to him when he needed it. Count us in on any discussion groups or panels. I also note the caution Richard mentioned as you never know who will see what and how it will get back to you. But our decision to be public with this especially at Church was both to blunt gossip and speculation and to try not to feel like we were keeping some great secret to try and keep up appearances. When you grow up in an alcoholic family you learn how to keep secrets and put on a good facade for the outside world. It was considered "bad form" or gauche to air one's dirty laundry when I was growing up. Still is in some circles, and I respect people's desire to be private and keep their family business as such. The way we have handled this has worked for us and we are conscious of not playing "way too much information" with our situation. Yet, the support we've received, especially from people on this list is beyond our efforts to adequately express our thankfulness for. Gramercy is an old word of thanks, so Gramercy y'all. Kathy Tyner Orange County, CA - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 11:00:16 -0700 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] SKELTON/SAMUELSEN, _Magnificence_, ANONYMOUS, _Everyman_ (Review) I'd like to thank Andrew for this post. I just have three things to add. First of all, I have hestitated to talk about this production, because I = did do the translation of Magnificence and my opinion could not be = objective. But my experience with the shows in production was very = similar to Andrew's. I found myself deeply moved by the show, and = resolved to change my life for the better. Those old plays have an = undeniable power. Second, I'd like to add my appreciation of Allyson Everitt's performance = in Everyman. She's just one of those rare actors who shows up once in a = teacher's lifetime. And she's one of the kindest, hard working, generous, = most genuine, remarkable young women I've ever had the privilege of = teaching. =20 Finally, Loraine Edwards, the director for this production, does something = really remarkable here. The Vice characters are funny, and do provide the = comic relief. They're cute and clever and we enjoy them. But they're not = attractive. Evil is often more fun to play (I mean for actors) than Good, = and evil characters are often more interesting than good characters, and = to some degree that's true here. But Loraine found a way to give the Good = characters a kind of gravitas that wasn't boring, and compassion that = wasn't didactic or self-righteous. In this production, the Evil characters= are clever, but also shallow; glib, but also selfish. And we really = don't root for them. Good is ultimately shown as less flashy than evil, = but as genuinely more fulfilling. This is a major accomplishment. And a = great lesson for us all. We CAN make good more attractive than evil. Loraine is my friend and colleague, and working with her on this project = was a terrific, wonderful experience. And I don't mean to overpraise. = But her achievement as a director (accomplished, of course, through the = collaboration of a tremendous student cast), is really something remarkable= . And I enjoyed watching it happen. Eric Samuelsen Oh, BTW. The line Andrew liked was "I think I'm going to be sick: Oo oo oo, ick ick ick." I'm also fond of a line spoken by Fancy, one of = the Vice characters: "Mags, I swear, these pompous old phonies, have got = you squarely by the cojones." But they made us cut it. Prolly just as = well. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 11:31:37 -0700 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: Re: [AML] Sharing Experiences I think forthrightness and full disclosure are great talents to develop and are much needed in our culture. I have a few secrets left, but hardly any. Both my wife and I have a lot of fun chatting about our fertility issues with people in a funny way and being open about pregnancies and miscarriages in a less-funny way. I found Gae Lyn's post quite frustrating. Thanks for sharing your experiences, Kathy. (And I WISH I had a missionary memoir ms. completed--I'm still just trying to come up with a workable proposal and three sample chapters). Chris Bigelow - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 17:30:21 -0600 From: cgileadi@emerytelcom.net (by way of Jonathan Langford ) Subject: [AML] re: KKK, Authority, and Church Courts My apologies if my initial post on this subject was vitriolic. Didn't mean to offend anyone. What I was reaching for is that our attitudes in the church may be in some measure informed by the predominant attitudes of the 30's and 40's and 50's, and those were in many ways influenced by the approaches taken by the KKK--patriarchal dominance, punishment for wrongdoing, inherent superiority of whites and males, promulgation of the good-old-boys network, and so on. The further question is how we deal with those