From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V2 #90 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 Tuesday, June 24 2003 Volume 02 : Number 090 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2003 10:36:25 -0600 From: "J. Scott Bronson" Subject: Re: [AML] Director Announced for _Baptists at Our Barbecue_ On Thu, 19 Jun 03 11:02:04 -0600 "Eric Samuelsen" writes: > Nothing would please me more than to see a terrific film made > from Baptists, and nothing would be please me more than to > see Christian have a commercial success. I'm rooting for the > project. With fingers crossed. I auditioned for the film last week. I was brilliant of course, but who knows if I have the look he's after? The small portion of the script that I saw seemed competent enough, and I must tell you this little anecdote. The casting director told me this. Apparently there is a scene where a character says these words: "I know about you stinking Mormons." Well, in response to that line, one person reading for the role said, "I can't be in this movie, I'm a Mormon." Now, there are so many things wrong with the attitude behind that statement that I just don't know where to begin. scott - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2003 13:18:00 -0700 From: "Travis K. Manning" Subject: [AML] Spring 2003 Irreantum A plug for the upcoming Spring issue of _Irreantum_ magazine, the creative publishing bicep of the Association for Mormon Letters, of which List you are currently also an appendage. I proofread the Spring issue of Irreantum last week and was thrilled by the cover interview with _Publisher's Weekly_ religion book review editor, Jana Riess, a recent email junky here on our very own AML list (as indicated below); "a sheep in sheep's clothing," one might say. I was riveted and highly informed by this interview, as Jana has an insider's view of The Publishing Industry at large, and who says "I do sense a new openness to Mormonism in publishing and in our larger culture." Read on for six snippets of this amazing interview: SNIPPET #1 "What it will take to releast the [publishing] floodgates, of course, is a hit. Once a publisher has commercial success with a Mormon book, all the other ones will scratch their heads, wonder why they didn't see the market before, and jump on the bandwagon. The market is there; they just don't realize it yet." SNIPPET #2 "I'm a great lover of fiction, but I haven't been terribly impressed with LDS commercial fiction. It is at the stage now that CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) fiction had reached about 10 years ago: characters are predictable, the novels are message-driven rather than character-driven, and most stories end with a predictable and obligatory conversion sequence. This is not to say that CBA fiction is all grown up; it is still very uneven, and much of the industry is stuck in the old models, because they continue to sell well. But some CBA fiction has matured significantly, and authors like Jamie Langston Turner and Vinita Hampton Wright make me hopeful for the future of the genre." SNIPPET #3 And, "'LDS commercial fiction' and 'Mormon literature' are not necessarily the same thing. So, the next step will be to develop more of the latter, to tell stories that are darker and deeper. If the LDS model continues to follow the CBA trajectory, these will not sell particularly well. That's a sad market reality. But courageous writers who are willing to tell authentic stories--Terry Tempest Williams and Brian Evenson come to mind--will still be read and discussed when copies of faith-promoting pabulum sell for 99 cents on eBay." SNIPPET #4 "One thing that tends to surprise non-Mormons who make assumptions about our sub-culture is what a well-educated crowd we are. As a religious group, Mormons rank third in affluence in this country, behind Jews and Episcopalians and in a dead heat with Presbyterians. Studies have shown that for Mormons, higher education is usually tied with higher, not lower, retention rates. Educated members tend to stay in the church. All of this translates into a large audience of potential readers and book buyers." SNIPPET #5 ". . . LDS publishers estimate that as many as 85 percent of book buyers in LDS stores are women, which is even higher than the CBA estimate of 65 percent. So, for any literary genre to be commercially successful in the LDS market, it has to appeal to women." SNIPPET #6 "As the membership matures, we will see the emergence of more independent Mormon voices. I am not talking of ones that are critical of the church; I am talking of voices that connect the Mormon experience--which has been all too insular--to the wider world. We will see more interfaith books, more books about ethhics on the job, more Mormon books about aging and travel and spiritual gardening. It's funny that for a church that speaks to stridently about not being just a "Sunday religion," LDS books tend to be overwhelmingly about theological topics and less about how Mormons can engage the wider world. I personally would like to write a book about Mormonism at the movies--not about how Mormons are portrayed on film, but what we as Latter-day Saints can learn from the popular culture." And, there is much, much more where that came from! Check out _Irreantum_ for essays, novel excerpts, poetry, fiction, book reviews, and highlights from our very own AML-List. Travis Manning _Irreantum_ Essay editor Subscriptions for _Irreantum_ may be purchased separately for $5 an issue (postpaid), $16 for a year, $20 