{"title":"Literature","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"on-the-road-with-joseph-smith","title":"On the Road with Joseph Smith: An Author’s Diary","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/richard-l-bushman\"\u003eRichard Lyman Bushman\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“Shows how much any historian lays on the line when he writes about Joseph Smith.” \u003c\/span\u003e— \u003ci\u003eDeseret News\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“Richard Bushman likewise comes to life, a man who is far from ordinary, a scholar devoted to his task and willing to take risks.”\u003c\/span\u003e — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/forums.mormonletters.org\/yaf_postst112_Bushman-On-the-Road-with-Joseph-Smith.aspx\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAssociation of Mormon Letters\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2Oa3BO2\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/on-the-road-with-joseph-smith\/id453588015?mt=11\u0026amp;uo=4\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/applebooks_480x480.png?v=1649199519\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=DKBlEAAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/google-play-badge2_a56b9286-69fa-4581-9680-5ea7c47f0c1a_480x480.png?v=1648668766\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAvailable in ebook for \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2Oa3BO2\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/search.barnesandnoble.com\/On-the-Road-with-Joseph-Smith\/Richard-L-Bushman\/e\/2940013146600\"\u003eNook\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/on-the-road-with-joseph-smith\/id453588015?mt=11\u0026amp;uo=4\"\u003eApple\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=DKBlEAAAQBAJ\"\u003eGoogle Play\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.kobobooks.com\/ebook\/On-Road-Joseph-Smith-An\/book-jZ0illT2c0q7F1h0tzlFPA\/page1.html?s=x44zi1aXHUW96FVEzfRGtw\u0026amp;r=1\"\u003eKobo\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlso available through \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2RevRO3\"\u003eAmazon\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter living with Joseph Smith for seven years, biographer Richard Lyman Bushman went “on the road” for a year. After delivering the final proofs of his landmark study, \u003ci\u003eJoseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling\u003c\/i\u003e to Knopf in July 2005, Bushman crisscrossed the country from coast to coast, delivering numerous addresses on Joseph Smith at scholarly conferences, academic symposia, and firesides. This startlingly candid memoir concludes eleven months later with an article written for Common-Place in August 2006.\u003cbr\u003e     Bushman confesses to hope and humility, an unexpected numbness when he expected moments of triumph, and genuine apprehension as he awaits reviews. He frets at the polarization that dismissed the book as either too hard on Joseph Smith or too easy. He yields to a very human compulsion to check sales figures on amazon.com, but partway through the process stepped back with the recognition, “The book seems to be cutting its own path now, just as [I] hoped.”\u003cbr\u003e     For readers coming to grips with the ongoing puzzle of the Prophet and the troublesome dimensions of their own faith, Richard Bushman, a temple sealer and stake patriarch but also a prize-winning scholar, openly but not insistently presents himself as a believer. “I believe enough to take Joseph Smith seriously,” he says. He draws comfort both from what he calls his “mantra” (“Today I will be a follower of Jesus Christ”) and also from ongoing engagement with the intellectual challenges of explaining Joseph Smith.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComprehensive Table of Contents:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbutton type=\"button\" class=\"collapsible\"\u003eShow\/Hide\u003c\/button\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003eThe Diaries\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003ePreparations: July–August 2005\u003cbr\u003eOn Tour: September–December 2005\u003cbr\u003eEnd of the Run: January–May 2006\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Final Word\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e“The Balancing Act”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndex\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eOn the Road with Joseph Smith\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The diary is possibly unparalleled—an author of a recent book candidly dissecting his experiences with both Mormon and non-Mormon audiences . . . certainly deserves wider distribution—in part because it shows a talented historian laying open his vulnerabilities, and also because it shows how much any historian lays on the line when he writes about Joseph Smith.” — Dennis Lythgoe, \u003ci\u003eDeseret News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“By turns humorous and poignant, this behind-the-scenes look at Richard Bushman’s public and private ruminations about Joseph Smith reveals a great deal—not only about the inner life of one of our greatest scholars, but about Mormonism at the dawn of the 21st century.” — Jana Riess, co-author of \u003cem\u003eMormonism for Dummies\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The diaries are much more than simply a record of what Bushman calls ‘pre-review jitters.’ There are also some fascinating facts about the book’s writing and its reception. In the end the diary is the record of a believer who wants to write a believers biography that speaks to both believer and unbeliever. It is also the diary of a man who realizes that neither audience is wholly comfortable with what he did.” — Nate Oman, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2007\/01\/the-bushman-diaries\/\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eTimes and Seasons\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Writing about Joseph Smith is always a risk. As Bushman himself reflects, you run the risk of offending either the faithful believers or the enlightened skeptics, or perhaps even both. In my review of \u003cem\u003eRough Stone Rolling\u003c\/em\u003e, I indicated my pleasure that Bushman elected to take a middle of the road approach through most of the book. In \u003cem\u003eRSR\u003c\/em\u003e, Joseph Smith comes alive in ways I'd never encountered before in two decades of Mormon studies. In \u003cem\u003eOn the Road \u003c\/em\u003eRichard Bushman likewise comes to life, a man who is far from ordinary, a scholar devoted to his task and willing to take risks.” — Jeffrey Needle, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/forums.mormonletters.org\/yaf_postst112_Bushman-On-the-Road-with-Joseph-Smith.aspx\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAssociation of Mormon Letters\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/richard-l-bushman\"\u003eRichard Lyman Bushman\u003c\/a\u003e, Gouverneur Morris Professor of History, Emeritus, at Columbia University, grew up in Portland, Oregon, and earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Harvard University. He has also taught at Brigham Young University, Boston University, and the University of Delaware. He is the author of numerous books for which he has received several awards, including the Bancroft Prize, the Evans Biography Award, and the 2006 Best Book by the Mormon History Association. He and his wife, Claudia, live in New York City.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cb\u003eMore Information:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e140 pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-58958-102-9 (paperback)\u003cbr\u003ePublished May 2007\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"paperback","offer_id":42261997125803,"sku":"978-1-58958-102-9","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/products\/Bushman__OntheRoad.jpg?v=1379557322"},{"product_id":"dead-wood-and-rushing-water","title":"Dead Wood and Rushing Water: Essays on Mormon Faith, Culture, and Family","description":"\u003cp\u003eBy \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/boyd-jay-petersen\"\u003eBoyd Jay Petersen\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“Thoughtful and well-crafted .” \u003c\/span\u003e— Jana Riess\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“Invites us all to ponder anew the verities we hold, sharing in his humility, tentativeness, and cheerful confidence that our paths will converge in the end.” \u003c\/span\u003e— Terryl. L. Givens\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“A fine collection, deserving of a reader’s time and money.”\u003c\/span\u003e — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/forums.mormonletters.org\/yaf_postsm2785_Petersen-Dead-Wood-and-Rushing-Water-Essays-on-Mormon-Faith-Culture-and-Family-reviewed-by-Lisa-Torcasso-Downin.aspx#2785\"\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“This book is a rare treasure among modern Mormon thought.”\u003c\/span\u003e — \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.nauvootimes.com\/cgi-bin\/nauvoo_column.pl?author=laurie-williams-sowby#.VCxpZag2wa5\"\u003eNauvoo Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\"Petersen should be considered among the preeminent essayists of this moment in Mormon history.” \u003c\/span\u003e— \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/byustudies.org\/content\/volume-543-2015\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBYU Studies Quarterly\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/deadwoodkindle\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/dead-wood-rushing-water-essays\/id732066856?mt=11\u0026amp;uo=4\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/applebooks_480x480.png?v=1649199519\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=c39lEAAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/google-play-badge2_a56b9286-69fa-4581-9680-5ea7c47f0c1a_480x480.png?v=1648668766\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAvailable in ebook for \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/deadwoodkindle\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/dead-wood-and-rushing-water-boyd-petersen\/1117237036?ean=2940148391234\"\u003eNook\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/store.kobobooks.com\/en-US\/ebook\/dead-wood-and-rushing-water-essays-on-mormon-faith-family-and-culture\"\u003eKobo\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=c39lEAAAQBAJ\"\u003eGoogle Play\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/dead-wood-rushing-water-essays\/id732066856?mt=11\u0026amp;uo=4\"\u003eApple\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlso available through \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/36Iknce\" title=\"Dead Wood and Rushing Water: Essays on Mormon Faith, Culture, and Family\"\u003eAmazon\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Book Description:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"line-height: 1.2;\"\u003eFor over a decade, Boyd Petersen has been an active voice in Mormon studies and thought. In essays that steer a course between apologetics and criticism, striving for the balance of what Eugene England once called the “radical middle,” he explores various aspects of Mormon life and culture—from the Dream Mine near Salem, Utah, to the challenges that Latter-day Saints of the millennial generation face today.