From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #557 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 Monday, December 31 2001 Volume 01 : Number 557 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2001 12:20:42 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Authors in Nat. Market Yes, Sharlee. Although I haven't read Edgar Mint yet. The short stories weren't Mormon. But I will read Edgar Mint. If it is wonderful, (and speaks to Mormons) I wish the Mormons would buy it by the case loads. Love, Marilyn - ----- Original Message ----- > > Marilyn, I guess I'm not sure what you mean when you say that Brady is "not > Mormon in the cultural sense." He is married to my cousin, and I believe he > is as Mormon as any of us. Do you mean that his *writing* isn't Mormon? > > Sharlee Glenn > Pleasant Grove, Utah - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2001 12:22:45 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Authors in Nat. Market Actually, Sharlee, I'm finding out I'm probably a young people's author simply because I won't write in detail about "adult" subjects. Yet I don't think so in HOUSE ON THE SOUND. That's why it never sold. It's a young person's book with too much other stuff in it. Love, Marilyn - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2001 12:19:35 -0700 From: "Jacob Proffitt" Subject: RE: [AML] Mormon Authors in Nat. Market - ---Original Message From: Sharlee Glenn > > Seriously, (and this is a question for all of you) why do you > think that LDS writers of children's/YA fiction have been so > much more successful in the national market? (And, no, it's > *not* because it's easier to get published in these genres. > In fact, quite the opposite is true. Nevertheless, there are > over 37 LDS writers and/or illustrators publishing picture > books on the national market. And that number doesn't > include our very successful writers of middle-grade and YA > fiction--Carol Lynch Williams, Louise Plummer, A.E. Cannon, > Michael Tunnell, etc.). > > So what's going on here? I think it's a fascinating > question. I wish I knew the answer. Anyone? Well, personally, if I were looking for reasons and accepting the facts as stated, I'd have to say that Mormons are very attuned to children and that accounts for the apparent disparity. We have more children per capita, but more than that, we devote more resources to children. We pay a lot of attention to them--in my view, more than average in the rest of the population. I don't know the actual statistics, but for example I'd venture to say that we probably have more women who stay home with their children and that'd be a factor, too. Frankly, it's much more likely that a person with artistic or creative talent will turn that talent to children's literature if they are LDS than if they aren't. Jacob Proffitt - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2001 12:37:54 -0700 (MST) From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: Re: [AML] De-Christianizing of C.S. Lewis? Johnathan L. wrote: > Ivan Wolfe posted a reference to a rumor that _The Chronicles of Na= rnia_, by=20 > C.S. Lewis,=20 sorry - I was misled by an article on www.cinescape.com - generally a= reliable source. However - here a few excerpts from websites that say the rumor was no= t totally untrue: http://ayelle.net/journal/september01.html 30 September 2001: I owe HarperCollins an apology, sort of=20 It seems there was a misunderstanding about Narnia. This was not my o= wn personal misunderstanding, FYI -- the source of the rumors was an article in t= he New York Times! But HarperCollins is not, in fact, rewriting C. S. Lewis's ori= ginal Chronicles of Narnia. What they are doing is performing a "marketing = makeover." HarperCollins hopes to make more money from Narnia by "distancing it = =66rom its Christian roots," and a memo to that effect was leaked, which was the= source for the N. Y. Times article titled "Marketing Narnia Without A Christian = Lion."=20 They're going to hire children's fantasy writers to write more books = in the world of Narnia, but with no religious overtones allowed this time. A= nd they're going to attempt to "tone down [Lewis's] image as a Christian apologi= st, in order to broaden his appeal."