In 1976, Maureen Ursenbach Beecher called together a few friends (including Eugene England and Lavina Fielding Anderson) to talk about Mormon literary history—and promptly proceeded to make it. During their discussion, the group decided to establish the first organization dedicated to the study of Mormon literature. For the past 44 years, the Association for Mormon Letters has recognized the best in Mormon Literature, created spaces for literary criticism and debate, and published work from many of the finest literary writers and critics in the field.
Traditionally, the best place for people to get involved with the Association for Mormon Letters has been through its annual conference. This year’s April conference, however, was canceled due to the pandemic; in its place, only the Awards Ceremony was held online. While we’ll hold at least an online awards ceremony in spring 2021, it is also entirely possible that we again will not hold a live conference.
Under the circumstances, we’d like to offer anyone who is interested the chance to work with writers and literary critics on projects of shared interest. During a virtual meeting, board members approved six initiatives we’d like to focus on between now and April 2021. On Tuesday, October 27 at 6:30 PM Mountain Time we’ll host a virtual gathering at this link to introduce the initiatives in greater detail, take questions, and get to know attendees.
Hope to see you there–and please share this call with any interested friends! If you’re unable to make the virtual gathering, but would like to volunteer, please let us know by comment or email.
INITIATIVES
Awards
Team Contact: Andrew Hall, andrewrhall@gmail.com
Description: The Association for Mormon Letters Awards honor the best in literary writing by, for, or about Latter-day Saints and cultural Mormons. Each year, awards coordinators work to identify titles in a wide range of literary genres for a panel of judges to review and consider for a shortlist of finalists and to recognize as a winner. The awards serve not only to recognize a work in the moment, but to help preserve our memory of key works in the field’s history.
Volunteer Needs: We welcome volunteers willing to identify eligible works, as well as volunteers with experience in a genre who are willing to serve on a committee, request books from publishers, read texts, then help choose finalists and winners.
Best-of Lists
Team Contact: Mattathias Westwood, mattathiasingh@gmail.com
Description: One of the questions we constantly receive from people who are interested in Mormonism and literature, but who don’t know much about how the two mix, is “Are there Mormon books worth reading?”
The Association for Mormon Letters works hard to help answer this question through annual awards, our blog, and our large review database. People aren’t always sure, though, where to start.
This year, AML will be working toward a capstone effort to select 100 consensus classics of Mormon Literature, giving new readers a list like the American Film Institute’s top 100 lists. We’ll also be generating shorter topical lists of various kinds, which we hope can work like playlists to help readers discover new treasures.
Volunteer Needs: We welcome topical list submissions. We’re also looking for people with experience in literary studies generally or Mormon literature specifically to help us debate which works belong in our top 100.
Wikipedia Expansion
Team Contact: Rachel Helps, rachel_helps@byu.edu
Description: When readers, fans, and authors want to know about topics in Mormon Letters, Wikipedia is usually their first stop. Would you like to improve Wikipedia’s information about Mormon authors and their works? Rachel Helps is the BYU library’s Wikipedian in Residence and can help you learn how to edit Wikipedia. Books that have won an award or have significant critical discourse about them are eligible to have their own Wikipedia page.
Volunteer Needs: Copyeditors, researchers, and writers to improve Wikipedia pages related to Mormon Letters. Learn how to edit Wikipedia in an hour or so and improve one or many pages. It’s helpful, but not necessary, to have access to print sources about Mormon Letters.
Reviews
Contact: Andrew Hamilton, ahamilton@csi.edu
Description: What is going on right now in Mormon Literature? The Association for Mormon Letters does its best to keep track of publications and write timely online reviews of new work. Reviews tend to be brief (300-1300 words) and focus on reader experience.
Volunteer Needs: People who like free books and respond to the content and describe their reactions.
Irreantum
Contact: Theric Jepson, irreantum.editor AT gmail DOT com
Description: Theric Jepson has taken over editing our flagship literary magazine, Irreantum. Building on the work of William Morris, who resurrected Irreantum as an online entity, the next issue will be more traditionally formatted ala 16.1. Submissions will open soon along with announcements regarding special issues and new ways of thinking about Irreantum‘s role as a showcase for Mormon lit.
Volunteer Needs: Volunteers with editorial interest or experience to read and comment on submissions.
Literary Criticism
Contact: William Morris, irreantum.editor AT gmail DOT com (include the word [Criticism] somewhere in the subject line)
Description: The AML has a long history of producing literary criticism, including publishing papers presented at annual conferences. William Morris is hoping to revive those efforts and is interested in both volunteers to help coordinate those efforts and contributions of literary criticism for publication in AML venues (mainly Irreantum and this blog, but other ideas are welcome).
Specifically, we’re looking for works of literary criticism that respond to Mormon art and artists across a range of registers–from the most academic and theoretical to the poetic and personal; works of history and bibliography that further understanding of Mormon narrative art, artists, publishing, and reception to those works; and Mormon readings/misreadings of works of art that aren’t by, for, or about Mormons, but focus on topics of particular interest to Mormons (for example, questions of agency, faith, diaspora, revelation, sacred space, etc).
Volunteer Needs: Individuals with some experience or interest in literary criticism to help shape the specifics of the plan and then work with William to carry it out.
Featured photo: Hannah Busing on Unsplash
I missed it! Somehow I completely forgot about the meeting until this morning.
Anyway there will be a recap? Instructions as to what to do?
Hi Kent. We mostly went through the initiatives spelled out in this post. The initiative leaders and volunteers introduced themselves, and we got some ideas of what volunteers would like to participate in. All of our emails are in this post, so you can contact whoever you’d like to work with. (Pick me! Help judge or administer the awards!)