for full-time student AML membership (_Irreantum_ included!) or, $25 for Regular AML annual membership (_Irreantum_ included!) See our homepage for subscription info at http://www.aml-online.org/irreantum/order-form.html as we make it very easy with our credit card Pay Pal connection, and just click "Buy Now." **************************************** Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2003 12:49:43 EDT From: JanaRiess@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] William F. BUCKLEY, _Getting it Right_ In a message dated 6/19/03 1:01:52 AM,=20 owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com writes: >Buckley's Mormon protagonist is the good guy. He considers himself a >faithful Mormon (whatever that is) even though he drinks and fornicates=20 >through the novel (although he refuses to use cuss words.) There is a >tradition in fiction about Catholics something called a "whiskey=20 >priest" (especially in the novels of Graham Greene, i.e. "The Power and=20 >the >Glory".) If I understand correctly, such a priest can be dissolute, >even alcoholic. He is torn by doubts. But because he is still a priest >conferred with the authority of God, God can work through him and he >is still good for a miracle every once in a while. Such an understanding >of sin and authority might have influenced Buckley's thinking about the >personal morality of his Mormon characters. =20 This is a very interesting perspective. I have read Buckley's spiritual=20 autobiography (NEARER, MY GOD), most of which is actually a doctrinal debate and=20 not a memoir, and I am intrigued by this idea that his view of what is permissible for his Mormon protagonist is influenced by the fact that he is so steeped=20 in Catholicism. One of the great medieval debates was whether the Eucharist could be defiled=20 if the priest were unworthy to administer it. Greene's THE POWER AND THE=20 GLORY, which is the best Catholic novel I have ever read, handles this issue so=20 beautifully. But you're quite right about Buckley's understanding not being an=20 accurate portrayal of Mormon belief and practice. Jana Riess - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2003 23:43:23 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: [AML] D. Michael's Film Lab 5: THE ULTIMATE TERMINATOR PARTY INFORMATION ON D. MICHAEL'S FILM LABS, INCLUDING A SCHEDULE FOR THE YEAR, CAN BE FOUND AT: http://www.wwno.com/filmlab ======= D. Michael's Film Lab No. 5 Saturday, July 12, 2003, in the Salt Lake area. "THE ULTIMATE TERMINATOR PARTY" In July, the third Terminator movie is scheduled to be released. Since the Terminator films are among the best science fiction films ever made, we want to celebrate this event with The Ultimate Terminator Party for Lab #5. We'll view the first two movies at D. Michael's home, then we'll attend a late showing of the third movie at the Jordon Commons Theater in Sandy, Utah. RSVPing will be especially important for this one, so we can reserve tickets for you! 3:00 pm - The Terminator James Cameron, 1984 runtime 108 min R, intense violence, brief sexual and nonsexual nudity, language The terminator is the role Arnold Schwarzeneggar was born to play. No other has fit him so well. The Terminator is also one of the best science fiction films ever made as well. The science fictional premise is intelligent and well conceived. The plot elements are clean and consistent. For its time, the special effects were special indeed, and still hold up well, even if the defleshed terminator skeleton is a little too reminiscent of Harry Harryhausen. The cast is now legendary, Linda Hamilton (Beauty and the Beast, Terminator 2), Michael Biehn (Aliens, The Abyss), Paul Winfield (Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Mars Attacks!), Lance Henriksen (The Right Stuff, Aliens, Alien 3, Scream 3). And wasn't this the film where Schwarzeneggar originally developed his tagline, "I'll be back"? 6:00 pm - Terminator 2: Judgment Day James Cameron, 1991 runtime 137 min R, intense violence, brief nonsexual nudity, language Good sequels are rare. To have a sequel to a superior film equal the quality of the original is rare indeed. Alien and Aliens, The Godfather and The Godfather Part 2--these are two films and their sequels that belong in this rarified company. So too are The Terminator and Terminator 2. The sequel not only delivers on the promise of the first film, but in some ways exceeds it. Where the first was pure action and sci fi fun, the second delves deep into philosophical issues, issues that arise naturally out of the premise of the film and the characters involved. The film manages to avoid standard sequel formulas, taking its characters in directions one wouldn't have expected. It holds true to the vision of the first film while offering something completely fresh. Two is an extension of one, developing the themes and circumstances seamlessly beyond where one ends. None of this even scratches the surface of the cutting edge special effects, and the brilliant performance of Robert Patrick as the new-fangled terminator. (How a squirrelly-looking guy like him can convincingly portray such a menacing, bigger-than-life villain is a modern acting miracle.) This is also the debut performance of Edward Furlong, untrained newcomer who pulls off John Connor with veteran skill, and who has since gone on to make a name for himself in such films as Before and After and American History X. 9:00 pm (approx) - Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Jonathan Mostow, 2003 runtime ? min R, intense violence, language, brief (nonsexual?) nudity If number two sequels are usually worse than the original film, number three sequels are universally poorer, even if one and two were great movies. Godfather and Godfather Part 2 were followed by the disappointing Godfather Part 3. Alien and Aliens were succeeded by the dismal Alien 3. Can the Terminator series fare any better? The indications are not promising. James Cameron did not direct. The plot involves a female terminator this time--great for political correctness, but suspiciously reminiscent of sequel formulaicism. Perhaps the most dreadful indicator of all: Claire Danes is in the cast, and Linda Hamilton is not. No one could be happier than us if lightning strikes a third time, but we're not holding our breath. Still, it will be fun to find out when we move to the Jordan Commons theater in Sandy, Utah, to view Terminator 3 just days after its debut. RULES OF ATTENDANCE: Because space is limited, please RSVP to dmichael@wwno.com. You will then receive directions for finding the location, which is in Sandy, Utah. You may attend any or all of the films. Discussion will follow the viewing of each film, analyzing and critiquing the merits and weaknesses and impact of the film from an artistic, cultural, and yes, even moral standpoint. No expertise is required to participate. Just a vocal opinion and a respect for the opinions of others. (Personal attacks will not be tolerated!) No admission is charged (this is just friends gathering to watch movies together), but we like to pool our resources and order out for something to eat, since it's a long time to go hungry! PLEASE be considerate of others and do not bring anyone who will not be interested in viewing the films or be disruptive in any way. Be honest with yourselves--if your kids are little hellions, leave them home! No babysitting facilities are available!! We don't want to enforce age requirements, but we will enforce considerate behavior. Also be aware that there will be no attempt to select films or maintain a discussion that is "family friendly" (unless the theme is specifically intended to be family friendly). Frankness (but not crudeness) is an acceptable part of the discussion. YOU are responsible for deciding if attendance is appropriate for any particular individual, not us. Everyone attends at their own risk. We ain't got no commercial liability insurance. This is just for fun. You are welcome to bring pillows or blankets or beanbags if you like casually relaxing on the floor. Dress is as casual as you want to get. Heck, you can come naked for all I care (but others may care). D. Michael is the final arbiter of all rules. Come join us! It's bound to be fun. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 09:55:46 -0600 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: [AML] (Des News) LDS version of _Pride & Prejudice_ Let's hear it for Mollywood Filmmaker says LDS version of 'Pride and Prejudice' has a market By Jesse Hyde Deseret Morning News PROVO - Hollywood. Bollywood. Mollywood. The first needs no explanation, the second is the name of India's film industry, and the third . . . well, the third has just been born. Mollywood is the term Jason Faller, a film producer who recently studied at Brigham Young University, uses to describe a new genre in LDS filmmaking - the Mormon chick flick. "Charly" was probably the first of the kind, but Fuller thinks his updated version of the Jane Austen classic "Pride and Prejudice" will be an even bigger smash. "It's not an inside Mormon joke. It has a market," Fuller said. " 'Pride and Prejudice' has a huge following. It's kind of like 'Star Wars' for women." And that's why Fuller thinks his film will not only please "Molly Mormons" across the Wasatch Front but fans of the book everywhere. In Fuller's version of the beloved classic, the setting is Utah's frenzied dating scene instead of the English countryside, and the girls are five BYU roommates rather than sisters. The story follows Elizabeth, whose resolve to remain single until she graduates is tested by two courtiers: Wickham, a smooth-talking playboy, and Darcy, a sensible businessman. The film will feature cameo appearances by Carmen Rasmusen of "American Idol," the entire entourage of the Miss Utah pageant and the two LDS girls who appeared on ABC's "The Bachelor." One night this week, Fuller's cast and crew gathered at the old Utah County correctional facility in south Provo to film a scene in which Wickham tricks a naive BYU co-ed named Lydia into eloping with him. The actors were dressed in retro wedding clothing, and the room had been painted in bright red and pink hues to give the film a stylized look similar to "Down With Love" or "Legally Blonde." The lead actor, Orlando Seale, who has dark curly hair and speaks with an English accent, said he knew nothing of Mollywood before this film. In fact, he knew nothing of the LDS Church. Seale says the LDS culture - which encourages marrying young and discourages premarital sex - lends itself well to the story. But he says the film is not overtly religious and should appeal to a broad audience. Seale also found an ironic parallel between the book's account of Darcy's trip from London to a small isolated English village and his own experience coming to Provo from London. "I came from a place very different than here. It was very Bohemian, very permissive, very artistic," Seale said. "When you arrive here you feel like you are coming into a whole new world, and as an outsider