=20 here's another interesting site: http://home.ctcnet.net/pipermail/frederica-l/2001-June/000027.html The source of their distress was a Times article that reported, worki= ng from=20 a leaked memo, that HarperCollins was planning to perform a marketing= =20 makeover on "The Chronicles of Narnia," a series of children's novels= penned=20 by British author C.S. Lewis in the mid-20th century. Since the debut= of the=20 first volume, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," the series has= enjoyed=20 roaring success, to the tune of 65 million copies in 30 languages. Th= e news=20 story indicated that HarperCollins hoped to boost this success even f= urther=20 by separating Narnia from its religious roots. Much of the uproar was due to a misunderstanding; readers thought tha= t the=20 plan was to de-Christianize the stories. The misunderstanding was rea= sonable,=20 since the article was confusingly headlined "Marketing =E2=80=98Narni= a' Without A=20 Christian Lion." The publisher has continued to repeat a terse statem= ent that=20 "The works of C. S. Lewis will continue to be published ... as writte= n by the=20 author, with no alteration," but the alarming first impression has st= uck.=20 Some Narnia fans acknowledge the publisher's statement, but say they = simply=20 don't trust them, and don't think they will keep their word.=20 These websites have a lot more than what I quoted - but that's the gi= st of it. - --Ivan Wolfe - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2001 17:03:29 -0600 From: "Rose Green" Subject: [AML] Mormons in Children's Lit (was: Mormon Authors in Nat. Market) >Seriously, (and this is a question for all of you) why do you think that >LDS writers of children's/YA fiction have been so much more successful in >the national market? Well, where else are they going to publish? The LDS publishers do very little in the way of children's books (yes, the volume has been rising in recent years, but still); somewhat more in YA. I certainly don't believe that adult literature is more "real" than juvenile. There is a difference, but I don't think that's it. Off the top of my head (I may revise this after I think about it awhile), juvenile lit tends towards more resolved endings, more hopeful endings (not always, but often), and often characters who go through turning point, growing-up experiences. It seems like there are exhorbitant numbers of adult books that go through hundreds of pages just to have nothing happen in the end. My library is full of them. (This would be referring to non-genre fiction.) Thing is, themes that deal with the gospel in some way (usually conversion stories) have that turning-point-in-life experience. Maybe there's a correlation. Thoughts? Rose Green _________________________________________________________________ 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: Thu, 27 Dec 2001 14:04:54 -0700 From: "Scott Parkin" Subject: [AML] _The Other Side of Heaven_ (Movie Review) "The Other Side of Heaven." Written and directed by Mitch Davis. Eric D. Snider wrote an excellent review of this film that says pretty much everything I have to say about it, in a more concise package. I suggest you read his review to get a good feel for how well this film works both narratively and artistically. My words here are less a review than a personal take and slight expansion on some of what Eric said. When I saw this film, the word that came overwhelmingly to my mind to describe it was "nice." This is a nice film in many ways--it's inoffensive and plays kindly to its audience; it's well-filmed and competently presented; nothing too ugly happens, and the tensions are resolved quickly and to the main charater's advantage; it's sweet and gently heart-warming; it generates few strong feelings either of artistic or narrative acceptance or rejection; it's somewhat bland and unremarkable. I've heard some criticism of Christopher Gorham's performance, and I suppose he deserves some criticism. He did play a mild, inoffensive, and individually uninteresting character that I never had a reason to feel strongly about. He did fail to add life or energy to the role, but I would argue that he was given little in the script to add to. The story was bland--gently uplifting, but still generally soft--and that made the main character equally bland. So while Gorham may have failed to rescue a weak script I think he was starting with a sow's ear to begin with and I'm not sure how much responsibility he bears for failing to deliver a silk purse. Which is not to criticize Elder Groberg's experiences as bland or uninteresting, or even to question the talent of the director. This is a visually beautiful film that brings a sense of wonder and grandeur to its locations. I think the biggest problem here was not subject matter, but too much fidelity to the original written work. The memoir was not effectively adapted to the screen and a general audience. The audience for a written memoir tends to be people who come to the work with investment in the POV character or the core subject matter; they know who the author is and have both