whose behavior crosses the line. I have been close to several situations involving church courts, including when my ex-husband was excommunicated (I can talk about this because it was announced publicly. In certain circumstances the church announces excommunications--mostly when the individual's actions are seen to present a threat to others.) For a long time, I felt that those who sin had certainly better be punished! Now I'm moving toward the feeling that those who make those choices really need serious help as well. Even in extreme situations, we might benefit from taking a look at how the action taken by the court does or doesn't help the person. I believe that certain stakes and wards take action with the compassionate motive to help people. I have also seen where the action is given--and received--as a punishment. I have seen situations where grievous sin has not been punished, and unfortunately, the ones I've seen have been highly placed people in a stake. In one case I'm recalling, the offender held a high position in stake leadership who was proven in civil court to have broken the law in sexual matters. Although he was released from his stake calling, he continued to serve in a ward calling and took the sacrament. So. . .I know it's none of my business whether he did or not. Yet at the same time, I was close to a situation where a person was much more severely punished and yet had not acted out nearly as grievously as the former. I think that in some cases, whether we like it or not, when the person is not (for want of a better phrase) highly placed (a gentle way to refer to the good-old-boys network, but I don't want to be offensive again), the outcome can be more drastic. Living in a small town points all of this up very dramatically. As Kathleen Norris points out in her essays, you can't really hide stuff in small towns, and Norris thinks that overall this is a good thing. When someone is acting out sexually, for example, we often know it. And when that person continues to go to the temple and holds a leadership position, we also know it. I am thinking of a story a woman told me years ago. Her husband had been having an affair with "the painted lady," as the family called her, who lived in an adjacent small town. Everyone knew about it, but he never mentioned it and certainly didn't confess it. One day, the woman had arranged an anniversary weekend with this erring husband and he cruelly refused to go. She went anyway and had an almost-sexual-affair with a stranger. In other words, though she crossed the moral line, she didn't sleep with the guy. Guilt-ridden, she went to talk to the bishop, who held a court and disfellowshipped her. Feeling rejected, confused and stunned, it took her a long time to recover from what she perceived as a punishment that was unhelpful to her, especially since her husband continued to serve as Sunday School President without incident. In the larger sense, we can ask ourselves whether an excommunication or disfellowshipment helps or hinders a person's repentance. I have noted that most people who commit sins serious enough to merit a church court really do need help. Interestingly, most of the people I've known who have been ex'd or disfellowshipped perceive the action as punishment, not help. It is true that church members want to love and support, but I know that when I was married to someone who was ex'd, our family was perceived as peripheral. Is this because our leftover attitudes cannot embrace those who are so different than ourselves? This makes me think of a column last week by Robert Kirby. He retold the story of some Muslim girls who perished in a fire because rescuers wouldn't bring them out if they were at the moment of the crisis uncovered by their abiyahs. Kirby took this further to point out that we often draw lines between ourselves and others based on our cultural point of view. Sometimes we cannot embrace or accept those who we perceive as being Out. I am willing to believe that this differentiation is sharper here in Utah and less so otherwhere. And so, although I love the kids in my English class and I know they are good kids, I found it unnerving to see them struggle with present-day attitudes of love, acceptance, and openness and the leftover model of exclusion and rejection. No doubt we all share that same struggle. Cathy Wilson - --------------------------------------------- This message was sent using Endymion MailMan. http://www.endymion.com/products/mailman/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 13:34:38 -0500 From: "Debra Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN News Briefs: Kent Larsen 26Mar02 US NY NYC X1 Movie of Jack Weyland's "Charly" to be Released in Fall SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- The movie version of Jack Weyland's popular LDS novel "Charly" is scheduled to be released in the Fall. The movie was directed