it's a very surreal experience. It really hits you." Most of the actors in the film are not LDS, and Seale said making a film with LDS undertones has been an eye-opening experience. "It would be a great thing if this film helped people see this is just a normal community, that there's nothing mysterious about it," he said. "Because there is that (mysterious) perception." - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 11:14:39 -0600 From: "Eric Samuelsen" Subject: RE: [AML] _Paint Your Wagon_ (Review) D. Michael wrote: >"My Fair Lady," one of the most sophisticated, witty musicals ever written=20 Oh, man, do we have to start the My Fair Lady thread again? It's the = worst musical ever. It's unwatchable. It's the moral equivalent to the = guy who took a hammer to Michelangelo's Pieta. They took Pygmalion, one = of the great plays of all time, one of the classic examination of the = gender issues we've been talking about (as well as one of the great = comedies of language), and they turned into yet another blankety blank = blank romantic musical comedies. THEY HAVE ELIZA END UP WITH HIGGINS! = THEY LET THE AUDIENCE HAVE WHAT THEY WANTED! There isn't a torture = exquisite enough that they wouldn't deserve it. Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 14:38:04 -0700 From: AML Subject: [AML] AML Recommended Mormon Books & Films For this month's Association for Mormon Letters (AML) newsletter, we have compiled a list of AML-award-winning books and films still in print. This list provides a fascinating overview of Mormonism's best creative work and serves as a good recommended reading list. Whenever you order any of these books through the AML-coded Amazon.com links contained in this e-mail, the non-profit AML receives a commission. Click on the following links to learn more about a particular title or buy now: (Alphabetized by title) Bertie Was a Watchdog By Rick Walton 2002 AML Award in the Picture Book http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0763613851/associatiof0b-20 Carolina Autumn By Carol Lynch Williams 2001 AML Award for Middle Grade Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0613367871/associatiof0b-20 Caution: Men in Trees: Stories By Darrell Spencer 2000 AML Award for Short Fiction http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393321452/associatiof0b-20 (paper) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0820321826/associatiof0b-20 (hard) Charlotte's Rose By A. E. Cannon 2002 AML Award in Young Adult Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385729669/associatiof0b-20 The Chinchilla Farm: A Novel By Judith Freeman 1989 AML Award for the Novel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393324265/associatiof0b-20 Christmas in Heaven By Carol Lynch Williams 2001 AML Award for Middle Grade Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0399234365/associatiof0b-20 A Dance for Three By Louise Plummer 2001 AML Award for Young Adult Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0440227143/associatiof0b-20 A Desert of Pure Feeling By Judith Freeman 1996 AML Award for the Novel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679752714/associatiof0b-20 The Dollmage By Martine Leavitt 2002 AML Honorable Mention in Young Adult Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0889952337/associatiof0b-20 The Dragon's Tapestry By Martine Bates 1993 AML Award for Young Adult Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0889950806/associatiof0b-20 Eating Chocolates and Dancing in the Kitchen By Tom Plummer 1998 AML Award for Personal Essay http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573453056/associatiof0b-20 Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic By Martha Beck 1999 AML Award for Personal Essay http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0425174484/associatiof0b-20 Far from Home (Children of the Promise, vol. 3) By Dean Hughes 1998 AML Award for the Novel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573454060/associatiof0b-20 God's Army By Richard Dutcher 2000 AML Award for Film http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000056K4J/associatiof0b-20 (DVD) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000056IVJ/associatiof0b-20 (VHS) How I Got Cultured: A Nevada Memoir By Phyllis Barber 1993 AML Award for Biography http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0874172330/associatiof0b-20 (paper) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0820314137/associatiof0b-20 (hard) Joke's on George By Michael O. Tunnell 1993 AML Award for Children's Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0613495721/associatiof0b-20 Leroy Robertson, Music Giant from the Rockies By Marian Robertson Wilson 1996 AML Award for Biography http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0963473220/associatiof0b-20 Letting Loose the Hounds By Brady Udall 1997 AML Award for Short Fiction http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671017020/associatiof0b-20 Leviathan With a Hook By Kimberly Johnson 2002 AML Award in Poetry http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0892552824/associatiof0b-20 Like a Fire Burning (Work and the Glory, vol. 2) By Gerald N. Lund 1991 AML Award for the Novel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573458716/associatiof0b-20 (paper) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0884948013/associatiof0b-20 (hard) Lost Boys: A Novel By Orson Scott Card 1992 AML Award for the Novel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0061091316/associatiof0b-20 