Two centuries ago, Joseph Smith had his first visionary experience. A decade later, he would organize a church, but the 1820s were when the stories he told—of angels and gold plates, of fallen civilizations and future cities—began opening up new space in the human imagination. Mormonism was not just a faith, but an outpouring of narratives and images, of new language and new interpretive lenses, of cosmology and sociology. Mormonism offered new and intense ways for people to relate to each other, to God, and to land. What a rich storehouse for storytellers! As an imaginationscape, Mormonism has appealed to generations of writers both within and beyond the religious tradition.
As we move into the third century of Mormon stories being told, the Association for Mormon Letters is taking stock of what has come before. This year, we are developing a list of 100 Significant Works of Mormon literature—defined as those that engage with the tradition in some way. We are excited to announce that work on this list will be the theme of our 2021 Virtual Conference, to take place from Tuesday, June 1, through Saturday, June 5.
Each evening, we’ll invite panelists to deliberate over works that stand out as having particular significance in their exploration or use of Mormon themes and imagery. How do we weigh the use of Mormonism in the poetry of Emmeline Wells against the appearance of Mormons in the fiction of Arthur Conan Doyle? What do we learn from the use of Mormonism in Eric Samuelsen’s plays—or Carla Kelly’s novels?
Due to concerns about Zoom fatigue and over-programming, we will not be soliciting paper proposals for the conference. Instead, we’ll be inviting attendees to join the discussion through each session’s chat on how to select key works from the 19th, early 20th, late 20th, and 21st centuries. To highlight the continuing use of Mormon ideas and imagery in literature, we’ll also hold readings each evening by finalists for the Association for Mormon Letters annual awards. (Finalists will be announced on this blog in early April; winners will be announced at an online awards ceremony at the conclusion of the Conference.)
If you are interested in joining conversations about the 100 Works list or listening to this year’s finalists read their work, please RSVP so we can send you links as the conference approaches.
Featured Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash