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aml-list-digest       Wednesday, October 9 2002       Volume 01 : Number 855




----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 04 Oct 2002 10:04:22 -0600
From: margaret young <margaret_young@byu.edu>
Subject: Re: [AML] Elijah Abel: Fact and Fiction

_Standing on the Promises_ documentation:

Every chapter comes with endnotes and sources, where we make it clear
what the actual facts are.  There is also an extensive bibliography at
the end of the book.  Davis Bitton's wife (whose name I don't recall at
the moment) said she'd really like an index.  Interesting request for a
piece of fiction, eh?  Book 3 has been especially interesting, because it
becomes quite modern and many of the characters are still living, so
we've done lots and lots of interviews.  In Book 3, we depict Darius's
conversion (we call him "Aidan" because he is nervous about starring
himself in this volume--but we also address all of his weaknesses in
detail, so he doesn't come across as a hero or anything). Because that
conversion happened in 1964, the missionaries involved are still around,
and I have had conversations and e-mail exchanges with both.  I've had
them read versions of the conversion chapter.  Interestingly, every
single person involved in that event recalls it differently--and that was
only 37 years ago.  The chapter will follow Darius's recollections more
closely than the missionaries', but will acknowledge in the endnotes
(with quotes from their posts to me) how their memories differ from
Darius's.  When I spoke to Darius about the differences, he was a little
upset that HIS version wasn't completely corroborated by the others'
memories.  I told him this was only further evidence of how unreliable
memory is.  Because the priesthood policy rested largely on the
40-year-old memory of Zebedee Coltrin--who was certain that Joseph Smith
had told him all those years ago that "the spirit saith the Negro cannot
hold priesthood", this phenomenon has special significance.

Incidentally, new facts came to light for the missionaries who taught
Darius and for him, too. He had never known that they had to get special
permission to teach him, and then to baptize him.  The missionaries had
never known that Darius's mother forbade him to be taught in her home
(they taught him in their apartment) because she had had a bad experience
with Mormons in her past.  (They had begun teaching her, then asked if
she had any "Negro blood" and when told "Of course" had made a quick
exit.)

[Margaret Young]

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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 2002 10:48:11 -0700
From: "Bill Willson" <bmdblu2@attbi.com>
Subject: [AML] Reviews and Critics (was: Charly Review)

Eric Samuelsen wrote, in defense of his review:
<snip>
>So my opinion of Charly is absolutely correct in every >particular.

>my opinion is completely and everlastingly right.  What I >did not say, =
and would never say, is that those who liked >it are wrong for doing so, =
or are inferior to me in >judgment, intelligence, etc.  I wouldn't say =
that, because >it isn't true.=20
<snip>

Opinions are similar to belly buttons, everyone has one, but for the =
owner of the opinion to say, "my opinion is absolutely correct in every =
particular," is, in my opinion, just a little over the top. An opinion =
is just what it is and nothing more, it is an opinion. If you don't =
agree ignore it, if you find that the evaluations and opinions on a =
particular form of writing or art agree with your opinions, then you may =
decide to view or purchase something given a favorable review or =
critique of by the same critic. That is precisely why I pay little or no =
attention to critiques or reviews, unless it is of my own work in =
progress, and I am trying to improve it. If I see a title or a movie =
clip and it intrigues me, I don't give a hoot what the critics say, I =
take a look at it. After all they are only offering their own opinion. =
How many wonderful works of literature would we miss out on if all the =
manuscripts that were rejected the first time around were never =
published? When you come right down to it, we each must be our own =
critic, and hope that a compatible audience will find our work and enjoy =
it.

Regards,
Bill Willson


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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 04 Oct 2002 10:58:39 -0600
From: margaret young <margaret_young@byu.edu>
Subject: [AML] Seattle Fireside (Darius Gray and Margaret Young)

>From the stake president in Seattle, who Susan Malmrose connected me
with: The Fireside will be at at 7:00 pm at
5701 8th Avenue Northeast - our Stake Center.  We are planning on
holding it in the chapel.  The Stake Center is just a few blocks north
and west of the University of Washington if that is of any help -five
miles or so north of downtown.