last Fall by Adam Anderegg from a screenplay by BYU-Idaho English professor Janine Whetten Gilbert. Source: Arts Briefs: LDS Cinema News Salt Lake Tribune 26Mar02 US UT SLC A2 http://www.sltrib.com/03262002/tuesday/722687.htm Mormon Author Beck to Speak at Park City Library PARK CITY, UTAH -- The featured speaker at the spring fundraising luncheon of Friends of the Park City Library April 15th will be Martha Nibley Beck, a former LDS Church member and author of the New York Times bestseller "Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic." Beck will speak about her recent book, "Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live," which is based on "life design" principles she teaches in seminars and private sessions. Source: Arts Briefs: LDS Cinema News Salt Lake Tribune 26Mar02 US UT SLC A2 http://www.sltrib.com/03262002/tuesday/722687.htm "The Testaments" Shown in Hawaii LAIE, HAWAII -- "The Testaments: Of One Fold and One Sheperd," the LDS Church-produced film about the Book of Mormon and Christ's visit to the Americas is returning to Hawaii. Originally filmed mainly on Kauai, it will be presented in IMAX format at the LDS Church-owned Polynesian Cultural Center. Bringing the film to Hawaii was the idea of Hawaii Honolulu mission president Mark H. Willes, who secured the permission of LDS General Authorities and the film's director, Keith Merrill. "President Willes thought it would be so appropriate to show Testaments in Hawaii because so many people visit here from all over the world," Bebe Green, Honolulu Mission secretary. "Some of those people will never get to visit Utah, which was the only place where it was showing." The film will show every day except Sunday for the next two weeks. Sources: Mormon IMAX film has roots in isles Honolulu HI Star-Bulletin 23Mar02 US HI Laie A1 http://starbulletin.com/2002/03/23/features/story3.html By Gary C.W. Chun Hawaii-filmed Mormon mini-epic premieres Phoenix AZ Republic (AP) 26Mar02 US HI Laie A1 http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0326mormonmovie-ON.html Associated Press Testaments film used as teaching tool in Hawaii BYU NewsNet 25Mar02 US HI Laie A1 http://newsnet.byu.edu/story/37889 By Chantelle La'ulu: NewsNet Staff Writer >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 13:35:31 -0500 From: "Debra Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN Internet: New Book and Magazine Websites: Kent Larsen 25Mar02 US NY NYC I4 New Book and Magazine Websites NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- This week we've found a number of new book and magazine websites, many of them from authors trying to publicize their work. They include a new Las Vegas-based LDS magazine, a small LDS publisher and a long-time publisher of scripture aids. One of the most interesting of the sites is Desert Saints Magazine, a six-month-old Las Vegas magazine aimed at Church members in that region. The site includes complete copies of the monthly periodical in adobe acrobat (.pdf) format. Nascent LDS publisher Greg Kofford also has a website for his publications, including an ambitious list of forthcoming books on Mormon history and limited editions of books published elsewhere. Long-time scripture aid publisher Scripture Mastery Resources also has a website of information about its products. Newly Listed Mormon Websites: www.BookofMormonLands.com! http://www.bookofmormonlands.com/ Single page book website for two books by Phyllis Carol Olive about ancient Book of Mormon geography and people, "Lost Lands of the Book of Mormon" and "Lost Tribes of the Book of Mormon" are published by Cedar Fort. Desert Saints Magazine - serving the LDS Community! http://www.desertsaintsonline.com/ New Las Vegas-based print magazine also available on-line in an adobe acrobat edition. Magazine includes lifestyle articles for LDS Church members in Las Vegas. Greg Kofford Books http://koffordbooks.com/ Website for publisher of limited edition and short print-run books about Mormonism. Site includes information about recently released and forthcoming titles, its limited edition books, which titles are now out-of-print and contact and ordering information. Liahona Books http://www.liahonabooks.co.uk/ Online LDS bookstore in Kent, England. Site is set up for taking online orders and has many categories, but so far has few books -- mostly those available from LDS Church distribution. Includes many different categories, but those categories often aren't specific to Mormonism. New Beginnings Bookstore http://www.NewBeginningsBookstore.com/ Small, two-page website for Nipomo, California-based LDS bookstore. Includes information on how to get to the store and text information about four of the books it carries. Scripture Mastery Resources http://www.kenalford.com/ Publisher of helps for teachers and students of the scriptures now lists 13 products available. Site includes pages for each