Darlene Young is one of my favorite people of all
time. Thanks for humanizing this issue for us.
My two bits:
I LOVE the idea of the AML as an organization even
though I usually can't get more than just Irreantum
out of it. I keep paying my dues mostly on that
idealism. I also try to contribute writing to
Irreantum and the AML Conferences (but that hasn't
worked very well for reasons unknown to me).
The thing I like about the idea of the AML is that
there is a group of people who care deeply about how
our culture and worldview is expressed in writing.
There is a lot of crap crap crap out there (and I mean
that for popular as well as less popular writing).
Just mundane, self-absorbed, unimaginative stuff that
feeds the status quo and does nothing toward drawing
true greatness out of Mormonism.
If the AML dies, I wonder if our hope for declining
the learning curve Mormonism must go through before
coming into its own won't be severely diminished. Will
we set ourselves back another 50 years or more by
letting the AML go?
I know that the AML started out as a more academic
group, interested mostly in approaching Mormon writing
from an academic point of view. I think its role as a
critiquer and promoter is tremendously valuable.
Mormon writers need Irreantum's contests (I hear
Charlotte England is planning to sponsor a personal
essay contest in Irreantum soon). They need a place to
show their stuff. They need someone to tell them
they're good (when they are) and give them help when
they aren't, but willing to work.
Most people, even people who read a lot, don't have
any idea how to write well. However, most people think
that they DO know how to write well. And they figure,
"Why should I pay to read what other people write? I
could write just as well if I got a few minutes to
myself." There are only a few people who know how to
write well by themselves. There are others (I count
myself in this group) who can write well when
surrounded by a good, knowledgable, open and sharing
community. We need this community to come together and
make this good writing happen. Then we need an
organization that promotes this good writing.
Maybe I see the AML as being more of a producing
community (meaning producing good writing) rather than
as a spectator community (watching writing go by and
commenting on it). I think the AML is well situated to
do that. In fact, it was a lot of fun to sit on a
recent committee for Irreantum and see with what
passion and intelligence a collection of pieces was
evaluated. I kinda wished we could have encapsulated
that meeting and sent it out to the rest of the AML
list for their enlightenment.
Anyway. I appreciate the effort that has gone into
keep the AML alive. I very much look forward to the
fruits of all that effort.
Stephen Carter
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