We're also at the beginning of the process to sign up regular patrons for a project called the Mormon Lit Lab. Basically, we're invited people to make a monthly pledge to support expanded contests, workshops, and publication opportunities in Mormon Literature.
Since we had so much fun hosting Q&As with this year's Mormon Lit Blitz finalist authors on the blog, we thought we'd finish the contest out with one more post where they asked us questions about the contest and the new Mormon Lit Lab. It's been fun answering. Take a look:
Mormon Lit Blitz
Lee Allred: How did you come up with the idea for the Mormon Lit Blitz? What's its history? Its "secret origin" -- did a metaphorical bat fly through your window, did it rocket to Earth as an infant to escape a doomed planet, etc.?
The secret origin version is that Scott Hales and I were called on a mission to evangelize Mormon Literature. We never did figure out what had happened earlier in the place where we were sent, but we think something must have gone wrong with a prior set of missionaries. No one would give us the time of day to teach a full-scale discussion. The local priests or professors or whatever warned young people against our message. Those were dark times.
A lot of the rumors we'd heard put the blame on people for being hard-hearted or close-minded. You can't reach people you resent, though, so we figured it was better to assume they had good reasons for being cautious. One day I said to Scott, "What if six hours of discussions is just too much to ask? Could we give them a message worth considering in one minute?" And Scott said, "That sounds so crazy it just might work. Let's make like Nephi and go and do."
And that's how the Mormon Lit Blitz started...
If you want the slightly less mythologized version, pieces of it are still floating around online. I had to do some research to find it, but it looks like the seed comes in the comments after Josh Allen's November 1, 2011 blog post "AML and Student Participation." In that post, Josh talked about the value of Mormon Literature in general and the Association for Mormon Letters in particular, then asked, "Why aren’t there more of us? With so many virtues, why is it that AML’s membership is relatively small and has been for years?"
In the comments and a follow-up blog post of my own, I tried to answer that question. Essentially, I argued that there's a very small group of people who want to study Mormon (or any) literature for its own sake, and that most people look to stories to give them something in their lives. I talked about why many avid readers who are also Mormons might feel turned off by stories that seem to be attacking them on the one hand and of stories that feel too simplistic on the other. I argued that if you want to build an audience for Mormon Lit, you need to give people a short, easy-to-access way to try it out--and you need to make sure their effort pays off.
And then Scott came up with the name and concept. For the early Mormon Lit Blitzes, he'd make memes for Facebook and we'd do tours around several Mormon culture blogs talking up the contest. Nicole came on board to give editorial notes: she's a really capable and effective editor. Some Mormon Lit regulars submitted to the first contest: but also a lot of writers we didn't know and came to love.
As with many missions, we succeeded at least in converting ourselves: the Mormon Lit Blitz has showed me personally a lot about the value in Mormon Lit, especially as I've watched friends and relatives react to pieces they connect with.
Eric Jepson: Once you've created the longlist, what criteria do you use to whittle down to the final few? How do you balance, say "objective" criteria with subjective criteria with variety?
There are no 100% objective criteria for what makes compelling writing, so we’ve got to trust our own subjectivity and assume the audience we’re trying to serve shares a lot of those tastes. I’ll try to pull back the curtain a little, though, on what those tastes are.
We average 100-200 submissions per Lit Blitz, so a piece only makes the longlist if it stood out to us for some reason. It’s not just competent craft: there also has to be a concept or character or image that grabs our attention. We need to laugh or gasp or find ourselves talking about the piece after we’ve walked away from the computer.
If a piece has made that first cut, our second step is to weed out a few pieces that fall short of that best moment, idea, or image. You get into the longlist by the strongest moment: you stay there by having a text that is consistent. Typically, though, that cut doesn’t quite get us down where we need to be.
The third cut is typically to think about the contest purpose again and ask ourselves which pieces are going to contribute the most for our audience: in terms of the cultural work they do or how they stretch the range of tools writers following the contest will have to draw on. In many cases, even that cut doesn’t quite get us there and concerns about variety within the contest are how we weed out the last few pieces. Some of those calls get really tough to make and there are pieces I still think about that didn't make our final cut.