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComprehensive Table of Contents:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbutton type=\"button\" class=\"collapsible\"\u003eShow\/Hide\u003c\/button\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eForeword\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction: The Afterlife of Trees and the Roar of Rushing Water\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1. Yearnings of Joy\u003cbr\u003e2. An Acceptable Offering\u003cbr\u003e3. Walking through the Dream Mine\u003cbr\u003e4. Soulcraft 101: Faith, Doubt, and the Process of Education\u003cbr\u003e5. LDS Youth in an Age of Transition\u003cbr\u003e6. An Imperfect Brightness of Hope\u003cbr\u003e7. Arriving Where I Started: Disassembling and Reassembling a Testimony\u003cbr\u003e8. Entertaining Angels\u003cbr\u003e9. In My Father’s House\u003cbr\u003e10. The Mystery of the Gold Plates: The Origins of the Book of Mormon and a Life of Faith\u003cbr\u003e11. Escape from Groundhog Day: Mormon Literary Creation and the Cycle of the Eternal Return\u003cbr\u003e12. The Morality of Politics: The Challenges of Mormon Tribalism\u003cbr\u003e13. Mormonism and Torture: Paradoxes and First Principles\u003cbr\u003e14. Glenn Beck, Social Justice, and the Morality of Government Intervention\u003cbr\u003e15. A Walk in Blue-State Moccasins: Imagining Life as a Utah Mormon\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eDemocrat\u003cbr\u003eThe Walk\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e16. Hugh Nibley and the “Inmigration” of Mormon Education\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eShaped by Outside\u003cbr\u003eDeeply Mormon\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e17. The Priesthood: Men’s Last, Best Hope\u003cbr\u003e18. Fifteen Years Later: A Response to “The Priesthood: Men’s Last, Best Hope”\u003cbr\u003e19. Pink for Boys and Blue for Girls: The Trouble with Gender Roles\u003cbr\u003e20. What I Learned about Life, the Church, and the Cosmos from Hugh Nibley\u003cbr\u003e21. What I Learned from my Father\u003cbr\u003e22. What I Learned from my Mother\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfterword: Living Water and the Wood of the Cross\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eDead Wood and Rushing Water\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eDead Wood and Rushing Water\u003c\/i\u003e gives us a reflective, striving, wise soul ruminating on his world. In the tradition of Eugene England, Petersen examines everything in his Mormon life from the gold plates to missions to dream mines to doubt and on to Glenn Beck, Hugh Nibley, and gender.\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003e It is a book I had trouble putting down\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Richard L. Bushman, author of \u003ci\u003eJoseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Boyd Petersen is correct when he says that Mormons have a deep hunger for personal stories—at least when they are as \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003ethoughtful and well-crafted\u003c\/span\u003e as the ones he shares in this collection.” — Jana Riess, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Twible\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eFlunking Sainthood\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Petersen’s book provides a road map to the contemporary minds and concerns of the LDS intellectual. Always\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003e thoughtful and interesting, gracefully written and significant\u003c\/span\u003e, these essays will encourage many other thinkers to get their thoughts down.” — Claudia L. Bushman, co-editor of \u003ca href=\"\/products\/mormon-women-bushman-kline\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eMormon Women Have Their Say\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Boyd Petersen invites us all to ponder anew the verities we hold, sharing in his humility, tentativeness, and cheerful confidence that our paths will converge in the end.” — Terryl. L. Givens, author of \u003cem\u003ePeople of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Boyd Petersen models the courage of a true seeker: the bravery to take on life as a journey to be savored. These essays prove the wisdom of giving time and life and imagination the chance to do their sorting.” — Dan Wotherspoon, host of \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/mormonmatters.org\/\"\u003eMormon Matters\u003c\/a\u003e podcast\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Petersen’s essays speak in the voice of the best kind of friend—the one whose company is warm and familiar and comfortable, but who still manages to surprise you, make you laugh at unexpected moments, and show you new ways to think about everything you thought you knew.” — Kristine Haglund, editor of \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.dialoguejournal.com\/\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eDead Wood and Rushing Water: Essays on Mormon Faith, Culture, and Family\u003c\/em\u003e left me wanting to hang out with its author, Boyd Jay Petersen, maybe have dinner and enjoy conversation that stretched long into the night. Not only did the essays in this volume spark new thoughts and invigorate old ones, it kindled feelings of friendship for a fellow Saint who is as much like me as he is unlike me. I suppose, when we are talking about a volume of personal essays, that strike of personal connection between author and reader is the surest sign of success. . . . [It] is a fine collection, deserving of a reader’s time and money.” — Lisa Torcasso Downing, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/forums.mormonletters.org\/yaf_postsm2785_Petersen-Dead-Wood-and-Rushing-Water-Essays-on-Mormon-Faith-Culture-and-Family-reviewed-by-Lisa-Torcasso-Downin.aspx#2785\"\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Boyd Jay Petersen’s \u003cem\u003eDead Wood and Rushing Water\u003c\/em\u003e is a breath of fresh air among LDS-authored books. . . . This book is a rare treasure among modern Mormon thought.” — Laurie Williams Sowby, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.nauvootimes.com\/cgi-bin\/nauvoo_column.pl?author=laurie-williams-sowby#.VCxpZag2wa5\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eNauvoo Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Petersen should be considered among the preeminent essayists of this moment in Mormon history.” — Mark Brown, \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/byustudies.org\/content\/volume-543-2015\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBYU Studies Quarterly\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"400\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z3BQx_hmn_I\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Podcasts:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoyd Petersen is interviewed for the \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/athoughtfulfaith.org\/boyd-jay-petersen-loving-on\/\"\u003eA Thoughtful Faith Podcast\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg style=\"float: left; margin-right: 5px;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/boyd_compact.jpg?1069\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/boyd-jay-petersen\"\u003eBoyd Jay Petersen\u003c\/a\u003e teaches English and religious studies at Utah Valley University. He is the biographer of Hugh Nibley (\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/biography\/products\/hugh-nibley-a-consecrated-life\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e—winner of the Mormon History Association’s Best Biography Award), was awarded the adjunct faculty excellence award from UVU in 2006, and completed his PhD in comparative literature at the University of Utah in 2007. He currently serves as both the editor for \u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e and the program coordinator for Mormon Studies at UVU. He and his wife Zina are the parents of four children and make their home in Provo, Utah.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e More Information:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e248 pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN 978-1-58958-658-1 (Paperback)\u003cbr\u003ePublished October 2013\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"paperback","offer_id":42261908914347,"sku":"978-1-58958-658-1","price":22.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/products\/Peterson__DeadWood.jpg?v=1380229169"},{"product_id":"mr-mustard-plaster-and-other-mormon-essays","title":"Mr. Mustard Plaster and Other Mormon Essays","description":"\u003cp\u003eBy \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/mary-lythgoe-bradford\"\u003eMary Lythgoe Bradford\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e “An incredible opportunity for a new generation of Mormon readers to get to know one of our faith’s wise women elders. Don’t miss it.” \u003c\/span\u003e— Joanna Brooks\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“Bradford has expanded our vision through the unique perspective of her poetic, feminine, and Mormon voice—a voice of grace, beauty, and deep meaning.” \u003c\/span\u003e— Robert A. Rees\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“A profoundly authentic portrait of a Mormon life.” \u003c\/span\u003e— \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.dialoguejournal.com\/2017\/book-review-mr-mustard-plaster-and-other-mormon-essays-by-mary-bradford\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/goo.gl\/wp7cvw\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/id1438018842\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/ibooks2.png?6312402007540361085\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable in ebook for \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/goo.gl\/wp7cvw\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/mr-mustard-plaster-and-other-mormon-essays-mary-lythgoe-bradford\/1121087252?ean=2940149890378\u0026amp;itm=1\u0026amp;usri=mr+mustard+plaster\"\u003eNook\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/id1438018842\"\u003eApple\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/store.kobobooks.com\/en-US\/ebook\/mr-mustard-plaster-and-other-mormon-essays\"\u003eKobo\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlso available through \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2FInF3g\"\u003eAmazon\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/16704480-preview-mary-bradford-s-mr-mustard-plaster-and-other-mormon-essays\"\u003eDownload a free sample preview\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook Description:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere do Mormon letters come from? How from within what has been perceived as a rigid, highly practical culture do we continually produce those faithful enough to wrestle the angels for Truth in its fully sticky and tumultuous relationship to mortality? To claim from our tradition both those practical truths which guide our daily choices, as well as those metaphorical truths—perhaps more shallow, perhaps more deep—which breath into our Mormon practices the very spirit of Life?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePoet, editor, biographer, and author Mary Lythgoe Bradford has had one of the longest and most consistent careers of anyone working in contemporary Mormon letters. This new collection, \u003cem\u003eMr. Mustard Plaster and Other Mormon Essays\u003c\/em\u003e, conveniently provides under one cover a picaresque memoir of her impressive cultural contributions—from her graduate days, during the late century, at the University of Utah where she received her Master’s degree in English literature; through her becoming the first “Sister” to have edited \u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e; well, now, to her later-life career as poet and author of the collection \u003cem\u003ePurple: Poems by Mary Lythgoe Bradford\u003c\/em\u003e, published during the present century. Many more writers and readers with a love of Mormon subjects will know her from her lively personal interactions, or her regular participation in symposia, conferences and workshops—all drawing upon and her inexhaustible energy, interest, and tolerance for mentoring younger writers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComprehensive Table of Contents:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbutton type=\"button\" class=\"collapsible\"\u003eShow\/Hide\u003c\/button\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003eForeword - I, Eye, Aye: A Personal Essay on Personal Essays\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI - LEAVING HOME\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eYesterday the Wardhouse\u003cbr\u003eMr. Mustard Plaster\u003cbr\u003eAn Art Deco Childhood\u003cbr\u003eGirl of the Limberlost and Lonesome Pine\u003cbr\u003eVirginia Sorensen: A Saving Remnant\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eII - SETTLING IN\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eMarriage and Printmaking\u003cbr\u003eSeeding In\u003cbr\u003eMy Christmas Disasters\u003cbr\u003eDiet Dialogue\u003cbr\u003eThe Hourglass Factor\u003cbr\u003ePillows of My Faith\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIII - MOVING ON\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eThe Diary Chain\u003cbr\u003eThe Veil\u003cbr\u003eGentle Dad\u003cbr\u003eSurprise Party: Meditations on Aging\u003cbr\u003eThe Walking Cure\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIV - REACHING OUT\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eAcross the Generations\u003cbr\u003eThis Precious Stone\u003cbr\u003eMy Ten-Day Mission\u003cbr\u003eA Ten-Day Expert Speaks\u003cbr\u003eAs We Rode Out One Late Summer Morning\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eV - HANGING ON\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eSuddenly Single\u003cbr\u003eIt Takes Many Villages\u003cbr\u003eSweet Home: An Epilogue\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfterword - “They Also Serve” (Who Only Sit and Write)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ\u0026amp;A with the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbutton type=\"button\" class=\"collapsible\"\u003eShow\/Hide\u003c\/button\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: What was the drive behind republishing these essays?