A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 By Laurel Thatcher Ulrich 1991 AML Award for Biography http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679733760/associatiof0b-20 The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint By Brady Udall 2001 AML Award for the Novel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375719180/associatiof0b-20 (paper) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393020363/associatiof0b-20 (hard) Mississippi Trial, 1955 By Chris Crowe 2002 AML Award for the Novel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0803727453/associatiof0b-20 Mormonism and Music By Michael Hicks 1989 AML Award for Criticism http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0252071476/associatiof0b-20 Mormonville By Jeff Call 2001 AML Marilyn Brown Novel Award http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1555176186/associatiof0b-20 My Angelica By Carol Lynch Williams 2001 AML Award for Middle Grade Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/044022778X/associatiof0b-20 No Lie Like Love By Paul Rawlins 1996 AML Award for Short Fiction http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/082031868X/associatiof0b-20 One More River to Cross (Standing on the Promises, vol. 1) By Margaret Blair Young and Darius Aidan Gray 2000 AML Award for the Novel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573456292/associatiof0b-20 Only When I Laugh By Elouise M. Bell 1990 AML Award for Personal Essay http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560850132/associatiof0b-20 Our Secret's Out: Stories By Darrell Spencer 1993 AML Award for Short Fiction http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0826209270/associatiof0b-20 Peculiar People: Mormons and Same-Sex Orientation Edited by Ron Schow, Wayne Schow, Marybeth Raynes 1991 AML Award for Editing & Publishing http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560850469/associatiof0b-20 The Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow Edited by Maureen Ursenbach Beecher 1995 AML Award for Biography http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0874212987/associatiof0b-20 (paper) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0874212979/associatiof0b-20 (hard) Prism Moon By Martine Bates 1993 AML Award for Young Adult Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0889950954/associatiof0b-20 A Quiet Heart By Patricia T. Holland 2000 AML Award for Devotional Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573458015/associatiof0b-20 Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place By Terry Tempest Williams 1991 AML Award for Personal Essay http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679740244/associatiof0b-20 (paper) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/067940516X/associatiof0b-20 (hard) Saints By Orson Scott Card 1984 AML Award for the Novel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312876068/associatiof0b-20 The Shakeress By Kimberley Heuston 2002 AML Honorable Mention in Young Adult Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1886910561/associatiof0b-20 The Sins of the Wolf By Anne Perry 1994 AML Award for the Novel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0804113831/associatiof0b-20 Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes By Gordon B. Hinckley 2000 AML Award for Personal Essay http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0609807250/associatiof0b-20 Stone Spirits By Susan Elizabeth Howe 1997 AML Award for Poetry http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560851074/associatiof0b-20 Story of the Walnut Tree By Don H. Staheli 2001 AML Award for Children's Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573458856/associatiof0b-20 Survival Rates By Mary Clyde 1999 AML Award for Short Fiction http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393320847/associatiof0b-20 (paper) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0820320498/associatiof0b-20 (hard) The Taker's Key By Martine Bates 1998 AML Award for Young Adult Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0889951845/associatiof0b-20 Tathea By Anne Perry 1999 AML Award for the Novel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0441009700/associatiof0b-20 (paper) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573455369/associatiof0b-20 (hard) Thy Gold to Refine (Work and the Glory, vol. 4) By Gerald N. Lund 1993 AML Award for the Novel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573458732/associatiof0b-20 (paper) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0884948935/associatiof0b-20 (hard) Various Atmospheres: Poems By Alex Caldiero 1998 AML Award for Poetry http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560851015/associatiof0b-20 You Don't Always Get What You Hope For By Rick Walton 1996 AML Award for Children's Literature http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/158685108X/associatiof0b-20 === A few other essential literary Mormon books and films: The Backslider By Levi Peterson http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560850159/associatiof0b-20 Brigham City By Richard Dutcher http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000067J0L/associatiof0b-20 (DVD) The Evening and the Morning By Virginia Sorensen http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560851244/associatiof0b-20 Harvest: Contemporary Mormon Poems Edited by Eugene England and Dennis Clark