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------------------------------

Date: Mon, 07 Oct 2002 15:02:58 -0500
From: "Preston" <pdhunter@wt.net>
Subject: [AML] _Alan & Naomi_ (Movie Review)

Title: Alan & Naomi
Director: Sterling Van Wagenen
Based on: book by Myron Levoy
Produced by: David Anderson and Mark Balsam
Produced by: Leucadia Film Corporation, Maltese Productions
Distributted by: Triton Pictures, SandStar
Year released: 1992

Review by Preston Hunter

"Alan & Naomi" was released ten years ago, in 1992. It's an
extraordinary movie, easily one of the finest feature films
made by a Latter-day Saint director during the last decade.
Yet I think it's something of a "lost film," which is
unfortunate, but perhaps understandable.

"Alan & Naomi" was directed by Sterling Van Wagenen, the
co-founder of the Sundance Film Festival. Van Wagenen had
previously made a number of films for the Church, including
"Christmas Snows, Christmas Winds" (1980), and he had
distinguished himself as a producer. He produced "The Trip
to Bountiful" (1985), for which Gerarldine Page won an
Academy Award for Best Actress. The movie also received an
Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay, and a number
of other awards. But after "Alan & Naomi," Van Wagenen
focused on teaching at Brigham Young University and making
documentaries. He never directed another feature film, so
there was little reason for later movie reviewers or writers
to talk about his past films, i.e., "Alan & Naomi." And the
movie didn't have a very big release initially -- grossing
only $259,311 at the U.S. box office.

Based on an acclaimed children's book by Myron Levoy, the
video seems to have gained some popularity itself in
schools. But having seen it, it's easy to see why it's not
very popular or well-remembered, despite being an
artistically and morally accomplished work of filmmaking.

"Alan & Naomi" tells the story of Alan, a young Jewish boy
(perhaps 14 years old) living in World War II-era New York
City, whose parents ask him to spend time with Naomi a young
neighbor girl the same age that he is. Naomi is essentially
catatonic. She has not spoken for years and screams when
anybody other than her mother and grandmother approach her.
She was traumatized when, while living in her native Paris,
she witnessed her father being killed by Nazi soldiers.

Alan is not the least bit interested in becoming a regular
visitor or helping this girl who up until now he has
dismissed as crazy. But his parents, mainly his father,
persuade him to do so, because it's the right thing to do.
Alan's father is played very convincingly by Michael Gross,
best known as the father of Michael J. Fox's character on
the sitcom "Family Ties." Physically, Gross' character is so
transformed into a different era and persona that I would
not have recognized him if I had not seen the credits.
Although playing, once again, a kindly father of a teenager,
he creates here a distinctive yet very believable character,
very much a New York Jew from the 1940s, but with depth,and
in no way a stereotype or caricature.

The rest of the cast, including Amy Aquino as Alan's mother
and Kevin Connolly as Alan's best friend Shaun, is uniformly
excellent. But the movie largely hangs on the abilities of
its lead actor, Lukas Haas, who dazzles with his natural and
sympathetic turn as the young Alan. Haas is in nearly every
scene, and his acting, which never seems like acting,
transported me to the milieu and engaged me in the story.

Finally, Vanessa Zaoui deserves credit for succeeding with
the challenging role of a traumatized catatonic Parisian
girl who slowly -- but never completely -- emerges from
within the mental walls erected to protect her from further
trauma.

Apart from the performances, "Alan & Naomi" is commendable
for the professionalism that is evident in every other
aspect of the film. I was instantly struck by the
cinematography -- how a cohesive period look was achieved,
and made to look realistic yet also appealing, despite the
relative poverty of Alan's neighborhood. Considerable care
obviously went into the sets, and I was not surprised to see
no less than nine set dressers credited with re-creating the
1940s homes, school, and exteriors.

There's something of a warm glow to the whole production.
Imagine a WWII Jewish period piece made by the same people
who make the LDS "Homefront" public service ads. But
although that is the look, "Alan & Naomi" does not have the
feel or tone of "Homefront" ads and Church videos. This is,
in fact, an often melancholy and even sad film, with an
ending that will surprise you -- because while hopeful, it
is not at all the happy ending one might expect.

The story itself probably has a lot to do with the relative
lack of popularity. This is apparently a very faithful
adaptation of the book, and the director does nothing to
call attention to himself or his techniques, or to spice
things up with added action or artificial plot devices. But
clearly this is a difficult product to market. It is not a
fun-fest for kids (such as "Spy Kids"), it doesn't feature
animals, aliens or sports, nor is it animated. Yet the mere
fact that it features child-age protagonists limits its
appeal to many adults.

The movie is, however, a thoughtful, realistic, interesting
film. "Alan & Naomi" requires more patience and a greater
attention span than most children's movies. I found it an
enjoyable experience, but one comparable to a bicycle ride
in the park, rather than a roller coaster ride. There are
stick ball games, the flying of toy glider planes, and even
brief fisticuffs with a bully at school, all of which might
spark interest in kids, but the movie is dominated by the
gradual development of trust between Alan and the largely
silent Naomi, mostly taking place in a single apartment. If
you can get kids to watch the movie, there are remarkable
lessons to be learned. There is no preachiness to the movie
or artificiality to the characters, but the characters,
despite making mistakes, simply exhibit a commendable and
inspiring level of goodness and decency.

There is little in the way of "spectacle" in "Alan & Naomi."
The movie doesn't really break new ground, nor is it
particularly challenging. But this is a very professional
piece of work, a carefully crafted, artistic film featuring
beautiful cinematography and near-flawless acting. It is
easily the best film made by the Leucadia Film Corporation
(whose alumni include Blair Treu and Mitch Davis). I
recommend renting it, but this isn't really a movie I would
want to own and watch many times.

Perhaps most of all, the talent and professionalism with
which "Alan & Naomi" was created made me regret that Van
Wagenen has not directed other feature films. He has done
admirable documentary work in recent years, including
projects about the Dead Sea scrolls, and while at BYU he
served as the executive producer of many LDS-themed
projects, including the Elizabeth Hansen/Richard Dutcher
collaboration "Eliza and I" (1997).

"Alan and Naomi" (along with "Schindler's List") is one of a
number of movies that Kieth Merrill was talking about when
he observed that Latter-day Saint filmmakers have made more
movies about Jews than than they have made about Latter-day
Saints. This is a very good movie about Jewish characters,
notable in the way its characters are clearly Jewish, yet
the film is universal in its approachability and its
messages. But I would particularly like to see what Van
Wagenen would have done if he had directed another dramatic
film, with a story with Latter-day Saint characters.




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------------------------------

Date: Mon, 07 Oct 2002 21:43:09 -0500
From: Linda Adams <adamszoo@sprintmail.com>
Subject: RE: [AML] Sitcoms

>Watch Damon Wayans' "My Wife and Kids".  Excellent show and done with
>Wayans' characteristic bold touch that manages to remain (somehow)
>relevant, careful, and truthful.  Funny stuff and the dad doesn't come
>off as the perpetual buffoon--maybe because it's co-written by the guy
>playing the dad.
>
>Jacob Proffitt
An observation: I really enjoyed the "George Lopez" sitcom last
night--it was on after "My Wife and Kids".  It was funny enough I
suppose, but it was also interesting, new, different, and had an obvious
issue/relevance that I found intriguing . . .-->Jacob Proffitt

I just read an article in EBONY magazine today commenting on how terrible 
it was--and I agree--that the networks have pitted the ONLY two 
black-oriented sitcoms on primetime against each other--"My Wife and Kids" 
is now up against "Bernie Mac." It would be crummy to lose either one of 
them. The article said the way networks operate, it was likely that the 
least-rated show of the two would be canceled. It's also interesting to 
note that these two shows are also two of the most real, best, best-written 
sitcoms on TV right now, hands down. I'm a huge, unabashed Bernie Mac fan. 
I'm so pleased to see what he's doing out there, and that the network is 
*letting him do it,* his way. I don't have much time for ANY TV, but I 
don't miss that one. It gets taped a lot, until I have time. I haven't seen 
the Lopez show, yet. It looks funny.

Anyway. That brings up a whole 'nother can of worms not really for 
AML-List, but it *is* upsetting. My point is, Eric, when you write this 
sitcom, please include some diverse characters in your cast. Minority 
characters are sorely needed in strong roles.

I was thinking recently about how to even approach an LDS sitcom and make 
it funny, before you brought this up. I was drawing a blank. Funny things 
do happen; we are a weird bunch when you get right down to it. If it has to 
occur in a common setting, why not use a church building? (You could use a 
set.) That's where all the ward action is. Your main characters can be the 
people who hang out there a lot--the Bishop, the RS President. It's too bad 
we don't use custodians anymore; that would be a good character. Maybe you 
could invent one anyway, for the sake of the show.