product, news, and ordering and contact information. Shelly Johnson-Choong - Author http://shellyjohnsonchoong.com/ Author website for Johnson-Choong, who has five books at a talk tape published by several LDS publishers. Site includes information about her books, a 'book club' with book suggestions, and the author's movie reviews. Attractive site is sometimes hampered by code that doesn't function as intended. The Junction http://www.geocities.com/bwestonrook/ Author website for B. Weston Rook, author of thrillers "The Junction" and "A Shadow from the Past." Includes information on each book, news from the author and links to purchase the books from Xlibris. >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 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 11:58:27 -0700 From: "Paris Anderson" Subject: Re: [AML] Sharing Experiences I admit I haven't read the Book of Mormon or other scriptures for many years. It's a dyslexia thing. The lines are too close together in those books. I buy the large type versions and they've the same amount of space between the lines. So I try to remember, and a lot of times I don't get it right. I seem to remember the Book of Mormon says that one of the ways you can tell a Zion Society or a Chirst-like society is that the people would bear each others burdens, meaning people would share with each other and try to understand each other . . . and help out if if were possible and convient. That doesn't happen at Church. They tell you to go home and pray about it. Maybe they're just too busy--and they are busy. But it does happen here--on AML-List. This the first place I've ever found in my entire life where it does happen. I have felt such liberation at being able to "share" and get feed back, whether positive or negative doesn't matter. It means at least someone's listening to what I say--and not telling me to go home and pray about it. I wish everyone could feel that liberation. If you're afraid of email being forewarded to people and places you would rather not deal with. Don't worry. They already know. Most of it they don't care about. What they do care about isn't big enough to cause them to take action. You're just another number in a pool of thousands--I mean, millions. Thank you for helping me out. Paris Anderson - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 12:57:13 -0700 From: "Jacob Proffitt" Subject: RE: [AML] News Story: White Supremacists in Utah? - ---Original Message From: D. Michael Martindale > "Eric R. Samuelsen" wrote: > > > But so far I haven't dealt with Birchers, because they seem > to me too > > easy a target, too easily demonized, which wouldn't make > for very good > > drama. Still, it's a fertile subject area to explore dramatically, > > and I may well get around to it one day. > > You ought to write a play where a John Bircher is the > sympathetic character, and where the audience cares for him > and roots for him while at the same time you communicate the > dangers of his extremist views. Would that be enough of a > challenge for you? > > In fact, I think that's a good recipe generally for > storytellers who want to write about something they're afraid > they think too black and white about to make it good. While that might be useful in general, I think Eric in particular doesn't suffer that particular weakness. I think he does an excellent job of writing about things that move him and still keeping the characters and situations very real and engaging. _Gadianton_ is a good example of his deft touch if you want to give it a read. Jacob Proffitt - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 14:47:50 -0600 From: Jonathan Langford Subject: Re: [AML] Sharing Experiences Jacob points out several reasons why church members may not share personal experiences publicly in a church setting. I'd like to add a few more reasons, all of which I've experienced myself from time to time, and all of which I think may *sometimes* have validity. * The experience you're describing is complex, and you're uncertain either whether you can communicate it accurately or whether the current audience will understand what you're saying. This is similar to Jacob's reason that what you're saying may do unintended harm, by people taking away a different message than what was meant, but extends beyond it as well. Sometimes you know, or can sense, that what you say simply won't connect to the currect audience. At best, you'll wind up hearing a lot of well-meaning but irrelevant advice. At worst, you may communicate a faulty message or feel even more alienated by others' lack of understanding. * You're afraid that if you share a particular kind of experience, you'll become defined by that experience in other people's minds, limiting your ability to interact with them in other positive ways. * Part of your experience involves sacred matters that you feel really should not be shared without a