prior knowledge of--and experience with--that character. They already like him. They bought the book because they wanted to know more. It's not necessary to fill in much about who the author is because the buyer is already aware of him as a beloved general authority with a long track record of passionate service and love for the people of Samoa. The memoir is simply more from the life of a known celebrity. In a film intended for a general audience you have none of that. The script needs to fill you in, to create a character that's interesting in and of himself so that you you then care about the trials and struggles that follow. This film provided almost no character background, almost no setting in which to care about that character prior to packaging him as a missionary and sending him off to Samoa. Yes, there's an idealized, overly staged dance at BYU with a somewhat obnoxious and aggressive trumpet player getting jealous because his girlfriend is dancing with someone else, but that hardly sets up the life and mind of Elder Groberg as anyone but a somewhat obnoxious and aggressive trumpet player with a girlfriend and a rival. It's one tiny bit of characterization followed by few other bits of characterization. The situation carries power only if you're either a Mormon who cares about Elder Groberg, a personal friend who cares about Elder Groberg, or a person who cares deeply about Samoa and its people. Hints are given from time to time that indicate that the characters have deeper lives, but few of those moments are brought to the fore. The end result is a beautifully presented sketch of people I don't know in a situation that's interesting but not especially engaging. I think general audiences will find the film interesting but unmemorable. Mildly uplifting, but not intimately so. Indicative of a powerful experience, but not representative of that power. They will remember it as a nice film, then they will promptly forget it. I would recommend the film to Mormons--with a caveat. It's safe, it's well-filmed, and it will leave you with a sense of gentle uplift, a certain pride at what's possible in a world filled with honest people and Mormons. A good family home evening activity, and an excellent film to take a date to. Not an artistic triumph, but a beautifully realized landscape against which flat characters played. If this film were shown in the Visitor's Center I would call it a triumph and the next step in the evolution of Mormon public education films. It fits well alongside "Mr. Kruger's Christmas" and films of its kind, and is a superior cinematic production. But as a general audience film, I have to give it less praise. It is as good as most of what appears in any given year on the big screen; sadly, most films are utterly forgettable. This was a nice film. And that's about all I can say for it. Scott Parkin - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 16:22:42 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: [AML] Linda ADAMS, Two Poems in _Meridian_ Hi, Two poems of mine (which _Meridian Magazine_ accepted several months ago), "For My Lost One" and "Thoughts Heard by God During the Sacrament," have now been published online at: http://meridianmagazine.com/poetry/011107adams.html I'm surprised they chose the second one out of the batch I sent--it has more "bite" to it than I expected them to accept. Enjoy, if you like. :-) Linda ============= Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2001 12:49:19 -0700 From: "Scott Parkin" Subject: Re: [AML] _The Other Side of Heaven_ (Movie Review) I wrote: > It's not necessary to fill in much about who the > author is because the buyer is already aware of him as a beloved general > authority with a long track record of passionate service and love for the > people of Samoa. The memoir is simply more from the life of a known > celebrity. Of course it was the people of Tonga, not Samoa. Sorry. Scott Parkin (hiding head in shame and wondering if one can get a hangover from too much Christmas ham). - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2001 09:21:53 -0700 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: Re: [AML] _The Other Side of Heaven_ (Movie Review) I thought the film was nice to look at, but that's about it. It left me basically unmoved. It seemed to me that the director was never clear on what it was, exactly, he was trying to film: a love story? a missionary memoir? a coming-of-age tale? a travelogue? But the film's biggest flaw, in my opinion, was the fact that it continually tip-toed around anything overtly Mormon. I think this was a huge mistake. How can you make a powerful film about the experiences of a Mormon missionary