http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/094121480X/associatiof0b-20 The Other Side of Heaven Directed by Mitch Davis http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008CMSU/associatiof0b-20 (DVD) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008CMSV/associatiof0b-20 (VHS) In Our Lovely Deseret: Mormon Fictions Edited by Robert Raleigh http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560851198/associatiof0b-20 A Little Lower Than the Angels By Virginia Sorensen http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560851031/associatiof0b-20 Tending the Garden: Essays on Mormon Literature Edited by Lavina F. Anderson and Eugene England http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560850191/associatiof0b-20 Where Nothing Is Long Ago: Memories of a Mormon Childhood By Virginia Sorensen http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560851023/associatiof0b-20 === And one shameless non-Mormon addition: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix By J. K. Rowling http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/043935806X/associatiof0b-20 (If you ever want to credit any Amazon.com purchase to the AML, simply copy one of the links above and substitute your item's ISBN or ASIN number in the space between the last two slashes.) ==================================================================== Update your profile here: http://aml.u.tclk.net/survey/?a84D2W.batlYA.YW1sLWxp Unsubscribe here: http://aml.u.tclk.net/survey/?a84D2W.batlYA.YW1sLWxp.u Delivered by Topica Email Publisher, http://www.email-publisher.com/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 16:48:54 -0700 From: "Travis K. Manning" Subject: [AML] Classic Mormon Essays for Irreantum Question for AML-Listers: (1) As _Irreantum_ Essay editor, I'm thinking seriously about doing an occasional "Blast from the Past" section (though I'm looking for a better title, something like "Literary Roots," or "Time Machine," or "In Times Past," or "Back in the Day," or "Seminal Texts," or "Revisitation," or "Moroni's Corner," or "Urim and Thumim," or "Ancient of Days," or--obviously I'm open to suggestions here)--that is, an essay, memoir, chapter from a book that is really old. You know, something that is either not under copyright (52 years or older?) or something from a book or essay that is now defunct and forgotten. This requires research, but I think it could be fascinating to resurrect some older, classical pieces. (2) I'm thinking of searching old Relief Society magazines, Literature and Belief, Sunstone, Dialogue, etc., etc. for possible reprints. How *do* I go about getting permission for a reprint, from a mag or book, or other pub? Anyone know? Any help would be appreciated. Travis Manning - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 10:32:08 -0600 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: [AML] (Des News) Dutcher _Joseph_ project 'Joseph' film hits snag - no cash flow By Doug Robinson Deseret Morning News Wanted: rich Mormons to fund big-screen movie about Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, starring Val Kilmer as Joseph and F. Murray Abraham as Illinois Gov. Thomas Ford. Written and directed by Richard Dutcher, creator of "God's Army," and father of the LDS movie genre. Movie has built-in audience of 12 million Mormons. Call Richard Dutcher. Need $10 million or, short of that, next week's groceries. The last time we checked in with Dutcher he was riding out the surprising success of "God's Army," waiting to see how "Brigham City" would fare and plotting his next move. Having survived poverty and 4 1/2 years of hunting for investors for "God's Army," he had finally found success. He bought an acre of land and planned to build his first house on it. Now he's virtually right back where he began. For a man whose first major movie grossed millions of dollars, he doesn't have much to show for it. He had to sell the land. He went into debt. He lives month to month, waiting for royalty checks from "God's Army" and wondering how he'll make his next house payment. "Every time someone buys 'God's Army,' I can get a loaf of bread," he jokes over a Caesar salad in a Provo restaurant. Dutcher is doing what he has always done, chasing art and dreams instead of money. Instead of sinking the profits from "God's Army" into the stock market or a bank account, he ignored his accountant's advice and funded his dream project - "The Prophet," the Joseph Smith story. That got him this far: He met Kilmer at his New Mexico ranch and by the time he left "(Kilmer) was absolutely on board with it," Dutcher says. "He's just waiting for me to get the money." Dutcher had the sets designed, the wardrobe ready, the locations chosen, and all but the role of Emma Smith cast. He was six weeks away from starting to shoot the movie. And then he ran out of money. "Isn't it crazy?" he says. "Seriously, if there's one story we would want to see told . . . " Dutcher, who has never considered a major studio as an option because he would forfeit control of the story, has had several big hurdles to clear in winning over investors in the two years since his last movie, "Brigham City," was released. First, "Brigham City" bombed. Sure, Mormons will see "Austin Powers" and the James Bond movies - films that are decidedly raunchy and certainly more violent than "Brigham City" - but apparently they were uncomfortable with the mix of toned-down violence and their religion. They might not be ready for the juxtaposition of sacrament meetings and bloody mayhem. Some see Dutcher