specific prompting. Or you feel that you may cheapen your experience by repeating it too often. * You may fear the effect of a poorly told experience on your own conception of who you are. There are items I have left out of my own journal because I felt I did not have the language or perceptions to say them the right way. I really think that when we put an experience into words, to some degree our memories of that experience, and our perceptions of the person we are as a result, are shaped afterwards by the words we used. Telling a story about what we have experienced is to some degree an act of self-invention. Maybe it's just because (being a language person) I'm particularly susceptible to the effects of language, but I sometimes worry about whether I might describe myself into becoming someone I'd rather not be. Note that none of these are reasons not to share, but are reasons why I think sometimes people are very careful about when, how, and with whom experiences are shared. I think that in the church, many experiences are shared in private conversations that never make it into our general discourse--nor am I sure that this is altogether a bad thing, given the much greater potential to tailor the message to the specific audience. But it undoubtedly means that sometimes people feel very alone struggling with challenges that they don't hear people talking about around them, and which they therefore assume (very often wrongly) are unique to them. I think many of us have in our minds several categories of experiences, in terms of personal sharing, including at least the following: * Experiences we share when appropriate to a discussion, with no real qualms * Experiences that are sufficiently personal or sacred that we share them only when we feel a definite need or prompting. This may sometimes include very public settings, but only *when* we feel the prompting come. * Experiences that we do not share publicly under any circumstances, or only under the most extraordinary circumstances, because of the potential those experiences have to do damage to ourselves or other people Kathy's son's experience is interesting in that it strikes me as in some ways a borderline case: not, let us say, as easily understood by people as cancer might be, but still something many people will accept is not his fault and as no reflection on his personal righteousness. In this case, explanation by Kathy and Jerry of their son's situation arguably will lead to more understanding, and to people feeling more comfortable with their son. It's not difficult, though, to think of cases where explanations would make people less comfortable, not more comfortable. What if we were talking about a missionary who found himself sexually attracted to his companions, and who finally decided--either with or without his mission president's agreement--that it would be best for everyone concerned if he were removed from that setting? What about the missionary who is guilty of no serious transgression, but simply decides he is too lonely and wants to go home? Or, for that matter, the missionary who *is* guilty of a serious transgression that leads to a dishonorable release? My point isn't to minimize Jerry and Kathy's experience, but to suggest that a public (or semi-public) sharing of information and experiences has different pros and cons, depending on the specific circumstances involved. I can easily imagine that sharing information in the circumstances I've described above could, with the wrong audience, lead not to support and healing but to greater challenges for the returned missionary and his (her) family. I guess my short answer is that I agree it's important that people be able to receive the kind of support in the Church that comes from shared experiences, but I don't know that a *public* sharing is always the best way to achieve that. When it's not, though, then I'd say it's even more important that people have opportunities to share their experiences privately... Jonathan Langford Speaking privately (so to speak), not as AML-List moderator jlangfor@pressenter.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 14:14:35 -0700 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: RE: [AML] Sharing Experiences (was: Update on Our Son_ Responding to Jacob Proffitt: <<< There is a third factor that I think bears on this topic as well. Unlike the other two, I think it has a grain of validity to it. There is a belief that admitting to something bad and showing a recovery (or even just coping well) will encourage that behavior in others. For example, If you admit to prior drug use and are now a member in good standing, the fear is that others will see your experience as a way to justify their own sin. After all, if you could recover, certainly they can as well. I think that is a valid concern depending on audience. Of particular concern is the effect on youth over whom we hold