I think getting Kathryn Kidd's permission to use characters from the 
Paradise Vue ward would be a GREAT idea.

Best of luck!!

Linda Adams
adamszoo@sprintmail.com
http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo/linda







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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 04:21:45 -0700
From: "Levi Peterson" <althlevip@msn.com>
Subject: Re: [AML] Seattle Fireside

- ----- Original Message -----
From: margaret young

Thank you Seattlites for helping me arrange a fireside.  I heard from
Levi Peterson, which was such a treat, and from Susan Malmrose, who
connected me up with her stake president, and from several others--all
of whom I thank wholeheartedly.  We're hoping Levi's connections and
Susan's stake can fill a chapel.  I don't have the address yet, but the
fireside is set for 7:00 on Oct. 20.  I'll post the address as soon as I
get it so anyone out there can attend and invite their friends.
[Margaret Young]

I felt pretty important trying to help Margaret arrange a place for a fir=
eside. But pretty much all that came of it was that I learned that a deta=
ched, back bench, sermon-sleeping Mormon like me doesn't know how to sche=
dule a chapel for worthy things like a fireside. If I had asked my bishop=
, he would have stared at me for a minute and then asked me who I am.

[Levi Peterson]
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- ------=_NextPart_001_0002_01C26E82.36A85300
Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <=
DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MAR=
GIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">=
 <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message -----</DIV> <DIV =
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; COLOR: black; FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>From:</B=
> margaret young</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monda=
y, October 07, 2002 6:26 PM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>To:<=
/B> aml-list@lists.xmission.com</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>=
Subject:</B> [AML] re: Seattle Fireside</DIV><BR>Thank you Seattlites for=
 helping me arrange a fireside.&nbsp; I heard from<BR>Levi Peterson, whic=
h was such a treat, and from Susan Malmrose, who<BR>connected me up with =
her stake president, and from several others--all<BR>of whom I thank whol=
eheartedly.&nbsp; We're hoping Levi's connections and<BR>Susan's stake ca=
n fill a chapel.&nbsp; I don't have the address yet, but the<BR>fireside =
is set for 7:00 on Oct. 20.&nbsp; I'll post the address as soon as I<BR>g=
et it so anyone out there can attend and invite their friends.<BR>[Margar=
et Young]<BR><BR>I felt pretty important trying to help Margaret arrange =
a place for a fireside. But pretty much all that came of it was that I le=
arned that a detached, back bench, sermon-sleeping Mormon like me doesn't=
 know how to schedule a chapel for worthy things like a fireside. If I ha=
d asked my bishop, he would have stared at me for a minute and then asked=
 me who I am.<BR><BR>--<BR>AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of=
 Mormon literature<BR>&lt;http://www.aml-online.org/list/index.html&gt;<B=
R></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

- ------=_NextPart_001_0002_01C26E82.36A85300--




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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 09:44:03 -0600
From: Barbara Hume <barbara@techvoice.com>
Subject: RE: [AML] "Religious Educator" Article on Creative Arts

At 01:52 PM 10/3/02 -0600, you wrote:
> >From a cultural standpoint I don't care how many goys rip each other
> > >off.

I believe that the plural of "goy" is "goyim."

barbara hume







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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 10:43:25 -0600
From: Barbara Hume <barbara@techvoice.com>
Subject: [AML] Mormon Movie Values (was: _Charly_ Film Review)

At 11:59 AM 10/3/02 -0600, you wrote:
>I see it as my challenge, and maybe this is the way you feel as well, to
>reach as much of that general audience as possible, without sacrificing
>the craft - to find that common area between well-crafted,
>well-thought-out art and escapist entertainment.

That's exactly the right spot. I don't want to come out of a movie feeling 
bummed, but I don't want the movie to be something I completely forget 
before I get back to my car, either. Surely a movie can be enjoyable and 
still have substance. I'm thinking of City Slickers, a movie that was a lot 
of fun, but still gave us a character who learned something very important 
- -- that it was his family that mattered to him, and everything else was 
secondary.

barbara hume







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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 11:41:42 -0600
From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" <ersamuel@byugate.byu.edu>
Subject: Re: [AML] "Religious Educator" Article on Creative Arts

Let me add one more thing to this note about crooks abounding in LDS art =
circles.  I don't think it has anything to do with any particular =
hypocrisy embedded somewhere in Mormonism, or any inherent cultural flaw.  =
I think it has to do with small, marginal businesses, struggling to =
compete in a niche market.  I don't think anyone intends to be crooked.  I =
think ethical compromises are made out of desperation, fear and panic.