Lehua Parker: As LDS writers who write stories, poems, and essays that delve into the “messy” reality of being human, do you believe we have a responsibility to write ultimately uplifting works?
I would not use the word "uplifting." The last two poems I shared on my blogs are serious downers, but lament as a genre can play an important spiritual role. Stephen Carter's "Slippery" comes to mind as a Lit Blitz example of a similar thing: a piece that warns rather than reaching catharsis.
So if "uplifting" may be too narrow a word for the types of spiritual contributions Mormon writers can or should make, what would I recommend instead? A phrase from D&C 121: 42, comes to mind, when it talks about "pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile." Maybe whether something enlarges the soul--whether in joy, aspiration, awe, trepidation, insight, mirth--maybe that's a test of whether things are being presented in a way rich enough to count as pure knowledge.
Lee Allred: I thought this year's formal Q&A worked rather nicely. Informative for readers, a chance to discuss MoLit story and storytelling in more depth for writers. How did it look from the point of view of the questioner? Did writers answer what you were really wanting to know or did they veer off into tangents (possibly very interesting tangents but tangents nevertheless)? Do you feel it somewhat ironic that the discussions of the stories were longer than the stories themselves?
I loved the Q&As. Sometimes even flippant questions yielded great answers, like Luisa Perkins' thoughts on cats.
I appreciated the craft discussions. One positive of the Mormon Lit Blitz is that it can help lower the barriers between readers and writers: it's a manageable enough size that some careful readers have tried their hand writing, and I'm glad the Q&As can give new as well as established writers new techniques to consider.
I also liked the discussions of themes. A lot of Mormon Lit Blitz pieces manage to be extremely thought-provoking within their tight space constraints, and I loved getting the chance to talk about that.
As far as the length of discussion: I grew up talking about scriptures at far greater length than what's on the page. I like a piece that starts a conversation rather than trying to finish it.
Lee Allred: And last but not least -- Does the Postum lose its flavour on the bedpost overnight?
Sherry Work: Lee - Postum has very little flavour to actually lose. James and Nicole --would you consider dividing up the categories between poetry, stories, and personal essays?
Of all the ways we could categorize literature, whether something has line breaks doesn't seem like the most important distinction to us. We publish in those three categories because people tend to submit them the most, but we're also open to other forms. We've had very short plays submitted. Comics. Which tools writers use is up to them.
If we bring back the specialty fall contests we've done twice before, we may use genre distinctions in some of those. But we like mixing them together in the Lit Blitz.
Sherry Work: Could you explain how the ranked voting works? Is it a point system or highest number of first place votes?
A first place vote counts as four points, second place three points, third two, and fourth one. The piece with the highest point total wins.
We haven't yet had a piece that could win on the power of first place votes alone. The winners tend to be pieces that appealed a wide range of voters and showed up a lot at two, three, and four as well as one.
Mormon Lit Lab
Faith : What the what is Patreon?
Glad you asked! We should have explained that better early. Basically, Patreon is an online system that allows people to make a monthly payment to an artist or artistic organization they support. It's sort of like Kickstarter, if you've seen that, but for ongoing projects rather than one-time ones. It's also sort of like the Medicis funding painters and sculptors to make the Italian Renaissance possible, but with a lot less murder and political intrigue.
Patrons receive something in exchange for pledging. For the Mormon Lit Lab, the main rewards are being able to weigh in and vote on the projects we prioritize. Anyone who donates get to see and comment on the "drawing board." Higher level contributors get to vote.
William Morris: Most Patreon offerings are about what contributors receive from the artist and behind the scenes peeks into the artistic process. Why are you pitching this more as a lab where contributors become part of the process rather than just "help us fund more of the Mormon Lit Blitz"?
I love art. I strongly dislike the common image of the solitary artistic genius. To me, art is fundamentally about conversation and connection. So I've always been drawn to much more collective models for artistic production, ones where the lines between audience and creator are narrower and where relationships between people involved in the featured and supporters roles in developing and organizing an artistic experience are both closer and better acknowledged than is often the case. To use a basketball metaphor, I believe teams will produce better when they value assists than when they focus only on points scored.