some authority. A confessional experience in that circumstance a) undermines your credibility as someone who makes rules they must obey and b) gives them a false perspective of sin--false because youth are notoriously bad at understanding the pain, damage, and ramifications of poor choices. Because they don't understand serious repentance, and because they didn't know you "back when", they don't have any way to relate to your passage from the person you were to become the person you are. >>> This is something I've thought about quite a bit, both with regards to my own children and to my writing, which is quite candorous (if that's not a word, it should be) about my personal life. I'm not able to completely discount Jacob's points, but I choose not to buy them. I think where I stand right now is that yes, at some stages of development and maturity, some people (including youth) will use the confessions of others to justify their own mistakes. But I think in most cases those people would have made the same mistakes anyway, and perhaps the confession can resonate differently later when they are ready to repent. If they are looking for other people's confessions to justify themselves, they will find them somewhere, and they may as well come from those closest to them with whom they can relate the most. What is more damaging, to admit mistakes and perhaps contribute to someone's decline because they say, "Well, if that person could fall and then recover, so can I," or to hide it and present a false front and make those who do fall feel all the more alienated because they could never be as perfect as the so-called example, only to be disillusioned later when they do learn the truth, as they almost invariably do (at least within families, not necessarily in the public arena)? I suppose some people really are close to perfect, but most of us aren't. I realize a lot of responsibility comes with candor and confession, and I suppose a lot of it has to do with how the mistakes are portrayed. We must be careful that we are not cavalier about them or, worse, glorify them at all, something I'm not sure I've personally mastered how to do yet. But I feel it's one of my personal strengths, overall, that my style is exhibitionism, not the Mormon ultra-privacy mode. Letting the chips fall where they may is much more interesting and potentially rewarding than keeping such a tight lid on everything. Chris Bigelow - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 17:29:10 -0700 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: [AML] Query: How E-Mail Has Changed My Personality I have an intriguing headline for an article: "How E-Mail Has Changed My Personality." (Or maybe "My Life.") Does this resonate with anyone? If so, let's chat about it (on-list or off-list, either way). I have some ideas in my head on how this headline applies to me personally, but I haven't started writing yet. If you know of any books or articles that overlap with this topic, let me know too. Or your own observations and experiences. Maybe I'll do a magazine article and quote different people, or maybe I'll just do my own memoir article, such as for Newsweek's "My Turn" column, along those lines. Chris Bigelow - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 09:45:31 -0800 From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] Update On Our Son On 3/25/2002 Kathy Tyner wrote: > > > > I feel I now know what the phrase "damning with faint praise" > > means. Lovely backhanded compliment that. On Tue, 26 Mar 2002 18:06:58 -0500 Richard Johnson , replied: > The only negative comment I perceived was a concern that I > share, that sometimes what is sent out on lists gets much wider > circulation than was intended. I commented on the list about my > own appreciation for and pleasure in looking at women. (I think > ALL women are beautiful) and I received replies from most of my > relatives and several old college buddies NONE of which are on the > AML list. To use a comment from a couple of posts in my drafts folder (which I may actually get around to finishing and sending out), my laughter and delight at this delicious anecdote reminds me why I love Richard Johnson, and AML-List, and why I download the archives at the end of each month. It also reminds me of why some posts are still in my drafts folder. Sometimes I write a post late at night, then remind myself, "You are not among friends," and either cut the most personal parts (saving them in a separate file), or don't send it. I don't mean, btw, that I don't consider AML-Listers my friends. I mean that one of the things that makes AML-List quite valuable to me is an 88 megabyte (by the end of this month) archives containing wonderful insights and anecdotes and literary criticism and humor and reviews (How wondrous that at least three books and some plays (_Feasting on the Word_ by Richard Dilworth Rust, _Of Curious Workmanship_ by Ed Snow_, _Singled Out_ and _The Way We're Wired_, by Eric Samuelsen, plus about three books of essays I'm working on) have emerged from AML-List and its discussions. A public archives, open to anyone with Internet access--so things I might say among friends (or about friends in private) don't get said in this public forum, and I sometimes wonder if I say too much too personally here. Harlow Clark (rarely so shortwinded) ________________________________________________________________ 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: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 23:12:38 EST From: DiannRead@aol.com Subject: [AML] Re: Mormons and Soldiers Cathryn (et al), Sorry to take so long to put in my two cents on this thread; I was TDY last week (mil-speak for "temporary duty" away from your normal duty station) and I'm only getting a chance now to respond to email. I had to smile at your comment about parents' reluctance to encourage a son's--or heaven forbid!--a daughter's entrance into the military. I smiled because I'm one of those daughters. My parents were then--almost 16 years ago--and still are very supportive of my career. (It was the little old ladies in the small town in which I grew up who were totally scandalized!) I received my commission into the Air Force through the ROTC program at BYU. In the ROTC building is a large print of Friberg's painting of Captain Moroni with the Title of Liberty. There is also a copy of the painting of the stripling warriors. The ideals embodied in those scriptural accounts shaped my concept of why it's important for members of the Church to serve in the military. After all, we as members of the Church bear the increased responsibility that comes with the additional knowledge of how precious our homeland really is. That motivates me even now. Especially now. It's been, by and large, a great experience. I've had opportunities to travel, explore, and serve in countries as diverse as the Republic of Korea and Bosnia. I've learned to love and appreciate people from those countries and others, learned to appreciate their cultures, and to look at the world through their eyes to some degree. I've also learned better how to share the gospel. Simple questions about why I don't join in the drinking have led to extended Q&A sessions and gifts of Books of Mormon in Turkish, Korean, and Serbo-Croatian as well as English. Joining the military was the last thing I would have expected to do with my life as I grew up in that small town, and the Lord really had to work on me to get me to do it; I was sort of a Jonah for a while. I spent a lot of time initially asking "Why me?" But over the last 16 years the answers--and there have been several--revealed themselves in that well-known "line upon line" manner. Though I left active duty for the reserves after Desert Storm, I'm back on active duty as a result of 9-11. And I'm glad to be here, serving my country in her time of need. Diann T. Read - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 22:38:49 -0600 From: "Kumiko" Subject: [AML] Box Office Report March 22 Feature Films by LDS/Mormon Filmmakers and Actors Weekend of March 22, 2002 Weekend Box Office Report (U.S. Domestic Box Office Gross) Report compiled by: LDSFilm.com SINGLE IN HAWAII: The latest word on "The Singles Ward" is that it will be opening at BYU-Hawaii this coming Friday, March 29th, and in many theaters in Idaho on April 19th. Plans are also in the works for = release of the film in Arizona and California this summer. ("Singles Ward" box office figures do not appear in the table below, as they are arriving a bit late this week.) HANSEN'S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT: Whatever you do, don't miss the long-awaited premiere of "The Sisters of Bethany." Elizabeth J. Hansen's short film will be appearing on television on KBYU on Saturday, March 30th at 7:00 PM and Sunday, March 31st at 7:00 PM. Hansen was the writer and star of the KBYU production "Eliza and I," which was directed by Richard Dutcher. Hansen also wrote the screenplay for Michael Mills' "He Took My Licking" (available now on video), as well as the never-released Shoshone-themed feature film "Wind River." In 1990 Hansen received an Emmy nomination for "American Eyes," a CBS Schoolbreak Special. In addition to film and television work, Hansen is one of today's most exciting Latter-day Saint playwrights. Her plays have been performed in New York City, New Jersey, California and Utah, and include "A String of Pearls", "A Pearl of Great Price" and "Tangents." Hansen also works as a professor in the Theater and Film department at Brigham Young University. SAINTS AND OSCARS: Although Latter-day Saints have been nominated for and won many Oscars in past years, there weren't any nominated for Academy Awards this year. But there were some notable Mormon moments at this year's BIG event (24 