Wm et al:

What did you think of Little Mother.

I’ll agree with, say, “Salt Water” — it was so weighted down (were the Danish sailors really necessary? or did the author just happen across the Wikipedia page and it was too good to ignore?), but I disagree when it comes to, notably, “Calling and Election.” Yes, it’s disaster after disaster. But it’s the equivalent of the first couple chapters of Job. No, the story hasn’t a happy ending per se, but, with the Mormon perspective of endless progress and a loving God, we are left with the belief that the story’s true ending will be one of exaltation.

And that’s the problem with the p-o-v-switching ending of “Gypsy Holiday” — it denied us that last chance to see the glory down the road. Instead we looked at a cat.

(Which really is a shame because I’ve had that story on my mind a lot — in particular because of Wm’s “Mormons in Diaspora” phrase which feels haunting and very me.)

It wasn’t that I didn’t like the stories, though. It was just a struggle to read them and it wasn’t a pleasant one. But sometimes reading isn’t supposed to be that way. That said, I’m glad I read it.

Well, as you know, I don’t agree with you on every point, but I do agree that all your complaints are exceedingly fair when pointed at Cope’s story so I’ll call that common ground and proceed from there.

Two things that surprise me about my own writing are a) how little explicitly Mormon work I produce and b) how little ‘hypermodern’ work I produce.

I’m surprised because I like both types of stories — but I also tend to be much more critical of both types of stories as well. I suffer no fools when it comes to the hypermodern (I say I like it, but I despise most of it) and I am more easily irritated by even slightly bad character development in Mormon work.

But that said, I am, overall, loving Irreantum. It’s giving me hope for the future of the mag. I think the direction is UP now and I hope to ride it to the peak.