The Mormon Lit Blitz, to begin with, was not about what Nicole and I do individually as artists, but what we can help others achieve. And so a more collective, collaborative approach as we expand feels right.
Mattathias Westwood: Besides the stated rewards, what benefits do you see donors receiving from participation in the Mormon Lit Lab?
At the end of the day, I hope it will be a great sense of satisfaction and a lot of good memories. Culturally, we have a very consumer exchange mindset about money...we're hoping that supporting the Mormon Lit Lab will feel less like buying something and more like being part of something. We hope everyone involved is able to feel like they did small and simple things to lay the foundation for a great and important work.
Mattathias Westwood: What do you feel the Mormon Lit Lab would provide that's distinct from other Mormon Literature organizations and presses?
There are a lot of other organizations and presses I like, but for purposes of this question I'm going to focus on two that are pretty close fits.
The closest analog to what we do is probably Segullah, which is a literary website and community for Mormon women. The most obvious difference is that we publish men and that what women develop with us is not necessarily going to be read as being part of a dialogue about Mormon women's experience the way the very same piece might be read on Segullah. Both can be valuable: just different.
Peculiar Pages is the closest press. Eight out of their nine titles have been anthologies, which reflects a similar focus on broadening the field and reaching out to a wide range of writers. Their mission is broader than ours: they try to be open to a wide range of culturally Mormon voices, while we focus on things we think would be of specific value to practicing Latter-day Saints.
OK, there's a third organization I don't know as well that's worth mentioning, the Mormon Theology Seminar. As its title suggests, it's not a Mormon Lit organization, but is a structure to bring together people interested in expanding the types and tonal range of discussions we have as Latter-day Saints. Like the Mormon Theology Seminar, we're interested in honoring our heritage by fostering deeper engagement with it. The main difference is that their works will share a technical vocabulary with other people studying theology; our work shares a set of conventions available to anyone who reads fiction, poetry, etc.
Lehua Parker: In addition to the scriptures, which books, essays, podcasts, etc., have helped frame your personal idea of what it means to be LDS and a follower of Christ?
A true but sort of evasive-sounding answer first: almost anything I read helps me frame those ideas. Being a disciple is of fundamental, anchoring importance to me and so I'm looking for insight and different ways to frame the gospel whether I'm reading about science, sociology, other religions, or just swapping stories with friends. For all time classic, I'd put Elie Wiesel's Souls on Fire pretty high. I return and return to the poets Ghalib and Faiz. The last book to blow my mind was Andrus Kivirähk's The Man Who Spoke Snakish. And all of them have influenced the way I frame my own faith and discipleship in some way.
As far as my favorite LDS Lit: loved Angela Hallstrom's Bound on Earth. Melissa Leilani Larson's play Little Happy Secrets is really valuable; I also liked Pilot Program--the two make up her recently published collection Third Wheel. The themes in William Morris's Darkwatch stories really resonate with me. A ton of the images from Scott Hales' The Garden of Enid still stand out in my mind. Eric Samuelsen's play The Plan is excellent. I could go on, but I should probably just sit down someday soon and make a reading list.
William Morris: What's your overall philosophy about genre fiction and literary fiction (Mormon faithful realism) both generally and in relation to what you plan on doing with the Mormon Lit Lab?
Mormonism excites me. Years of trying have yet to get me to the point where I can do justice to it in explaining why. Our faith speaks so richly to so many aspects of human existence. It's so simple and grounding on the one hand and so open to imaginative flights to divine heights at the same time.
We take it so much for granted. That's human nature: we turn on autopilot whenever something is routine, we forget the dazzling wonder to keep from being blinded.
Literature is a register that is particularly effective for me at creating an imaginative novelty that allows me regular, renewed access to that foundational wonder and lets me wrestle on ground that may be genuinely new at the same time. Really good Mormon Lit doesn't just impress me in the moment I'm reading it: it sticks with me, it increases my own capacity for imaginative engagement with the world around at both its visible and spiritual levels.