Not that that changes any sort of advice I'd give to students.  They =
stilll need to be wary. =20

Eric Samuelsen







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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 10:54:24 -0600 
From: Christopher Bigelow <Chris.Bigelow@UnicityNetwork.com>
Subject: [AML] Doug Thayer Interview Questions?

Irreantum is interviewing Doug Thayer. Does anyone have any questions you
would suggest we ask him, especially about particular works of his?

Chris Bigelow


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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 13:14:15 -0500
From: "Preston" <pdhunter@wt.net>
Subject: [AML] Best/Favorite Film Polls

The "Mormon Life" section of the Deseret Book website has a
new poll, asking people to pick the "best LDS major motion
picture." 575 people have already voted in the Deseret Book
poll, compared to about 135 people who have voted in the
LDSFilm.com website. (By the way, LDSFilm.com asks votes to
pick a "favorite", not "best" film.)

Here are the results from the Deseret Book poll:
http://deseretbook.com/mormon-life/

God's Army               17%
Brigham City              8%
The Other Side of Heaven 59%
The Single's Ward        15%
Out of Step               0%
(575 votes cast)


Here are the results from the LDSFilm.com poll:
http://www.ldsfilm.com/polls.html

God's Army               14%
Brigham City             23%
The Other Side of Heaven 28%
The Single's Ward        22%
Out of Step               9%
(135 votes cast)




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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 12:04:05 -0600
From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" <ersamuel@byugate.byu.edu>
Subject: Re: [AML] Sitcoms

Robert Slaven was absolutely right in suggesting Fawlty Towers as a model =
for our LDS sitcom.  But I really must dampen everyone's enthusiasm a bit.

1) A sitcom like FT was brilliantly written and brilliantly acted, all =
true.  But they had two things we do not have: time and money. =20

2) What we're doing is a class, an educational exercise, with students =
doing all the work.  The results, I suspect, will be . . . not bad, all =
things considered.  I'm not writing it, I'm teaching a class.  My students =
are wonderful kids, bright and funny and hard working.  They'll come up =
with something respectable.  It won't be Fawlty Towers, and it would be =
wrong to load them with those sorts of expectations. =20

3) We have no budget.  We are begging, borrowing and stealing to try to =
get this done.  It's a scrounged show. =20

4) There is no chance, zero, of Fawlty Towers or anything like it airing =
on KBYU or on BYU TV.  Self-censorship, bordering on--that dreaded =
word--correlation would never allow anything as morally dubious as FT =
going on the air.  That's their word for it, not mine: I think FT is =
absolute genius, and not remotely dubious morally.  Basil Fawlty is petty, =
vain, and a congenital liar.  He's also one of the richest comic characters=
 in the history of narrative.  (And, of course, he gets his comeuppance).  =
But no way we'd get him on the air.

Eric Samuelsen







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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 13:56:13 -0600
From: "Paris Anderson" <parisander@freeport.com>
Subject: [AML] Re: Mormon Publishing Options

Scott Parkin wrote:

 Unless those readers don't exist and I'm just hallucinating the potential
demand. How many sales does it take to prove a concept in publishing? Who's
willing to work with me on an experiment to find out? Let me know in a
private note. I think we need to know for sure, and I'm not sure the
anecdotal evidence I'm seeing right now proves anything about what readers
want so much as it proves what publishers know they can sell. Completely
different things with completely different proofs.
>
Yeah, I'm interested Scott.  I've been working on such an idea myself.  I
really think it would work.  Here are some of the problems I've run into and
some solutions I've come up with:

1) costs--Printing costs are absurd.  I spent $1500 printing my Mormon
Battalion book (put it on a credit card).  I had 500 copies printed.  My
costs per copy is about $3.00, plus postage and labor.  Now, a year after
getting it back from the press.  I have about 200 in my basement, and I've
made back about $600 (I've given away a lot of copies).  I can't put my
finger on it, but something's wrong here.