March 2002). For example, Denzel Washington took home the Best Actor Academy Award for his villianous turn in "Training Day." In this movie Denzel calls his rookie partner (Ethan Hawke) a "Mormon" for refusing to use illegal drugs. During a tribute to documentary films, one of the clips shown was from the Academy Award-nominated film "Waco: Rules of Engagement" (1997). That film was written and produced by Michael McNulty, a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (I don't recall seeing any footage from Norval MacGregor's 1913 film "One Hundred Years of Mormonism", which was the first feature length documentary ever made in the United States.) DreamWorks' CGI blockbuster "Shrek" took home the first-ever Academy Award given for Best Animated Feature. The film's first producer was John Garbett, the Latter-day Saint producer well known for making "The Other Side of Heaven." Garbett was producing the project when the late Chris Farley was still slated for Michael Myers' role, and there were major revisions after he left. So the final film is certainly not a "Garbett film" and he was not a recipient of the Academy Award. But it's interesting to mention and I'm sure Garbett is pleased with the film's success. (I'm sure that Bluth, Rich and Swan are glad to see feature length animated films finally receive their own category, although it would have been nice if it started fifteen years ago.) Cirque du Soleil performed an incredible live acrobatic tribute to special effects artists. The performance triggered an enthusiastic standing ovation from the celebrity audience. Regular readers of this column are fimiliar with Cirque du Soleil because they are the focus of Latter-day Saint cinematographer Reed Smoot's very successful IMAX film, "Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man" (which has made over $13 million at the domestic box office). Salt Lake City joined in the Oscar fun as the pre-Oscar coverage show featured a live feed from an Oscar party in Salt Lake City, where the significantly LDS crowd answered Nicole Kidman for "Moulin Rouge" when asked who they wanted to see win the Best Actress Academy Award. Finally, there was a Lifetime Achievement Award given to the very deserving Robert Redford. Redford was never a member of the Church, but he is certainly a Utah resident, and he was married to a Latter-day Saint, Lola Van Wagenen, for 27 years. Redford and his in-law, Latter-day Saint filmmaker and film professor Sterling Van Wagenen, founded the Sundance Film Festival, which was mentioned during Barbra Streisand's introduction of Redford, during the short retrospective film shown about his career, and during Redford's speech. - ---- SURVIVOR: NELEH: Well that was a bit of a surprise. Neleh's tribe (Rotu) had won all five challenges so far, and was getting along together almost unbelievably well. Maraamu was at each other's throats. Things were so lopsided that the show's hosts scrambled the teams. Every remaining competitor on the island was shuffled this week, with Neleh ending up in the Maraamu tribe -- the team with the biggest losing streak in Survivor history. At the end of the show Neleh went to her first Tribal Council. Sarah was unanimously voted off, but it left Rotu with 8 members, mostly men, and Neleh's (new) team with only 4 members: 3 women and the old guy. Will Neleh survive until the teams are merged? [If table below doesn't line up properly, try looking at them with a mono-spaced font, such as courier - Ed.] Natl Film Title Weekend Gross Rank LDS/Mormon Filmmaker/Actor Total Gross Theaters Days - --- ----------------------------- ----------- ----- ---- 33 Ocean's Eleven $196,358 260 108 LDS characters: Malloy twins 182,663,940 48 The Other Side of Heaven 48,287 21 101 Mitch Davis (writer/director) 1,873,829 John H. Groberg (author/character) Gerald Molen, John Garbett (producers) 54 Mulholland Drive 31,855 32 168 Joyce Eliason (producer/writer) 7,126,633 51 The Singles Ward ?????? 12 52 Kurt Hale (writer/director) ??????? John E. Moyer (writer) Dave Hunter (producer) Cody Hale (composer) Ryan Little (cinematographer) Actors: Will Swenson, Connie Young, Daryn Tufts, Kirby Heyborne, Michael Birkeland, Robert Swenson, Lincoln Hoppe, Gretchen Whalley, Sedra Santos, etc. 65 Galapagos 15,923 4 878 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 12,488,836 69 Behind Enemy Lines 13,899 37 115 David Veloz (screenwriter) 58,847,668 87 Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man 5,076 2 689 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 13,127,699 92 China: The Panda Adventure 4,490 4 241 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 2,017,267 100 Mark Twain's America 3D 2,700 1 1361 Alan Williams (composer) 2,180,119 106 Island of the Sharks 1,519 3 1060 Alan Williams (composer) 10,657,820 - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #661 ******************************