Since Tyler has posted his excellent two-part review of The Fob Family Bible, it seems appropriate to feature a story from it this week. Enjoy! Or don’t. Either way, speak up in the comments so Theric isn’t forced to talk to himself about his own project.
Title: Abraham’s Purgatory
Author: B. G. Christensen
Publication Info: June 2009, [...]

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So I hear tell that BYU is starting an MFA in Creative Writing. My only real wonderment is why it took so long. It’s a trendy program to have and BYU, one would think, should have a vested interest in flooding the earth with good writers. This is self-evident.
Furthermore, I am hopeful that this will [...]

Note: This is the final part of my review of The Fob Bible, which I began here last week. This part picks up where I left off, which was here:

Within the Mormon context of The Fob Bible, the (pro)creative movement of these “opposite equal” spheres further implies the eternal (pro)creative influence of both [...]

Apologies if this is only semi-coherent. It’s based on a set of thoughts that have been composting for a while. I want to post them before they rot entirely…

For the complete list of columns in this series, click here.
I used to not have a lot of respect for writers who had trouble remembering the details [...]

Some AMV readers may have already read this series of short short stories by Eric Nielson since he posted them at the Blogger of Jared just last year. But for those who missed it the first go round, give it a shot. I make no great literary claims for these stories — and I don’t [...]

It isn’t often that an LDS author creates an LDS-themed play that is performed outside of the few venues in Utah that are willing to occasionally perform Mormon works. I have the impression that the timeliness of the topic of the play has a lot to do with interest in performing these works, which makes [...]

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Tonight the Living Scriptures salesman showed up at our door. His car’s GPS had every member of our ward plugged into it and after visiting the Coes, it told him to drive to our house next. He was a nice guy, a BYU student, getting married at the end of the summer. I was able [...]

Since I posted recommendations for the literary Mormon mommy, I thought I’d put up a few books that I think will appeal to the men in our lives. Of course, most of the contributors and many of the commenters here are male so I assume most of you will have stuff to add to the [...]

Note: While some may consider it a conflict of interest to post a review of a book edited by one of AMV’s contributors on AMV, to you I say, “Blogging is all about the art of self-service and self-promotion. So I’m reviewing The Fob Bible (published May 2009 by Peculiar Pages and edited by Eric [...]

Although Jerry Johnston’s column is provocative, and Dallas’ post (salty language warning) and Shawn’s AMV post in reply are very interesting, I have to admit a bit of weariness over this whole Great Mormon Novel trope. As Shawn points out, the whole idea that Mormons can’t produce great literature goes way back. It’s always a [...]

I mostly disagree with this article. Dallas Robbins disagrees even more than I do. Dallas is more excited about it too! Read his post.
I start by acknowledging a point of agreement. (I’m sure Jerry Johnston is a nice guy. I want to be charitable here.) I agree, as Johnston puts it, that “an authentic [Mormon] [...]

Digging back in to the archives here for a story from the very early days of Mormon Studies. A teaser: “She sat down, checked over the week’s menus and shopping lists and picked up Moby Dick, which she knew she’d never finish.”
Title: The Princess of the Pumpkin
Author: Karen Rosenbaum
Publication Info: Dialogue, 1967
Submitted by: [...]

The final episode of the first season of The Book of Jer3miah is supposed to be posted sometime today. I watched all 19 of the previous episodes earlier this week (each episode is only about 5 minutes long), and I have to say that I think its worth a look.

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Elder Douglas L. Callister of the Seventy wrote a delightful article in this month’s Ensign, “Our Refined Heavenly Home.” I’m ashamed to admit that I might never have read it had not my dear wife told me I should. (I keep saying I’ll stick the Ensign in the bathroom where it will actually get read, [...]

This is the first part of a series I’m writing on New Play Project, the most interesting and promising Mormon theater group to arrive on the scene for many years. Following installments will include:
Part Two: Little Happy Secrets: A Milestone in Mormon Drama
This piece will discuss on the significance of Melissa Leilani Larson’s groundbreaking play, which artistically put New [...]

Normally, when Mormons are mentioned in the weekly Jewish newspaper, The Forward, it has to do with the Baptism for the Dead of Holocaust victims. But the current issue finds a Mormon interest in author Chaim Potok, citing none other than the “expert on Mormon arts and culture” William Morris.

Here’s what so cool about this edition of Short Story Friday: we’re linking to a revised version of a story (as he notes below — the first short story) that was first published at Popcorn Popping. And we can do that because we let people provide feedback to what we posted and Shawn decided to [...]

In the spirit of egalitarianism and celebration and self-promotion and just plain awesomeness, I bring you my personal favorite posts from each AMV contributor as of right now but subject to change based on the whims and vagaries native to the benevolent dictator that I am and in alphabetical order by first name because I [...]

A Motley Vision launched as a solo blog on June 2, 2004. It was born out of two key events:
1. Clark Goble introducing me to Times & Seasons in late January/early February of 2004.
2. The AML-List crashing in March of 2004 and me not finding out that there was a new version of the list [...]

Many of the famous artists that made their way into history books first broke into the the public consciousness when they were featured the Paris Salon, an annual exhibition of the French government’s Académie des Beaux-Arts. The Salon functioned as the official sanction of the art world and could make or break a painter’s career.
The [...]