I wonder if Wayfare would be interested in a jab at canon-building? Short, accessible essays on some of the great books most of us have never heard of?
I recently bumped into an old (2017) attempt of mine which includes books about the afterlife, a well-meaning deacon, South American gangsters, and, ahem, sex.
I was lucky enough to take a Writing Mormon Fiction class through the Honors Program at BYU in the early 2000s taught by Margaret Blair Young and Bruce Young. It was a delight! I didn't realize then what a rare blessing it was.
Thanks, James, for this insightful, engaging essay. For years, I've wondered how we overcome the "intellectual inferiority" complex among us. We tend to downplay or disdain, perhaps inadvertently, the riches in our own backyard. For me, the question your essay indirectly asks is this: how do I take what's spiritually in my heart and explore it according to the highest aesthetic principles without cheapening either belief or craft?
I don't have many solid answers yet, but I'm looking forward to exploring the question with a group of BYU-Idaho seniors this fall.
I like that framing. In the classroom, we can be shy to ask what’s in the heart. But craft means the most in pursuit of something felt. We try to express a thing we can’t articulate directly.
On a side note, can I gush quickly about Psalm and Selah? I love that book. One of my strongest memories about it is feeling the soundscape change as the poems settle into the promised land. Great example of how an experience of journey plays out in the craft. I felt something different about a familiar story because of your particular angle of attention.
Well said, James--but also, I don't think institutional focus/attention is necessary. It would be nice, but the field can be developed and defined and explored without BYU's support. It's more about attention than institutions, I think.
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I wonder if Wayfare would be interested in a jab at canon-building? Short, accessible essays on some of the great books most of us have never heard of?
I recently bumped into an old (2017) attempt of mine which includes books about the afterlife, a well-meaning deacon, South American gangsters, and, ahem, sex.
https://motleyvision.org/2017/10/16/youre-looking-for-a-book
Regardless, very well said, James. I think I smell a title essay for your next collection?
Theric, sounds intriguing...please reach out!
Incidentally, James, I can't wait for you to see my essay in the new Further Light. We are sympatico, you and I.
Yes, I immediately thought of your essay as well. Coming in July!
I was lucky enough to take a Writing Mormon Fiction class through the Honors Program at BYU in the early 2000s taught by Margaret Blair Young and Bruce Young. It was a delight! I didn't realize then what a rare blessing it was.
That is amazing! I didn’t even realize that class once existed.
I don’t think I’ll ever get to the end of all the Margaret Blair Young lore.
PREACH, JAMES, PREACH!!!
Thanks, James, for this insightful, engaging essay. For years, I've wondered how we overcome the "intellectual inferiority" complex among us. We tend to downplay or disdain, perhaps inadvertently, the riches in our own backyard. For me, the question your essay indirectly asks is this: how do I take what's spiritually in my heart and explore it according to the highest aesthetic principles without cheapening either belief or craft?
I don't have many solid answers yet, but I'm looking forward to exploring the question with a group of BYU-Idaho seniors this fall.
I like that framing. In the classroom, we can be shy to ask what’s in the heart. But craft means the most in pursuit of something felt. We try to express a thing we can’t articulate directly.
On a side note, can I gush quickly about Psalm and Selah? I love that book. One of my strongest memories about it is feeling the soundscape change as the poems settle into the promised land. Great example of how an experience of journey plays out in the craft. I felt something different about a familiar story because of your particular angle of attention.
Thanks much, James, for your reply and for the kind comments regarding Psalm & Selah. Keep up the world shaking! You're doing great work.
Well said, James--but also, I don't think institutional focus/attention is necessary. It would be nice, but the field can be developed and defined and explored without BYU's support. It's more about attention than institutions, I think.
What would you consider the most important next steps to take in developing the field?