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: My daughter and I went to hear Joanna Brooks--author \u003cem\u003eBook of Mormon Girl\u003c\/em\u003e-- speak to our study group in DC. She claimed that Mitt's presidential campaign had created a Mormon Moment that writers should respond to. My daughter said, \"Why not update your essay collection--\u003cem\u003eLeaving Home\u003c\/em\u003e?\" I therefore contacted my publishing guru, Brent Corcoran, formerly Dialogue's production editor, who worked with me in 2009 when I published my poetry collection. Not only is he a poet himself, but he had convinced me to keep a digital file of my essays. He then took it upon himself to organize an omnibus collection of these essays, with the help of MHA artist, Thayne Whiting. I thought it made sense to rename the new incarnation with a catchier title. \"Mr. Mustard Plaster\" dealt with one of the themes of the book: \"You can take the girl out of Utah but you can't take Utah out of the girl.\" I like Thayne's design of the humble mustard seed that grows into a flourishing plant--much like the personal essay The cover's botanical print, the book's layout and typeface also evoke my \"Art Deco Childhood\" essay. Taken together I hope it symbolizes the closest I can come to a memoir or autobiography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: What motivated you to write essays in the first place?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: Writing clarifies my life. I was a bookish child who found the best way of relating my inner world to the outer world was through literature. This naturally leads to writing--and editing. Mormons as a people practice the personal essay. We bear testimony, preach sermons, keep journals, record personal histories--even scrapbooks. Early Mormons were too busy surviving to afford the luxury of this peculiar and particular genre. As Mormonism matured, the seeds of this genre found a remarkable and welcoming soil. You might say that I took to it by nature and by nurture.   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen \u003cem\u003eDialogue \u003c\/em\u003ecame along in 1966, one of its founders, Gene England, an accomplished practitioner of the essay (and a poet) asked me to contribute to the section, \u003cem\u003ePersonal Voices. \u003c\/em\u003eLater as Dialogue's third editor, I kept the flame alive, actively cultivating the personal essay. At the same time I contributed  regular columns, \"One Woman's Perspective\" to Exponent II under its creative editor, Sue Booth-Forbes. These became longer essays in my book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: You have described the personal essay as \"the quintessential Mormon genre.\" Could you elaborate on that?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: I think I got that idea from the writings of Parley A.Christensen, professor of English at BYU. When I went there to teach in the fifties, I read his \"All in a Teacher's Day?\". His calm and witty dedication to the humanities was inspiring to a young neophyte. When, as wife and mother, I joined \u003cem\u003eDialogue\u003c\/em\u003e's staff, I saw, with Gene, the personal essay as an extension of the testimony. Now in my dotage, I see it as a good way to leave a mark on the world. It seems easier to serve your life in tasty chunks instead of indigestible meals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: What were some of Virginia A. Sorensen's qualities that led you to follow her so closely?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA: \u003c\/span\u003eVirginia Sorensen, Mormon novelist of the 40's 50's and 60's, was introduced to me by my thesis chair, Dr. William Mulder at the University of Utah. As an English major and a Mormon, I naturally believed the Book of Mormon would be a good subject for poetry, and so proposed a selection of my poems as a MA thesis. I took courage from the few poems I had showed to a visiting poet who said  he envied my \"built-in mythology.\" The U's poetry professor was not convinced and so rejected it. I turned to Dr. Mulder who said, \"If you are interested in a living, working Mormon writer, why not choose Virginia Sorensen,\" a personal friend of his. Thus began a friendship that lasted until her death in 1991. Through Virginia I became friends with her cousin, Esther Petersen, a towering example of caring public service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn my 1956 thesis, I wrote: \"Virginia writes of her grandparents, her parents, and herself that preserves something of every Western Mormon's personal history. In her works we have a special innocence, part of the fading murals historians rush to save before zealous whitewashers have rubbed them away. . . That many have not read her because of her penchant for reproducing people who suffer, bleed and die seems nothing short of blind anachronism.\" Virginia's stories of her childhood, indeed her children's novels that won The Child Study Award and the Newbery Medal, echoed my experience in ways that inspired my own writing. For years she lived near my home in Virginia where she urged me to write her biography. That I have been unable to do so is a major, guilty disappointment.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: You mention the name of Lowell Bennion quite often in your essays.  Why? Who else has had a lasting influence on you and your writing?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: I entered Lowell Bennion's Institute of Religion at the University of Utah as an eager student seeking knowledge and faith. I found in his stimulating classes and in his co-ed fraternity (Lambda Delta Sigma) a safe place to study, to question, to grow. His teaching was geared toward the student. We actually believed that he was learning from us, that he needed to hear from us. How refreshing for those of us so used to the \"What am I thinking?\" method of teaching. The wholesome social, recreational, service-oriented plan of this Home Away from Home caused me to think, \"This is a charmed time  I want to write about it.\" Little did I know then that I would be given the task of writing  the biography of \"Brother B-\"as his students called him. His own personal essays were not life transformed into art  or life transformed by art, but bits and pieces of himself collected for inspection. It can almost be said that his life and work were one, all of the piece, created out of whole cloth.  He dedicated his life to  helping his students reconcile the two worlds of university and church, the life of the mind and of the spirit. Through his teaching and writing. I caught a glimpse of my place in the scheme  of things. Even today the voice of my conscience sounds remarkably like his voice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn my long life I am constantly refreshed by minds that have not aged, in the church and out of it--The list is too long to record here, and it must include my deceased husband, so courageous and so supportive, my three children and my twelve grandchildren--always ready to champion my causes and to lift up their aging relative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: Are these essays the work of a Mormon feminist?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: I think I can call myself feminist in that I believe in equal rights for women and I give thanks for the women in my life who have unselfishly marked the path for me: my mother, grandmother, aunts, my daughter and sister, my teachers and leaders, professors, and friends. Not all have followed the same path--some have followed it out of the church--some out of their assigned roles. For better or worse I seem to occupy a middle ground. I accept the fact that  the Church is part of my body and I part of the Church's body. I think the Church belongs as much to me as to anyone. I cling to the faith that some day its leaders will find a way to sit down with their sisters and work out a sharing plan. I don't claim to understand fully either myself nor my Mormon sisters, but my journey continues. It is an exciting one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eMr. Mustard Plaster and Other Mormon Essays\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Mary Bradford is the original literary ‘Mormon Girl.’ Long before anyone even imagined the bloggernacle, she believed that writing about everyday Mormon life—especially women’s lives—could be beautiful and powerful. In her own essays, she brings unparalleled power of perception, generous humanity, and quiet humor to bear on even challenging Mormon subjects. \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003eThis book is an incredible opportunity for a new generation of Mormon readers to get to know one of our faith’s wise women elders\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #cccccc;\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e Don’t miss it.” — Joanna Brooks, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Book of Mormon Girl: A Memoir of an American Faith\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“I love Mary Bradford’s essays. They are a delicious combination of personal reflections and family history! \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003eEverything I read of hers makes me hungry for more\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Lavina Fielding Anderson, editor of \u003cem\u003eLucy's Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith's Family Memoir\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Mary Bradford believes that the distinctive nature of the personal essay originates from what she calls the three “I’s” (“I’s,” eyes, ayes)—the authors’ first-person perspective, their clear and rich vision, and their honest and affirming testimonies of life. Mary’s own essays are true to form: her essays are \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003evibrant portraits of a kind and loving soul, a rich and unique perspective, and a life well-lived and deeply loved\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Boyd Jay Petersen, author of \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dead-wood-and-rushing-water\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eDead Wood and Rushing Water: Essays on Mormon Faith, Culture, and Family\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“For nearly half a century Mary Bradford has perfected the personal essay, that most under-appreciated of literary genres. In revelation after revelation, she has used her life as a prism through which she has looked inward and outward, illuminating the world from the perspective Thoreau referred to ironically as ‘the narrowness of my experience.’ From such ‘narrowness’ \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003eBradford has expanded our vision through the unique perspective of her poetic, feminine, and Mormon voice—a voice of grace, beauty, and deep meaning\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Robert A. Rees, author of \u003ca href=\"\/products\/cost-of-discipleship\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Cost of Discipleship: The Dimensions of a Mature Mormon Faith\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Mary Lythgoe Bradford offers her autobiography in personal essay\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003erevealing a lifetime that bridged generations and pioneered the power of essay in Mormon literature\u003c\/span\u003e. Since the first issue of \u003cem\u003eDialogue\u003c\/em\u003e in 1966, Mary's wisdom and presence as an editor, writer, poet and biographer have linked us together, reaching back to women like Virginia Sorensen and moving us forward into feminism. Today at 84, Mary is still helping ‘Mormon women speak.’” — Maxine Hanks, editor of \u003cem\u003eWomen and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“\u003cem\u003eMr. Mustard Plaster and Other Mormon Essays\u003c\/em\u003e reminds me of what draws me to the personal essay as a form, how rich it is with possibilities and connections. Besides bringing a lot of joyful reading,\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003e I hope this book will inspire you\u003c\/span\u003e to write your own essay chains so the people who come after you will know and love and celebrate your humanity, even if you didn’t have to walk from Nauvoo to Salt Lake through five-foot snow drifts uphill both ways.” — Harlow Clark, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/associationmormonletters.org\/blog\/reviews\/current-reviews\/bradford-mr-mustard-plaster-and-other-mormon-essays-reviewed-by-harlow-clark\/\"\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“She writes with [T. S.] Eliot’s 'historical sense' of the Mormon tradition, and the result is \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003ea profoundly authentic portrait of a Mormon life\u003c\/span\u003e. . . . Mormon culture needs Bradford-like writers now more than ever.” — Joey Franklin, \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.dialoguejournal.com\/2017\/book-review-mr-mustard-plaster-and-other-mormon-essays-by-mary-bradford\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"float: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/JLP_7521_2_1_compact.JPG?1483\" style=\"margin-right: 5px; float: left;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/mary-lythgoe-bradford\"\u003eMary Lythgoe Bradford\u003c\/a\u003e is past editor of \u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e and author of \u003cem\u003eLowell Bennion: Counselor, Humanitarian\u003c\/em\u003e. A prominent LDS poet as well as essayist, Bradford's poetry was recently collected in Purple: Poems by Mary Lythgoe Bradford. She lives in Leesburg, Virginia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e More Information:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e207 Pages\u003cbr\u003ePaperback ISBN 978-1-58958-742-7\u003cbr\u003ePublished January 2015\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"paperback","offer_id":1082962748,"sku":"978-1-58958-742-7","price":20.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"paperback - signed copy","offer_id":45313612218539,"sku":"","price":20.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/products\/Bradford_MrMustard.jpg?v=1421339924"},{"product_id":"writing-ourselves","title":"Writing Ourselves: Essays on Creativity, Craft, and Mormonism","description":"\u003cp\u003eBy \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/jack-harrell\"\u003eJack Harrell\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e “Thought-provoking, inspiring, and beautifully written.” \u003c\/span\u003e— Margaret Blair Young\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“You need to add this book to your library.” \u003c\/span\u003e— Eric Samuelsen\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“[Harrell] speaks to the function of language and narrative as communal acts.”\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e— \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/associationmormonletters.org\/blog\/reviews\/current-reviews\/harrell-writing-ourselves-essays-on-creativity-craft-and-mormonism-reviewed-by-tyler-chadwick\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“It’s not just about writing, but how to live a better life.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.the-exponent.com\/book-review-writing-ourselves\/\"\u003eExponent II\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“Original and insightful, at times daring.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e — \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e2016 Best Literary Criticism Award, Association for Mormon Letters\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1U3Sy5R\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/applebooks_480x480.png?v=1649199519\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=n35lEAAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/google-play-badge2_a56b9286-69fa-4581-9680-5ea7c47f0c1a_480x480.png?v=1648668766\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable in ebook for your \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1U3Sy5R\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/s\/2940158220968\"\u003eNook\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/store.kobobooks.com\/en-us\/ebook\/writing-ourselves-essays-on-creativity-craft-and-mormonism\"\u003eKobo\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=n35lEAAAQBAJ\"\u003eGoogle Play\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/writing-ourselves-essays-on-creativity-craft-and\/id1122159206?uo=4\u0026amp;mt=11\"\u003eApple\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlso available through \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/387ug3q\"\u003eAmazon\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/116709317-preview-em-writing-ourselves-essays-on-creativity-craft-and-mormonism-em\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDownload a free sample preview\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook Description:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eContinuing a conversation as old as Mormonism itself, Jack Harrell explores the relationship between Mormonism and the writer. Mormons see the universe in mythic proportions. Their God is a creator, their devil a destroyer. This makes meaningful conflict fundamental to their worldview, and begs the terms for religious redemption, as well as the redemptive power of art. Harrell urges writers to be authentic as they embrace the difficulties inherent in the creative process. His essays blend faithful intellectual inquiry, personal narrative, research, and application to offer insights for anyone who cares about writing, creativity, and the human condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/authorcast\"\u003eAuthorCast\u003c\/a\u003e Interview with the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003caudio preload=\"none\" controls=\"controls\"\u003e \u003csource src=\"http:\/\/files.gregkofford.com\/podcast\/E111_Bradley_Lost116_010320.mp3\"\u003e\u003c\/audio\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComprehensive Table of Contents:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbutton type=\"button\" class=\"collapsible\"\u003eShow\/Hide\u003c\/button\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWho Is This Book For?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1. The Little Pink House\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2. The Creative Process: A Theory In Five Steps\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eThe Idea: Conception\u003cbr\u003eComplication\u003cbr\u003eThe Wall\u003cbr\u003eBreakthrough\u003cbr\u003eThe Final Product\u003cbr\u003eConclusion\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3. What Violence In Literature Must Teach Us\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4. The Episodic And Epiphanic In Contemporary Fiction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5. Advice For Writers\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eMake Time to Write\u003cbr\u003eBe Authentic\u003cbr\u003eStrive for the Philosophical\u003cbr\u003eEmbrace the Difficulties\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e6. Telling The Truth: Teaching Creative Writing To Mormon Students\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eNot So Peculiar\u003cbr\u003eTelling the Truth\u003cbr\u003eNot Afraid of Believing\u003cbr\u003eWriting for Adults\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e7. The Thirteenth Article Of Faith As A Standard For Literature\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e8. Making Meaning As A Mormon Writer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e9. Creative Writing, Mormon Theology, And The Illusion Of Independent Agency\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eAuthenticity\u003cbr\u003eIt’s Writing Me\u003cbr\u003eThe Sieve\u003cbr\u003eStalemate\u003cbr\u003eThe Mormon Doctrine of Agency: Aesthetic Implications\u003cbr\u003eConclusion\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e10. Human Conflict And The Mormon Writer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e11. Toward A Mormon Literary Theory\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eCriticism and Theory: What is the Difference?\u003cbr\u003eA Theory Rooted in Mormon Theology\u003cbr\u003eThe Mormon Cosmology\u003cbr\u003eA Mormon Literary Theory: One Approach\u003cbr\u003eThe Mythic Proportions of Mormonism\u003cbr\u003eBuilding Culture, Building Zion\u003cbr\u003eThe Word\u003cbr\u003eThe Redemptive Power of Art\u003cbr\u003eEthics and Literature\u003cbr\u003ePostmodernism\u003cbr\u003eThe New Sincerity, or, Post-Postmodernism\u003cbr\u003eConclusion\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e12. A Hicksville Success\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e13. Verne And Gusty\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e14. Leaving Home And Coming Back Again\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ\u0026amp;A with the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbutton type=\"button\" class=\"collapsible\"\u003eShow\/Hide\u003c\/button\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan you name a few writers who have had the greatest influence on you? What draws you to their work?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy favorite writer is Flannery O’Connor. Her fiction is fantastic, and her essays and letters on writing are full of insight and humor. Back in 1994, at Illinois State University, I did my master’s thesis on her novel \u003cem\u003eWise Blood\u003c\/em\u003e. Her work speaks to a lot of Mormons because she’s unapologetic about her Catholic faith. Though her writings are obviously religious, she doesn’t slip into oversimplification or didacticism. And plenty of readers who aren’t religious find satisfaction and meaning in her work. Her writing works on a number of levels. I also appreciate writers like Wallace Stegner, Raymond Carver, and Willa Cather.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong Mormon writers, Levi Peterson is very important, I think—a must-read. And I think any Mormon interested in good writing should read Virginia Sorensen’s 1963 story collection \u003cem\u003eWhere Nothing is Long Ago: Memories of a Mormon Childhood\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI’m drawn to small-town characters and settings in the contemporary West and the Midwest, probably because that’s the world I know best. That’s what I’m interested in writing about, too—telling the stories of ordinary folks in these small towns. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLately I’ve been reading contemporary philosophers amenable to a religious viewpoint. John Polkinghorne is one I like. He’s an Anglican priest and theologian with two PhDs in physics. I’ve also learned a great deal from the writings of Roger Scruton, especially from his books \u003cem\u003eThe Face of God\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Soul of the World\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eBeauty\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe last book I read was a Greg Kofford publication: \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/products\/future-mormon\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eFuture Mormon\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, by Adam S. Miller. It’s great to see a tradition of thoughtful scholarship continue among Latter-day Saints like Miller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSome label the religious seeker as being on a quest for an epiphany. Can you discuss how epiphany in a spiritual sense is related to epiphany in a creative sense?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLong before James Joyce made it a literary term, the word “epiphany” was a religious term referring to some profound insight from the divine. I believe most religious people, no matter what their faith, seek communion with the divine, or just a connection with something beyond themselves. I think very few people would see the human race as the greatest force or power in the universe; and even if they do, they’d still admit those times when we reach for something greater within us. Isn’t this the quest of most art? To reach for something higher?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course, there are a few who would say, “There’s nothing great within us, nothing great beyond us. Therefore, art should express that. Art should be against epiphanies, against transcendence. Art should be being emphatically ugly because ugliness and entropy is all we have.” But that’s a pretty rare position to take, and pretty cynical too.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt seems to me that the very act of creation is rooted in a desire to make something outside of ourselves that expresses what we see or feel within. Maybe every artist is just trying to meet himself or herself, trying to understand and recognize what’s there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn the sixth chapter, you discuss teaching students to write. You mention the Mormon “struggle to tell the truth.” Why do Mormons struggle with superficiality in their writing?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s not just a Mormon struggle. It’s human nature to fall back on easy answers and struggle to tell the truth. We’re all guilty of horizontal thinking: worrying about what the person next door thinks rather than doing what we know to be true. Honesty with ourselves is a normal human struggle too. We all create fictions to justify the way we live and the way we see the world. Some of the lies we tell emerge from our good intentions. We just don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s the same with Mormons. We don’t want to hurt people, we’re worried about what our neighbors think, and we want to keep things pleasant. But life isn’t always pleasant. Conflict is at the heart of meaningful stories. If we avoid conflict, we hamstring good stories. The scriptures are full of conflicts. Church history isn’t the simple story that some once thought it to be. There are all kinds of complex layers at work in the scriptures and in Church history and in all our lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think, more and more, we’re going to see that easy answers don’t cut it. We need to face complexities, not avoid them. As the teachings of the Church grow more at odds with secular society, we’re going to have to embrace the complexities of our own position in order to survive. This involves telling the truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the central messages of Mormonism is that at the potential for redemption is at the center of our existence. The need for redemption assumes that some kind of fall or loss came first. That’s a level of complexity right there—much more than simply saying “the universe is essentially good.” Fall and redemption transcend superficiality every time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan you give your take on what makes literature virtuous or praiseworthy?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes, I talk about this in an essay on the 13th Article of Faith and how it can be a standard for judging literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe root of the word “virtue,” means “manliness,” or, as we’d put it today, “strength.” Implied in that word are concepts like “integrity,” “vigor,” and “power.” In Mormon culture the word “virtue” has become nearly synonymous with “chastity.” Chastity is one aspect of virtue, but the meaning of that word is much broader. I’d say a virtuous book is one that’s powerful, meaningful, and truthful. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Praiseworthy,” simply means worthy of praise. In that sense, literature that gets good reviews from those who really know what they’re talking about can be called praiseworthy. A reader has to think critically about the praise that comes from someone who simply wants to boost sales, regardless of the quality of the work. The 13th Article of Faith provides a great standard for measuring all these things.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYou state that Mormon fiction tends to be “essentially positive in its outlook,” can you summarize why and how that might be a stumbling block towards greater authenticity?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhilosophically, I don’t think an essentially positive outlook is a stumbling block to authenticity. I’d say the same is true in a Mormon theological context as well. In the Mormon view of existence, there is always the potential for a positive outlook, and a positive outcome, because of the atonement. The catch comes when moral agency is introduced. Every child of God can potentially be saved and exalted, but not everyone will, because of agency, because of the way we each can use or misuse our agency.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaybe it’s this business of agency that introduces a stumbling block to authenticity. When a writer forces a tidy resolution on a character or story, that’s a violation of the “agency,” if you will, of the characters in the story. Another stumbling block arises when a writer approaches the subject matter with a kind of oversimplified “all is well” outlook.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think the Mormon writer who really understands the depths of Mormonism itself will take a more complex view on writing and of the world. That’s one of the recurring arguments I make in the book, that if we really understand a live our faith, we’ll solve a lot of the problems that lead to bad art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMormon writers seem to do well in science fiction and fantasy genres, but struggle in general fiction. Why do you think that is; and in what ways can Mormonism can add a unique voice to general fiction?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think one factor has to do with language and content. Often a person can write (or read) a science fiction or fantasy novel without dealing with the challenges of vulgar language and sexual scenes. Certainly this isn’t true of all sci-fi\/fantasy. But it’s easier to choose authors who don’t go there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the mainstream literary genre, sex and language have become pretty common. There’s a reason for this. In the twentieth century, literary fiction grew more transparent about representing the daily lives of ordinary people. People have sex, people swear, and contemporary fictions doesn’t shy away from that. I’m not saying this is a good thing. It’s just the way it is.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI do think that contemporary culture is more vulgar, more irreverent, less sensitive. The Greek root of the word “aesthetic” means “sensitive.” Contrast that word with the word “anesthetic,” which means “the loss of feeling.” Contemporary culture may want to boast that everything is “out there,” that nothing is taboo. And certainly there’s virtue in openness. But we have to be careful. People who go too far into irreverence and subversion might find that they lose something in the bargain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe language and content factor may not be the reason Mormon writers shy away from general, literary fiction. That’s just a supposition on my part because I really don’t know the answer. I just know that I care more about the problems of a school bus driver living in Rigby, Idaho, than I care about the war between the Ledmendons and the Allickakakials on Zarnack 5.* \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHonestly, I think general, literary fiction invites a more thoughtful and measured tone. No one listens to NPR because they want caustic, sensational commentary. Recently l read a great literary novel by Marilynne Robinson, a novel about a Midwestern pastor’s last words to his young son, whom he fathered late in life. The novel is very real about the lives it depicts, but there’s nothing there that would scandalize your grandmother. I’d love to see more novels by Mormons about real Mormons with the meaningful problems that I see every day in my own life and in the lives of those around me. The stories are there, waiting to be told.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd this may not be about writers at all. It may be a reflection of the readers. Could it be that Mormon writers gravitate toward speculative fiction primarily because that’s what sells?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s hard to fault writers who want to sell books and are willing to do what it takes to make that happen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e* Editorial note: Greg Kofford Books wishes to apologize to any residents of Zarnack 5 who may find offense in the author's disregard for the ongoing struggles between the Ledmendons and Allickakakials.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGKBooks%2Fvideos%2F1651380731553817%2F\u0026amp;show_text=0\u0026amp;width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/authorcast\/authorcast-27-jack-harrell-reads-from-em-writing-ourselves-essays-on-creativity-craft-and-mormonism-em\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eListen to Jack Harrell read \"Making Meaning as a Mormon Writer\"\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2016 AML Award Citation:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“The Association of Mormon Letters is pleased to present the award for Criticism to Jack Harrell for his collection of essays on literary theory, creative writing strategies, Mormon literary history, and his advice to would-be Mormon writers and critics, \u003cem\u003eWriting Ourselves: Essays on Creativity, Craft, and Mormonism\u003c\/em\u003e, published by Greg Kofford Books. The best of the essays, “Toward a Mormon Literary Thought,” is a worthy successor to the work of Eugene England, one of the author’s heroes. And rightly so. At his most engaging, Harrell speaks bluntly, knowingly, and aspirationally regarding the plight of the serious Mormon writer, and by extension, their audience. His advice to writers to be honest and to embrace their weirdness, among other things, seeks to reframe the discussion of Mormonism’s cultural debits and credits into a workable and motivational mode of authentic creativity.”\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eWriting Ourselves\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“‘Embrace your weirdness!’ says Jack Harrell in his new book. That line should be a bumper sticker, it's so good. What a gift this book is to LDS writers and artists who are forever self-censoring and experimenting! ‘As Mormon writers.’ says Harrell, ‘we should be suspicious of our own stereotypes, our own snap judgments. All good writers seek to move their fiction beyond stereotypes, political and social agendas, and institutional constraints. Mormon theology is remarkably amenable to this complex view of art.’ Harrell\u003cspan\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003es book is for everyone interested in creativity, and particularly for Mormons wondering what a Latter-day Saint literary criticism should look like. It is \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003ea thought-provoking, inspiring, and beautifully written book\u003c\/span\u003e. I support ‘embracing our weirdness,’ and I enjoy Harrell's examples of his own particular weirdness thoroughly.” — Margaret Blair Young, creative writing faculty at Brigham Young University, and co-author of the \u003cem\u003eStanding on the Promises\u003c\/em\u003e series\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Jack Harrell's essays on writing and Mormonism and life reflect a life spent in the service of a thoughtful and compassionate humanism. Harrell values well crafted characters, stories with epiphanic power and impact, narratives of consequence, not just incident. I found his collection all the more provocative when I disagreed with him. And that's a compliment; Harrell invites us to a conversation, not a sermon. His prose will hook you; his argument always engages. If you care about Mormonism and good writing and the moral implications of fiction, \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003eyou need to add this book to your library.\u003c\/span\u003e” — Eric Samuelsen, playwright and former president of the Association for Mormon Letters\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“As one who does not consider himself a creative writer (at least not a fiction writer), I was a bit hesitant to attempt a review of a book almost entirely dedicated to the art of writing. Yet, as I made my way from essay to essay, it became clear to me that Harrell was not merely talking about writing, but was \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003edescribing the essence of Creation itself\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Walker Wright, \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.withoutend.org\/co-creators-god-review-writing-ourselves\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eWorlds Without End\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e[Harrell] speaks to the function of language and narrative as communal acts.\u003c\/span\u003e In his exploration of literature as an ethical act intended to foster moral goodness, he encourages writers to create narrative worlds and persons that feel as real as the space we inhabit and the people we encounter in real life.”\u003cspan\u003e— Tyler Chadwick, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/associationmormonletters.org\/blog\/reviews\/current-reviews\/harrell-writing-ourselves-essays-on-creativity-craft-and-mormonism-reviewed-by-tyler-chadwick\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eThis book definitely gives me the motivation to write and explore my thoughts and organize the stresses of life through my writing. I recommend this book not just to writers, but to everyone. \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eIt’s not just about writing, but how to live a better life.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Dani Addante, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.the-exponent.com\/book-review-writing-ourselves\/\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eExponent II\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eHarrell’s text is \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eoriginal and insightful, at times daring\u003c\/span\u003e. . .  In this collection of essays, Harrell has invested the most precious and personal parts of his humanity: faith, family, and art.\u003cspan\u003e”— \u003c\/span\u003eJennifer Quist, \u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e 50:1 (Spring 2017)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"float: left;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/jack-harrell\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/Jack_1_compact.jpg?15183739568691413119\" style=\"margin-right: 5px; float: left;\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003eA native of southeastern Illinois, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/jack-harrell\"\u003eJack Harrell\u003c\/a\u003e moved to Utah and joined the Mormon Church at age twenty-one. He has published a novel, \u003cem\u003eVernal Promises\u003c\/em\u003e, and the fiction collection \u003cem\u003eA Sense of Order and Other Stories\u003c\/em\u003e. He teaches writing at Brigham Young University\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003eIdaho.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMore Information:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e156 pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN 978-1-58958-754-0 (paperback)\u003cbr\u003ePublished June 2016\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003e\u003c!--\ntd {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}\n--\u003e\u003c\/style\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"paperback","offer_id":42262028157099,"sku":"978-1-58958-754-0","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/products\/JHarrell_-_Writing_Ourselves_desk_cover.jpg?v=1455912871"},{"product_id":"the-mormoness","title":"The Mormoness; Or, The Trials Of Mary Maverick: A Narrative Of Real Events","description":"\u003cp\u003eby John Russell\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEdited and Annotated by \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/michael-austin\"\u003eMichael Austin\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/ardis-e-parshall\"\u003eArdis E. Parshall\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“Virtually the only work of Mormon fiction derived from non-church sources that is sympathetic to Mormonism.”\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e— \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.standard.net\/Faith\/2016\/02\/19\/The-Mormoness-gets-a-reprint-163-years-after-its-publication.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eThe Standard Examiner\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“Illustrate[s] . . . the wide variety with which Mormonism itself was received within the early American cultural context.”\u003c\/span\u003e — \u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1lrlxjB\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/mormoness-or-trials-mary-maverick\/id1076667784\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/applebooks_480x480.png?v=1649199519\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=eX5lEAAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/google-play-badge2_a56b9286-69fa-4581-9680-5ea7c47f0c1a_480x480.png?v=1648668766\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable in ebook for \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1lrlxjB\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/s\/2940157853358\"\u003eNook\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/store.kobobooks.com\/en-us\/ebook\/the-mormoness-or-the-trials-of-mary-maverick-a-narrative-of-real-events\"\u003eKobo\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=eX5lEAAAQBAJ\"\u003eGoogle Play\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/mormoness-or-trials-mary-maverick\/id1076667784\"\u003eApple\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlso available through \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/30mWxAt\"\u003eAmazon\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/73528581-preview-em-the-mormoness-or-the-trials-of-mary-maverick-a-narrative-of-real-events-em\"\u003eDownload a free sample preview\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePart of \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/the-mormon-image-in-literature\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-variant: small-caps;\"\u003eThe Mormon Image in Literature\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e series\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook Description:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublished in 1853, the first American novel about the Mormons is also one of the best. John Russell, an Illinois journalist and educator, witnessed the persecution in Missouri and Illinois and generally sympathized with the Saints. \u003cem\u003eThe Mormoness\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of Mary Maverick, the heroine of the novel, who joined the Mormon Church when her husband was converted in Illinois. Though not initially a believer, Mary embraces her identity as “the Mormoness” when her husband and son are killed in a Haun’s Mill-like massacre–and at the end of the novel, she must find a way to forgive the killer.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVirtually unavailable until now, Michael Austin and Ardis E. Parshall's fresh transcription, introduction, notes, and appendices enable readers to rediscover a compassionate and insightful outsider's view of early Mormonism.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/authorcast\"\u003eAuthorCast\u003c\/a\u003e Interview with One of the Editors:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003caudio preload=\"none\" controls=\"controls\"\u003e \u003csource src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/Mormoness.mp3\"\u003e\u003c\/audio\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComprehensive Table of Contents:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbutton type=\"button\" class=\"collapsible\"\u003eShow\/Hide\u003c\/button\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eJohn Russell the Writer\u003cbr\u003eThe Trials of Mary Maverick\u003cbr\u003eSome Notes on the Text and Appendices\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTimeline for John Russell\u003cbr\u003eBibliography of John Russell’s Works\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCHAPTER I.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER II.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER III.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER IV.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER V.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAppendix A: John Russell, of Bluffdale, Illinois. (By S.G. Russell.)\u003cbr\u003eAppendix B: John Russell to Thomas Gregg, July 7, 1841\u003cbr\u003eAppendix C: From The Serpent Uncoiled\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003eCHAPTER III. ABSURDITY OF UNIVERSALISM.\u003cbr\u003eSECTION I.\u003cbr\u003eSECTION II.\u003cbr\u003eSECTION III.\u003cbr\u003eSECTION IV.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER VI. CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ\u0026amp;A with the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbutton type=\"button\" class=\"collapsible\"\u003eShow\/Hide\u003c\/button\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eQ. What led to doing this series?