We are going international for our Association for Mormon Letters Conference in 2012. We’d love to hold it in Denmark, as the Mormon History Association did with their conference several years ago, but most of our members/guests wouldn’t be able to afford that. Those who attend the 2012 AML conference should feel free to dress in their ancestral clothing, however, and kilts are encouraged.
Joking aside, we are serious about seeking out LDS artists (particularly writers/dramatists) who happen to live outside the U.S. They may be American citizens living abroad, though we are especially interested in discovering and learning about artists throughout the world whose works are informed by the Mormon faith. Consider that one of the best-received Mormon novels was written by a non-Mormon from Iceland, Halldor Laxness (Paradise Reclaimed). Surely there are others of equal skill writing from within Mormonism or writing about Mormonism beyond the Wasatch Front.
Our conference theme is “Going Forth Into All the World: Mormon Literature in an International Church.” The call for paper proposals will be coming shortly.
Suffice it to say, we hope for submissions on any topic relating to Mormon literature, film, or drama, and are particularly interested in papers (written in or translated into English) on literary accomplishments of Latter-day Saints or those writing about Latter-day Saints outside of the USA.
Though the conference date is not yet solidly established, we expect it to be in late March, held at Utah Valley University.
Don’t forget this:
Winners of the Portuguese Short Story Contest Announced
The 2nd edition of the Parley P. Pratt Mormon Short Story Contest should be starting at about the time of the conference. I can put you in touch with the authors, at least one of whom lives in Utah (the majority are in Portugal and Brazil).
Kent, that sounds wonderful. Please do.
Is there a preferred length for these kinds of things?
Papers will be read at the conference and should take about 15 minutes. That gives you a solid clue on the length. We won’t assign a word count. We generally put four papers in a 90 minute session, which also includes a q/a.