I have another project where I am putting all five volumns of the "Claire:
A Mormon Girl," series together and handbinding them using a Japanese sewn
binding.  My total costs for this sre: $20.00 for printing, $5.00 materials
plus labor plus labor plus labor.  I get only one copy from this.  My
solution is to handbind--at least while the demand is non-existent.

2) inventory control--In the first example, where I am losing a lot of
money,  I have a lot of inventory.  I have to store them and worry about
keeping it safe.  But I also have a hope that someday I'll be able to use
those copies in a beneficial way.  In second example I am left with no
copies to store.

My solution:  Go with handbinding.  It may not give me any hopes for the
future, but it doesn't tie-up any money either.

3) outlets--this goes along the same lines as inventory.  It's easier to
place ten items for sale than to place a thousand.  It's work in either
case.  I haven't come up with a viable solution here.

4) publicity--publicity and advertising are extremely valuable.  That's the
only way you can sell a book.  If you don't have money to advertise, then
your business will become a hobby.  My solution:  Enjoy your hobby!

But your experiment will prove only one thing--it all comes down to
marketing.  The established publishing houses know how to market (for lack
of a better term) low-ball Mormon literature to Mormon audiences.  The
market they've set-up won't work for high-ball Mormon literature.

In order for your experiment to be successful you will have to create and
nurture an audience.  You will have to find the people who would be
interested in buying a copy and advertise directly to them.  Good Luck,

Paris Anderson






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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 22:39:51 -0700
From: "Kim Madsen" <kcmadsen@utah-inter.net>
Subject: [AML] Literary Mormon Fiction (was: _Charly_ Film Review)

Dorothy Peterson wrote:

"...All the Mormon publishers have had an opportunity to publish
it and all have rejected it,
and guess what the common tenor of their reasoning was:  It is
TOO LITERARY
for their readership.  One Mormon publisher used those exact
words.  What
does that say for the Mormon reader?"

AAACK! As a Mormon reader trying to run a Mormon themed book
group this statement makes me want to tear my hair out in
frustration. PUBLISHERS ARE YOU LISTENING!? There IS a reading
audience of LDS people who are desperately seeking such
"literary" works. We mostly have to rely on the so-called "lost
generation" of LDS writers like Virginia Sorensen, Maureen
Whipple, et al to find it. We have to check out the two copies
our local library might carry (to share among ten people in four
weeks)of works by such as Levi Peterson, Margaret Young, etc.,
because we can't find them on the shelves of Seagull, Deseret
Book, or B&N. It shouldn't be this HARD.

Kim Madsen, who is right now reading _Letting Loose the Hounds_
by Brady Udall while waiting for publishers to give us something
close to home

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Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 23:20:07 -0700
From: "Kim Madsen" <kcmadsen@utah-inter.net>
Subject: RE: [AML] Sitcoms

Barbara Hume wrote:
>>Maybe you could get some ideas for funny stuff about the LDS
culture from
the women who wrote those Hatrack River books for Scott Card.
They were
hilarious.

The author's name is Kathryn Kidd. She's written several things,
including co-writing sf with OSC, but I think  _Paradise Vue_ and
_Return to Paradise_ are her best. The character from _Return to
Paradise_ who is a Marilyn Monroe wanna-be is so great--and I
think it's because we learn to know her from reading her journal
entries. Great sub-text of the nude poster of Marilyn Monroe on
the basement wall by her husband's work space.

Both of those books remind me of screenplays--you can almost see
the author thinking in terms of scenes and camera angles.

Kim Madsen





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Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 23:02:15 -0700
From: JLTyner <jltyner@postoffice.pacbell.net>
Subject: Re: [AML] Narratives from LDS Medical Practitioners

Good question.  Another one:
Are you only interested in Mormons in currently mainstream medical practice?
Or are you also interested in those who are involved with alternative 
medicine and healing techniques?

Kathy Tyner
Orange County, CA

Barbara Hume wrote:

>
> My son is a physical therapist. He's also a good writer. But before I 
> approach him on this subject, I'd like to know what you plan to do 
> with the information if people take the time to put it together for you.


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Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2002 20:19:00 -0700
From: "Richard R. Hopkins" <cornerstonepublishing@attbi.com>
Subject: [AML] Lisa Hopkins (Singer)

Thought you might be interested in this.

My next youngest brother was the first in our family to have a girl--Lisa
Hopkins. Let me explain why that's important. My father's father and his
patriarchal line were all Christian ministers and preachers in Tennessee and
ultimately in Kansas. My father was a student minister in Dodge City before
he met my mother (who was a daughter of pioneers from SLC). Over a period of
time, my father converted himself, with some help from my mother's father.
Anyway, my grandfather Hopkins was extremely upset when his son joined the
Mormons and married a Mormon girl.  So he had the gall to tell my mother
that he hoped she would have no male children, as he wanted none of his
Hopkins line to be in the Mormon Church. (Interestingly, the lines of all of
his children who did not join the Mormon Church have have since died out.)
My mother's response was exactly what you would expect from a Scottish
woman.  She said, "I intend to have nine boys...and send them all on
missions to Kansas." Well, she had five of the nine (and no daughters), I
had three (I'm the oldest), and my next brother had one (that's nine) before
any female children were born in our line!  Lisa was the first!  (I then had
another boy and my brother had two more, so we're still precious short on
girls.)

But Lisa has turned out very special.  She has flaming red hair (and looks
almost like a female twin to my youngest boy), and she has a typical Hopkins
voice (loud!--my great, great grandfather, John Isaac Creighton Hopkins
could be heard in full by simply stepping out on a porch within a two mile
radius of wherever he was preaching).  Thanks to her devoted parents, she
got a scholarship to Yale, from which she graduated in voice (after serving
a mission to Vienna, Austria).  Those devoted parents then pulled every
string they had in New York (where they had lived while my brother was going
to school), and got Luciano Pavorati's voice coach to coach Lisa!

Well, it paid off, and here's the point of all this.  Baz Luhrmann recently
auditioned some 6000 young opera singers all over the world for his
production of _La Boheme_ which is now playing in San Francisco, and will be
on Broadway in December--and my niece, Lisa is one of the Mimis.  In fact,
she is opposite the principal Rudolfo!  There has been quite a bit of press
about her in SF all mentioning the fact of her being a Mormon, and there is
a huge billboard of her and Rudolfo (played by Jesus Garcia) in Times Square
in New York right now, advertising the show, _La Boheme_, as "The Greatest
Love Story Ever Sung."  It will be interesting to follow her career, and I
thought the list should know, so they can watch too, knowing that she is a
strong member of the Church.

Richard Hopkins






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Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 15:08:42 -0700
From: "Bill Willson" <bmdblu2@attbi.com>
Subject: Re: [AML] Lost Mormon Literary Classics

Here's my list:
     Heaven Knows Why
     I Have Six Wives
     Family Kingdom
     The Kingdom or Nothing
           All by Samuel W. Taylor, the sixth born of the sixth wife of John
Taylor.
    I think these books are important, because of who they came from, and
because of Sam's unique point of view.
     Sam W. Taylor wrote many other things, but these are the most Mormon,
in content, of any other of his works. I think his point of view does a lot
to help Modern-Day Saints know and understand the underlying current of the
Latter-Day conflict, which refuses to die a natural death, and continues to
rear its head. There is probably a good reason for this, and I know that
reading these books helped me as a new convert to understand the inner
sanctuaries of church history and in particular The Principle.
     I was privileged to briefly know Sam W. Taylor and even had him in my
home for dinner one time. My copy of the first book on my list is
autographed,
    "To- Nell Smith - One of my favorite Mormons"
                                    Samuel W Taylor

Nell Smith was my Mother-in-law, and a writer for: our local newspaper, the
Instructor, The Improvement Era" The Church News, and The Ensign. She was
also the only female member of the Oakland Temple Committee, and attended
meetings and dined with the prophets, David O. McKay and Joseph Fielding
Smith.

An aside:
As a result of Nell's temple committee work, my first born child's photo is
in the time casual of the Oakland Temple. My daughter Corinne is Nell's
first born grandchild. Corinne's photo as a young woman is also in the
Sesquicentennial Church Conference issue of the Ensign, purely by chance.

Regards,
Bill Willson


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Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 18:44:49 -0600
From: "J. Scott Bronson" <bronsonjscott@juno.com>
Subject: Re: [AML] Lost Mormon Literary Classics

On Thu, 3 Oct 2002 21:46:46 -0600 "Scott Parkin"
<scottparkin@earthlink.net> writes:

> Are there some works of classic Mormon literature that you would like 
> to own but that you can't seem to find anywhere?
     [snip]
> I would love to see your lists of lost Mormon classics (of any type,
> literary or not) and why you think they ought to be made available 
> to modern audiences.