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eMA: The idea for the series came out of other projects. And it started with \u003cem\u003eThe Mormoness; or The Trials of Mary Maverick\u003c\/em\u003e. I was doing a survey of the Mormon image in the 19th century for another book project, and I wanted to start with Russell’s book, which most of the literature cites as the first American novel to treat Mormonism in any way. And a fair number of Mormon critics labeled it an “anti-Mormon” book in the same vein as \u003cem\u003eBoadicea, the Mormon Wife or Female Life among the Mormons\u003c\/em\u003e. Two things happened when I went to read it. First, I could not find a readable copy anywhere. The only thing that my ILL librarian could pull up was a copy that had been printed from microfilm and xeroxed multiple times, with large areas of text that were completely unreadable. But I could read enough of it to see that it was not an anti-Mormon book at all, but was more sympathetic towards the Saints than almost anything written by a non-Mormon in the entire 19th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the time, Ardis and I were working on another article together and were e-mailing back and forth nearly every day. I mentioned this to her, and, within a week or so, she was able to find an original copy of the book, transcribe it completely, and send it to me for use in my own work. We were both really impressed with the fact that one of the most historically significant works of literature about Mormonism ever published had all but disappeared from the world and that much of the scholarship about the book was inaccurate. That’s when we hit on the idea of a critical edition. This was around the time of spring break, so I took a few days off and drove to the Lincoln Library in Springfield, where all of John Russell’s papers are housed. Through his correspondence, I could see that he really was sympathetic to the Mormons and that he based \u003cem\u003eThe Mormoness\u003c\/em\u003e on real events surrounding the Haun’s Mill Massacre that he had heard about directly from Sidney Rigdon and Parley P. Pratt, who stayed with him briefly after the Mormons were forced to leave Missouri. A critical edition seemed like the ideal way to share both the text and the context with modern readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the more we talked, the more we realized that a lot of books by and about Mormons written in the 19th century have all but disappeared. This includes the sensational “dime novels” of the late 19th century, as well as some largely positive novels about Mormons by non-Mormons and some of the first attempts of Mormons to create their own literature in the Utah Territory. Ardis had done a lot of work with some of these novels, and I had recently begun haunting the archives in search of dime novels and penny dreadfuls. We realized that we already had enough source material for a pretty expansive series, and we felt that strong critical editions would serve the joint purposes of making material available that has not been available for years and giving this material a historical context that it has never had before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: Beyond the literary value of these books, what other applications do you see these volumes being useful for?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMA: Much of this work will be just as interesting to historians as to scholars of literature. In fact, some of the work with the least literary merit has the greatest historical interest. \u003cem\u003eBoadicea: The Mormon Wife\u003c\/em\u003e, which will be the second volume in the series, will probably never be accused of literary greatness. But it has been written about by some of the top figures in Mormon History: Leonard Arrington, Terryl Givens, Sarah Barringer Gordon, Paul W. Reeve. All of them have been interested in \u003cem\u003eBoadicea\u003c\/em\u003e. And, not to say too much here, but the author of \u003cem\u003eBoadicia\u003c\/em\u003e has always been a mystery to scholars, and we are pretty sure that we have cracked it. We will be positing and making a case for authorship that nobody has ever made before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: How does Mormon literature from the late 19th and early 20th centuries differ from Mormon literature of today?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMA: The literature of the 19th century had very little subtlety when it came to portraying Mormons. The overwhelming majority of volumes featured Mormon elders living in harems and forming Danite bands to hunt down and kill dissenters. And this was not just in the tawdry literature. Both Robert Louis Stevenson and Arthur Conan Doyle wrote novels that portrayed Mormons in these ways. And the books written by Mormons were just as bad in the other direction—they portrayed Mormonism as heroic and noble creatures unreasonably persecuted by a cruel and heartless world. Today, for the most part, both Mormons and non-Mormons are finding a more plausible middle ground.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: Most of the books in your series will be authored by non-Mormon writers. Why do you think non-LDS authors were interested in writing novels about Mormon characters?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMA: Mormonism was just about the most interesting thing that happened in America in the 19th century. A prophet finds golden plates in the ground and produces an epic of the history of Ancient America. He builds a huge following and founds one of the largest cities in the West. He is assassinated, and his people settle the barren wilderness. And somewhere in there, polygamy happens. These were amazing stories that people couldn’t get enough of. And Mormons fit very well into most of the standard tropes of the popular literature of the day—usually as the bad guys. I can’t imagine anything that could have captured the interest of more people for a longer time than the Mormons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: Can you give us a tease for future volumes?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWell, here are some things that readers will encounter as the series progresses:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA novella by a Mormon General Authority that was the basis for a stage play that ran briefly on Broadway.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn anti-Mormon novel by an English writer that became part of a report written by one of the most famous British politicians of all time—as well as the basis for the most famous silent film about Mormons ever produced.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA ghost story featuring a sympathetic Mormon character written by one of the attorneys who represented Homer Plessy in the famous Plessy v. Ferguson decision of the Supreme Court.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA novel set in the great caverns below Salt Lake City that connect the homes of all Mormons to the Great Salt Lake.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe full text of a famous monologue about the Mormons in Utah that was performed before sold out crowds at the Egyptian Hall in London in 1866.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd that’s just for starters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eThe Mormoness:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Written by a minister\/educator\/journalist of some note named Professor John Russell, it’s 1853 publication, in serial form, is significant because \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eit’s virtually the only work of Mormon fiction derived from non-church sources that is sympathetic to Mormonism\u003c\/span\u003e.” \u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e— Doug Gibson, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.standard.net\/Faith\/2016\/02\/19\/The-Mormoness-gets-a-reprint-163-years-after-its-publication.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eThe Standard Examiner\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“The work that Michael Austin and Ardis E. Parshall have done in preparing useful critical material allows for any reader to approach and appreciate this text. . . . \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eHighly recommended for those interested in the cultural history of America, the West, and Mormonism\u003c\/span\u003e.”\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e Jenny Webb, \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/associationmormonletters.org\/blog\/reviews\/current-reviews\/russell-edited-and-annotated-by-austin-and-parshall-the-mormoness-or-the-trials-of-mary-maverick-a-narrative-of-real-events-reviewed-by-jenny-webb\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eFor those interested in how contemporary authors viewed the church of Joe Smith, \u003cem\u003eThe Mormoness\u003c\/em\u003e is worth a look.\u003cspan\u003e” — Steve Evans, \u003cem\u003eBy Common Consent\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e“Illustrate[s] . . . the wide variety with which Mormonism itself was received within the early American cultural context. . . . there is a certain Mormon textuality that emerges from these pages: \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eexperimental, provocative, heartfelt, and profoundly human.\u003c\/span\u003e” — Jenny Webb, \u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Editors:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/michael-austin\"\u003eMichael Austin\u003c\/a\u003e is the author or editor of seven books and more than 50 articles, book chapters, and reviews, including \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/products\/re-reading-job\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eRe-reading Job: Understanding the Ancient World’s Greatest Poem\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e. He is currently the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/ardis-e-parshall\"\u003eArdis E. Parshall\u003c\/a\u003e is a historian, freelance researcher specializing in Mormon history, and author. She co-edited with Paul Reeve \u003cem\u003eMormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia\u003c\/em\u003e and is currently writing \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.keepapitchinin.org\/2015\/05\/25\/she-shall-be-an-ensign-the-history-of-the-church-told-through-the-lives-of-its-women\/\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eShe Shall Be an Ensign\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, a history of the LDS Church told through the lives of Mormon women. She blogs at \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.keepapitchinin.org\/\"\u003eKeepapitchinin\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMore Information:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e114 pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN 978-1-58958-507-2 (paperback)\u003cbr\u003ePublished January 2016\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003e\u003c!--\ntd {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}\n--\u003e\u003c\/style\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"paperback","offer_id":42261983789227,"sku":"978-1-58958-507-2","price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/products\/Austin_Parshall__Mormoness.jpg?v=1451322857"},{"product_id":"boadicea-the-mormon-wife","title":"Boadicea; the Mormon Wife: Life Scenes in Utah","description":"\u003cp\u003eby Alfreda Eva Bell\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEdited and Annotated by \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/michael-austin\"\u003eMichael Austin\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/ardis-e-parshall\"\u003eArdis E. Parshall\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2919e93\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/boadicea-mormon-wife-life\/id1128482393?ls=1\u0026amp;mt=11\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/applebooks_480x480.png?v=1649199519\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=g35lEAAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/google-play-badge2_a56b9286-69fa-4581-9680-5ea7c47f0c1a_480x480.png?v=1648668766\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable in ebook on \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2919e93\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/s\/2940158320002\"\u003eNook\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/store.kobobooks.com\/en-us\/ebook\/boadicea-the-mormon-wife-life-scenes-in-utah\"\u003eKobo\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=g35lEAAAQBAJ\"\u003eGoogle Play\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/boadicea-mormon-wife-life\/id1128482393?ls=1\u0026amp;mt=11\"\u003eApple\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlso available through \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/36Dq8I6\"\u003eAmazon\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePart of \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/the-mormon-image-in-literature\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-variant: small-caps;\"\u003eThe Mormon Image in Literature\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e series \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/preview-em-boadicea-the-mormon-wife-life-scenes-in-utah-em\"\u003eDownload a free sample preview\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Book Description: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1855, \u003cem\u003eBoadicea; the Mormon Wife\u003c\/em\u003e belongs to a sub-genre of crime fiction that flourished in the Eastern United States during the 1850s. \u003cem\u003eBoadicea\u003c\/em\u003e has become increasingly important to scholars of Mormonism because it gives us a glimpse of the Mormon image in literature immediately after the Church’s public acknowledgement of plural marriage. Over the next half century, this image would be sharpened and refined by writers with different rhetorical goals: to end polygamy, to attack Mormon theology, or just to tell a highly entertaining adventure story. In \u003cem\u003eBoadicea\u003c\/em\u003e, though, we see these tropes in their infancy, through a prolific author working at break-neck speed to imagine the lives of a strange people for readers willing to pay the “extremely low price of 15 cents” for the privilege of being amazed by stories of polygyny and polyandry, along with generous helpings of adultery, seduction, kidnapping, and no fewer than fourteen untimely but spectacular deaths: people are shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, poisoned, hanged, strangled, and drowned. No other novel of the nineteenth century comes anywhere near \u003cem\u003eBoadicea\u003c\/em\u003e in portraying Mormon society as violent, chaotic, and dysfunctional.