and, at the same time, dilute (or completely avoid) the Mormon element? So many things just didn't ring true. For example, what on earth was that whole "bad air out; good air in" scene about? My husband and I saw the film at the Scera, surrounded by BYU students and their dates, a majority of them returned missionaries, I'm sure. During that particular scene I could hear this rush of whispers all around me: "Why doesn't he give the kid a blessing, for heaven's sake!?" My question exactly. (And when you read the actual book, you find out that he did. So why not include that in the film?) Richard Dutcher said that he made "God's Army" for Mormons, but he hoped that others would be interested. (Chaim Potok said the same thing about his novels, substituting "Jews" for "Mormons," of course.) I think that's one of the reasons that "God's Army" was a far superior film. If you want to get something right, you can't water it down. Sharlee Glenn glennsj@inet-1.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2001 09:48:47 -0700 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: [AML] God in _Lord of the Rings_ Okay, my husband and I saw _Lord of the Rings_ last night, and here's my big question: Where was God in this whole mythic struggle between good and evil? I have never read Tolkien, so my reactions here relate exclusively to the film. I was disturbed by the fact that, while there was a very obvious and potent source of evil (a clear "Satan figure"), there was no corresponding "God figure." Any goodness that emerged seemed to be of the purely human (or elfin, or hobbitan) sort. Is this true of the books as well? There were any number of Christ figures, willing to sacrifice themselves in order to save others (Gandalf, Sam, Frodo himself), but no discernible Source of goodness outside themselves. What say ye? Sharlee Glenn glennsj@inet-1.com [MOD: A personal note: I plan to compose a reply to this question based on my own Tolkien research over the weekend. Others, of course, can also reply with their own perspectives...] - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 10:21:24 -0500 From: "Debra Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN "Woman in the Wind" dance theatre at BYU Jan. 10-12: BYU Press Release 22Dec01 A2 PROVO, UTAH -- "Woman in the Wind: The Drusilla Hendricks Story," a dance performance tale of quiet courage, will be performed Thursday through Saturday (Jan. 10-12) at 7:30 p.m. in Brigham Young University's Pardoe Theatre. Tickets for this event, sponsored by the BYU Department of Theatre and Media Arts and the Deseret Dance Theatre, are $10 for the general public and $2 off with BYU or student ID. Tickets can be purchased at the Fine Arts Ticket Office (801) 378-4322. A matinee will be performed Saturday (Jan. 12) at 2 p.m. Drusilla Hendricks was born in Tennessee in 1810. Dreaming of making a life for herself and her family, she later converted to Mormonism and went through all the attendant trials and persecutions of her times. The musical was written by Karla Hendricks Huntsman, Drusilla's great- great-granddaughter and an adjunct faculty member of the BYU Theatre and Media Arts Department, with music by Kathleen Newton and Machelle D.M. Thompson. The director and choreographer is Kim Smith Yandow, founding director of the Deseret Dance Theatre. "My brother wanted me to write a musical about Drusilla," Huntsman said. "The words, music and dance integrate to create her emotional and compelling story." "When people see it, I want them to think about their own ancestors and their own lives and connect with them," Huntsman said. The show describes Drusilla's trials and shows how she dealt with inspiration and persecution. Her husband, James, was shot in the neck at the Battle of Crooked River and was paralyzed from the neck down. She and her five children suffered illness, near-starvation, terror at the hands of mobsters and unbelievable hardship as they cared for her husband and made the trek to the valley of the Great Salt Lake. "What is interesting about her story are her dreams and visions and her courage in going forward," Huntsman said. Cast members include Karla Hendricks Huntsman as the narrator, Eryn Crawford Todd as Drusilla and Wesley Nelson as her husband, James. The ensemble cast includes Amy Andrus, Kathan Blair, Melissa Graehl, Jenny Mair, Laurinda Ogden, Craig Rollo, Steffanie Schutz, Marianne Thompson and Natassia Clark as young Drusilla. - -###- Source: "Woman in the Wind" dance theatre at BYU Jan. 10-12 BYU Press Release 22Dec01 A2 http://www.byu.edu/news/releases/Dec/wind.htm >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #557 ******************************