Why wouldn't I want more of that?
There are a lot of other organizations and presses I like, but for purposes of this question I'm going to focus on two that are pretty close fits.
The closest analog to what we do is probably Segullah, which is a literary website and community for Mormon women. The most obvious difference is that we publish men and that what women develop with us is not necessarily going to be read as being part of a dialogue about Mormon women's experience the way the very same piece might be read on Segullah. Both can be valuable: just different.
Peculiar Pages is the closest press. Eight out of their nine titles have been anthologies, which reflects a similar focus on broadening the field and reaching out to a wide range of writers. Their mission is broader than ours: they try to be open to a wide range of culturally Mormon voices, while we focus on things we think would be of specific value to practicing Latter-day Saints.
OK, there's a third organization I don't know as well that's worth mentioning, the Mormon Theology Seminar. As its title suggests, it's not a Mormon Lit organization, but is a structure to bring together people interested in expanding the types and tonal range of discussions we have as Latter-day Saints. Like the Mormon Theology Seminar, we're interested in honoring our heritage by fostering deeper engagement with it. The main difference is that their works will share a technical vocabulary with other people studying theology; our work shares a set of conventions available to anyone who reads fiction, poetry, etc.
Lehua Parker: In addition to the scriptures, which books, essays, podcasts, etc., have helped frame your personal idea of what it means to be LDS and a follower of Christ?
A true but sort of evasive-sounding answer first: almost anything I read helps me frame those ideas. Being a disciple is of fundamental, anchoring importance to me and so I'm looking for insight and different ways to frame the gospel whether I'm reading about science, sociology, other religions, or just swapping stories with friends. For all time classic, I'd put Elie Wiesel's Souls on Fire pretty high. I return and return to the poets Ghalib and Faiz. The last book to blow my mind was Andrus Kivirähk's The Man Who Spoke Snakish. And all of them have influenced the way I frame my own faith and discipleship in some way.
As far as my favorite LDS Lit: loved Angela Hallstrom's Bound on Earth. Melissa Leilani Larson's play Little Happy Secrets is really valuable; I also liked Pilot Program--the two make up her recently published collection Third Wheel. The themes in William Morris's Darkwatch stories really resonate with me. A ton of the images from Scott Hales' The Garden of Enid still stand out in my mind. Eric Samuelsen's play The Plan is excellent. I could go on, but I should probably just sit down someday soon and make a reading list.
William Morris: What's your overall philosophy about genre fiction and literary fiction (Mormon faithful realism) both generally and in relation to what you plan on doing with the Mormon Lit Lab?
I care about the work literature does way more than I care about the tools people use to do it. Both Nicole and I ask first how a piece opens us ways to us to think and feel and talk about Mormon ideas and experience: that trumps style every time.
And honestly, a lot of pieces blow stylistic distinctions out of the water. Lee Allred's "Beneath the Visiting Moon," in the contest this year, read a straight up literary realistic fiction to some readers and as genre fiction to others--either way, it was a great look into how we deal with our own demons and what it means to stand with each other through the tough times.
And honestly, a lot of pieces blow stylistic distinctions out of the water. Lee Allred's "Beneath the Visiting Moon," in the contest this year, read a straight up literary realistic fiction to some readers and as genre fiction to others--either way, it was a great look into how we deal with our own demons and what it means to stand with each other through the tough times.
Tanya Hanamaikai: Why does supporting Mormon Literature excite you?
We take it so much for granted. That's human nature: we turn on autopilot whenever something is routine, we forget the dazzling wonder to keep from being blinded.
Literature is a register that is particularly effective for me at creating an imaginative novelty that allows me regular, renewed access to that foundational wonder and lets me wrestle on ground that may be genuinely new at the same time. Really good Mormon Lit doesn't just impress me in the moment I'm reading it: it sticks with me, it increases my own capacity for imaginative engagement with the world around at both its visible and spiritual levels.
Why wouldn't I want more of that?
Thanks, James. Enjoyed having a peek behind the curtain. Not only learned some stuff but you pointed to a few things I need to go check out. :)
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