as an "edgy" filmmaker, which makes investors nervous when it comes to making a movie about Joseph Smith. Second, the idea of putting the life of Joseph Smith on the big screen, which at first seems an obvious subject for LDS movie audiences, makes Mormons uncomfortable. Especially potential LDS investors. Every one of them has asked him how he would handle the subject of polygamy. How about the failed banking venture? "Once you go in-depth enough to understand these things, they're not a big deal," Dutcher says. "Unfortunately, people hear just a little about these things and it scares them." Running out of money, Dutcher recently decided to begin production of "God's Army II," which he actually wrote three years ago. He has a wife and five children to think of. The irony is that Dutcher started the LDS movie genre, but others are capitalizing on it. Consider the movies that have been released since "God's Army" - "Singles Ward," "Other Side of Heaven," "Out of Step," "Charley," "R.M." Three more are on the way. "It's fun," Dutcher says. "I went to an LDS bookstore recently and the video section looks a lot better than it did a few years ago. There weren't just kids movies. There was some personal satisfaction in that." As for the Joseph Smith story, he vows, "Eventually, it will get done. If it comes down to me having to get a loan, I would get a loan, even though it could destroy me. That's how passionate I am about it." - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 10:32:38 -0700 From: "Travis K. Manning" Subject: [AML] Irreantum Multilingual Issue [MOD: Although Travis asks for an email directly to him, this is also very much on-topic for AML-List. Reply to both places!] AML-Listers, _Irreantum_ magazine staff, the creative publication arm of the AML, are looking to do assemble a special Translation Issue. That is, a multi-lingual issue. In pursuit of such an issue, we are looking for texts, translations, and translators. We know this is a real niche and could use your assistance, especially those of you living outside the U.S., or those of you who are familiar with such literature, even if it's just one name, or one text. We want to explore literature outside the body of mainstream American English by and/or about Mormonism in all literary genres, be it literary nonfiction, poetry, screenplay, play, fiction, article, etc. If you know of such authors or texts who could contribute to such a project, please email me directly at Manning_Travis@hotmail.com Regards, Travis Manning Irreantum Essay editor - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 15:28:34 -0600 From: "Annette Lyon" Subject: RE: [AML] Bookbinding I'm no expert, but I did co-write a series of preservation articles w/ some archival experts. One of the things I learned is that rubber cement is NOT safe from an archival standpoint. If you want your books to last for years, don't use it. Annette Lyon - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 14:06:59 -0700 From: "Susan Malmrose" Subject: Re: [AML] _Paint Your Wagon_ (Review) > Oh, man, do we have to start the My Fair Lady thread again? > It's the worst musical ever. It's unwatchable. It's the moral > equivalent to the guy who took a hammer to Michelangelo's > Pieta. They took Pygmalion, one of the great plays of all time, > one of the classic examination of the gender issues we've been > talking about (as well as one of the great comedies of language), > and they turned into yet another blankety blank blank romantic > musical comedies. THEY HAVE ELIZA END UP WITH HIGGINS! > THEY LET THE AUDIENCE HAVE WHAT THEY WANTED! > There isn't a torture exquisite enough that they wouldn't deserve it. > > Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. > > Eric Samuelsen Wow. I never had any desire to see this film until now. ;) Susan M - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 15:29:04 -0600 From: "Annette Lyon" Subject: re: [AML] BARBER, Brad _Troy Through A Window_ (Review) "Troy is very capable of seeing the Church's hard line on morality as being necessarily exclusive of his sexual orientation." Or rather, it is necessarily exclusive of *practicing* his orientation. BIG difference. Annette Lyon - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 17:07:54 -0500 From: Jonathan Langford Subject: [AML] Revising Original Works (was: _Paint Your Wagon_) Eric Samuelsen write: >Oh, man, do we have to start the My Fair Lady thread again? [snip] It's >the moral equivalent to the guy who took a hammer to Michelangelo's Pieta. >They took Pygmalion, one of the great plays of all time, one of the >classic examination of the gender issues we've been talking about (as well >as one of the great comedies of language), and they turned into yet >another blankety blank blank romantic musical comedies. THEY HAVE ELIZA >END UP WITH HIGGINS! THEY LET THE AUDIENCE HAVE WHAT THEY WANTED! There >isn't a torture exquisite enough that they wouldn't deserve it. Back to me: And yet, Eric, you approve of _The Lord of the Rings_ movie... Okay, I was tempted to simply let it go at that, and send this in as a tongue-in-cheek (but nonetheless serious) comment. But I'll go ahead and spell out what I'm saying. That is, that no matter how much it's the artistically sophisticated thing to say that a movie and the book on which it is based (or play, or what have you) are two different artistic works, each to be judged solely on its own merits, in practice I think that few of us actually judges adaptations solely on that basis. Nor should we. In the