I would like to see all of Marvin Payne's early albums like:

	Ships of Dust
	Utah
	Houses and Towns
	Grasshopper

on cd because it's great stuff and ought not to disappear.

scott




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Date: Wed, 09 Oct 2002 02:56:25 +0000
From: "Andrew Hall" <andrewrhall@hotmail.com>
Subject: [AML] BROWN, _House on the Sound_ (Review)

Title: House on the Sound
Author: Marilyn Brown
2001, Salt Press/Cedar Fort Inc.  235 p.
$22.50, hardback. ISBN 1-55517-584-8

After hearing many sing their praises of Brown's skill as an
author, I finally read one of her books myself, House on
the Sound.  And sure enough, she is an talented wordsmith,
the dialogue all rings true, the descriptions shimmer with
life, the characters are fully realized.

Two excellent reviews of the novel already have appeared on
AML-list, and I do not have too much to add to them.  The story
in a nutshell is a family (mother, father, two daughters, and
a set of grandparents) move into their nearly built home in a
sparsely populated area in the hills above Bremerton, Washington,
the sight of a major Naval shipyard, where the father works as
an engineer.  Next door to the family are the Barbars, a
hillbilly-type family whose exact relations to each other is
unclear through much of the book.  The story covers the years
1940-1944, and is told through the eyes of Lindy, the ten-year-
old daughter.  Lindy is both fascinated and repelled by various
members of the Barbar family, who seem to come from another,
more primitive world.  Her parents are more cautious, but
gradually look for ways to reach out to the neighbors, while
the prickly grandfather, who acts as the girls' guardian during
the daytime, loathes the neighbors and does all he can to keep
the family away from them.  As Bremerton was an important
military site on the West Coast, the family also fears for
faces the fear of an attack by the Japanese military once the
war begins.

So, interesting premise, a nice touch of mystery, and great
writing.  My only complaint is that the pace is quite slow,
especially in the beginning.  It is not a page turner, and it
took me a while to get through it.  Part of the problem is that
the narrator is a little girl, who does not clearly understand
much of what is going on, and is largely under the thumb of her
strict (and annoying) grandfather.   Actually the pace fits the
nature of the story very well, it goes at the speed that summer
days and childhood go for ten-year-olds.   Brown beautifully
shows us the nature of that life, including all of its
limitations.  But that choice also limits the dramatic  punch
of the novel.  If Brown had chosen to use additional narrators,
such as the parents, or even one of the Barbers, it might have
spiced things up, and held my attention a bit more strongly.
But I can't say she made the wrong choice.  By keeping a unity
of voice, Brown created a wonderful atmosphere, which eventually
did pull me in, despite my frustration with wanting to know more
of what was going on next door.  I guess a bit of frustration as
a reader is not the worst thing.  Anyway, the plot and the
mystery never really are the points of the book.  That became especially 
obvious towards the end, right in the middle of the
closest thing the story had to a climax.  Brown steps away from
the main story for a chapter to tell about a large white bird
which visited the family’s yard, much to the delight of the
women.

  "My grandmother inched closer and closer to the bird.  It
darted out and back.  But it never moved its feet.  It did not
come closer.  Yet it did not go away.
   My grandmother left bread all along the way, like a crude sacrament . . . 
.
   The bird was silent but always present.  All of us were quiet
during the morning.  We passed the oatmeal quietly, poured it
from the hot pan, poured rivers of milk, cut the toast, crumbled
up packed brown sugar and spread strawberry jam.  As we ate, we
talked softly, and pushed our dishes back and forth gently in the
sunny light.
   'We have been visited by a special visitor,' my grandmother said.  'Some 
visitors seem to bring quit or peace.'"

    The visiting bird leaves before the family finishes their breakfast, "as 
all birds do . .  as it should be."  A lovely
little moment, symbolic of Sarah, one of the Barber girls, but
not something that moves the plot along so near to the end.  It
is characteristic of the novel as a whole.  Although the key
secrets of the Barber family are eventually revealed, Lindy and
the reader are never given a full understanding of them, just
fragments of the shattered picture.  In other words, like real
life.   Congratulations to Marilyn for writing such a wonderful
novel.

Andrew Hall
Fukuoka, Japan

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