case of _The Lord of the Rings_, I could say many of the same things that Eric says about _My Fair Lady_. They took the great classic fantasy work of the 20th century--truly a great work of literature--and reworked it in ways that, while preserving many of the plot elements, change what it means. While profiting off Tolkien's story, they made it non-Tolkien in its bones. They remade Tolkien in the image of his imitators, making the story *easier* (in Hollywood terms), giving the audience what they wanted and were used to, and in so doing destroying part of what makes the original story morally powerfully and thematically deep and emotionally moving. And they did it in a way that makes it harder to recuperate the original story--harder even for those who actually do read the book, even for those who read the book first, to read it as Tolkien wrote it. Okay. I'm aware that I'm largely a voice in the wilderness on this issue, and honestly, I don't want to start a debate on _The Lord of the Rings_ movie. What I'm trying to get at is the larger question: Assuming that what I've said is true--assuming that what Eric said about _My Fair Lady_ is true--is that a reason for--what? For crying down curses from the heavens upon the perpetrators, as both Eric and I clearly wish to do? For criticizing the film itself? After all, the criticism essentially amounts to two points: (a) that the movie isn't the same as an admittedly different artistic work, and (b) that its very existence harms that original work. If the two are actually separate works, shouldn't we simply say, tough luck? I'm sure there are those on this list who will say so. Yet I respectfully disagree. For one thing, in both cases, the maker of the movie is profiting commercially and artistically from someone else's work. Tolkien's story has an already existing name that plays into the success of the movie. In the case of _My Fair Lady_, the name is changed, but there's still a clear draw on a well-known playwright's work. Maybe not anymore, because we don't know Shaw's original work as well as we know MFL--which, I think, is part of Eric's point, part of why he (apparently) so passionately despises the very existence of this movie--but clearly the moviemakers originally drew on Shaw's fame, as well as his original work, as part of their formula for success. Ditto with Tolkien's work. So there's a *use* of a good, and famous, work of art. Well and good. Legally, the hoops have all presumably been jumped through. But I think there's a moral, ethical problem when, in drawing on someone else's work, one harms that original work: its audience, its reception, our ability to see it for what it is. I also think there is a relative value scale for artistic works. And just as Eric wouldn't want to trade a brilliant exposition of gender issues for just another musical, I wouldn't want to trade a thoughtful, difficult, brilliant work of fantasy world-creation for another action film with cool special effects--which is in essence much of what the new LOTR movies are. The very fact that the movie is well-made, in my view, makes it all the worse, because it makes the movie better able to replace the book in the minds of its audience. So is it a trade? After all, the book's still there. Shaw's original play is still there. I'm a teacher, at least in part. And one of the things I've become aware of is just how hard it is to replace images and ideas, once they have become embedded in the minds of people, with competing images and ideas. I don't think it's possible to talk about _The Lord of the Rings_ anymore the way it was before the movie. I wept after seeing the first movie, not just because of the damage I felt had been done to the story, but because I felt that never again would I be able to talk about a story that had been tremendously important to me and feel that those I was speaking to had read the same story. It was like having part of my own language stolen. Okay, I know this is an extreme reaction. Even those among my friends who are equal to me in their love and knowledge of the book (who generally agree with my analysis of the movies' differences from the book) don't see the book as being as fragile as I do, so they don't react in the same way to the existence of the movie. I hope they're right. Taking another tack, though... If I feel this way, I have to wonder: how will members of the Church feel about movies that show bits of the Book of Mormon story, bits of the Joseph Smith story, bits of our Mormon history? I know that I want the moviemakers to succeed. I'm rooting for them--especially the good ones like Richard Dutcher. I think it's a crime that he can't find the money to do his Joseph Smith movie. And yet, I remember my reaction to _The Lord of the Rings_, and I wonder: Am I right? Is Eric right? Let me clarify that I'm not advocating any kind of legal or spiritual prior restraint here. I think that if it's legal--if copyright issues and such are properly taken care of--it's important to allow, even to encourage, artists to do the work they wish to do. At the same time, I'm not willing to throw away my right to critique a particular artistic work in light of another work on which it's based, and judge it in part on that basis. I'm not willing to say, it's a separate work, and so my comments are irrelevant. Apparently Eric isn't willing to do that either. Jonathan Langford Speaking for myself, not AML-List jlangfor@pressenter.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V2 #90 *****************************