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Editors:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/michael-austin\"\u003eMichael Austin\u003c\/a\u003e is the author or editor of seven books and more than 50 articles, book chapters, and reviews, including \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/products\/re-reading-job\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eRe-reading Job: Understanding the Ancient World’s Greatest Poem\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e. He is currently the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/ardis-e-parshall\"\u003eArdis E. Parshall\u003c\/a\u003e is a historian, freelance researcher specializing in Mormon history, and author. She co-edited with Paul Reeve \u003cem\u003eMormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia\u003c\/em\u003e and is currently writing \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.keepapitchinin.org\/2015\/05\/25\/she-shall-be-an-ensign-the-history-of-the-church-told-through-the-lives-of-its-women\/\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eShe Shall Be an Ensign\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, a history of the LDS Church told through the lives of Mormon women. She blogs at \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.keepapitchinin.org\/\"\u003eKeepapitchinin\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for Boadicea:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Illustrate[s] . . . the wide variety with which Mormonism itself was received within the early American cultural context. . . . there is a certain Mormon textuality that emerges from these pages: \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eexperimental, provocative, heartfelt, and profoundly human.\u003c\/span\u003e”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Jenny Webb, \u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e More Information:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e151 Pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN 978-1-58958-566-9 (paperback)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"paperback","offer_id":42261899411627,"sku":"978-1-58958-566-9","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/products\/Boadicea_cover.jpg?v=1458937238"},{"product_id":"the-garden-of-enid-1","title":"The Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl, Part One","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/scott-hales\"\u003eScott Hales\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e with a foreword by Jana Reiss\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e “Enid brings something real, something faith-affirming, something beyond Happy Valley and seminary videos and Saturday’s warrior to the LDS audience.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“This book is a classic whether you rush through it from cover to cover or linger over each moment.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“Hales has created a world that will be an enduring addition to Mormon Literature. Don't miss this delightful work.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“Like any good comic character, she makes me laugh. Like only a few manage to pull off, she makes me cry, too.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2fw9noJ\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable for the \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2fw9noJ\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlso available through \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2nsAOHN\"\u003eAmazon\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/preview-garden-of-enid1\"\u003eDownload a free sample preview\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook Description:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFifteen-year-old Enid Gardner is a self-proclaimed “weird Mormon girl.” When she isn’t chatting with Joseph Smith or the Book of Abraham mummy, she’s searching for herself between the spaces of doubt and belief. Along the way, she must grapple with her Mormon faith as it adapts to the twenty-first century. She also must confront the painful mysteries at the heart of her strained relationship with her ailing mother.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis edition of \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl\u003c\/em\u003e recasts the award-winning webcomic as a two-part graphic novel. With revised and previously unpublished comics, it features the familiar story that captivated thousands online, yet offers new glimpses into Enid’s year-long odyssey.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/authorcast\"\u003eAuthorCast\u003c\/a\u003e interview with the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003caudio controls=\"controls\" preload=\"none\"\u003e \u003csource src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/Ep35_Scott_Hales_Enid_Interview.mp3\"\u003e\u003c\/audio\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/products\/the-garden-of-enid-2\"\u003eThe Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl, Part Two\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Enid is one of my favorite figures in Mormon culture. She is incredibly human for all of her two dimensions. On one hand, she’s a flawed yet faithful individual constantly seeking after truth. On the other, she offers a remarkable window into the life of a teen-aged girl growing up Mormon. \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eCreator Scott Hales uses his medium to his advantage, giving \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e a marvelous glint of theatricality.\u003c\/span\u003e Enid bends time and space to chat with an array of characters, from the Prophet Joseph to a less historical but no less compelling guardian angel named Eugene. It’s all just a little wacky—and yet completely true and relatable” — Melissa Leilani Larson, writer of \u003cem\u003ePilot Program\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eFreetown\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eScott Hales [is] the cartoonist for this generation, who gets us like no one else does\u003c\/span\u003e. . . . Enid wants to believe the gospel—and she does, more deeply than she realizes—but she is coming of age in a skeptical time, challenging her Seminary teacher and her Young Women leaders in ways they are not always prepared to deal with. She is awkward, she is vulnerable, yet when she follows her heart she invariably does the right thing.” — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/ardis-e-parshall\"\u003eArdis E. Parshall\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.keepapitchinin.org\/2016\/03\/31\/best-dressed-mormon-shorts-knee-length-comics-by-scott-hales\/\"\u003eKeepapitchinin\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Comics are always meant to help us take a look at ourselves and laugh\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003esomething sorely needed in Mormon Culture. Enid, with her wise-aleck streak, her unusual and difficult home life, and her overly developed brain, is no usual Mormon fifteen year old girl. With late-night imaginary conversations with long-dead prophets, well-told moments of loneliness and self doubt, snarky Sunday-class encounters, vulnerable, tense conversations with her closeted best friend, to midnight faith crises, \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003eEnid brings something real, something faith-affirming, something beyond Happy Valley and seminary videos and Saturday’s warrior to the LDS audience\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Sarah Dunster, author of \u003cem\u003eLightning Tree\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMile 21\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“I feel lucky to have lived at the time \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e was being published, because it gave me the chance to meet one of the best characters in Mormon fiction. From the beginning, she's sharp, sardonic, and frighteningly straightforward\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003eit was hard to know whether to be amused or intimidated by this self-proclaimed weird Mormon girl. But she's so delightfully unassuming, it wasn’t long before she drew me in. Enid made me wonder what it’s like to fly through the cosmos as an unorganized intelligence, made me think about what God wonders when he lies in bed at night, and taught me how to make it through Girls’ Camp safely. Get to know her: \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003ethis book is a classic whether you rush through it from cover to cover or linger over each moment\u003c\/span\u003e, as the original readers did, at a pace of a few comics a week.” — James Goldberg, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Five Books of Jesus\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“I’m at a loss how to convey how deeply \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl\u003c\/em\u003e affected me. Enid is witty, insightful, ardent, and captures many of the particular and quirky aspects of Mormonism. More than that, I found myself drawn into this fully realized character in unexpected ways. Her wholehearted engagement with life as she tries to find her place in the world had me rooting for her success over and over. I ended up genuinely caring about Enid and her story. \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003eHales has created a world that will be an enduring addition to Mormon Literature. Don't miss this delightful work\u003c\/span\u003e.” — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/steven-l-peck\"\u003eSteven L. Peck\u003c\/a\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003eA Short Stay in Hell\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Scholar of Moab\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“They told us we were a chosen generation. And now I know why: We get to read \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e! \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003eYour Mormon nerd cred is directly proportional to how many of these cartoons you laugh at\u003c\/span\u003e. \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e has it all: laughs, esoterica, faith, messy hair, messy people, and messy endings. The best Mormon comic collection since Cal Grondahl and Pat Bagley.” — Stephen Carter, author of \u003cem\u003eiPlates\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Enid isn\u003cspan\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003et a real flesh-and-blood Latter-day Saint, but the more you read the more you'll swear she is. \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003eLike any good comic character, she makes me laugh. Like only a few manage to pull off, she makes me cry, too\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Blair Dee Hodges, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“There is much that Enid does not understand, just as there is much that I do not understand. But she \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003emakes me laugh, gives me hope for the future, and teaches me that it’s okay to be myself: a weird Mormon girl\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Jana Riess, author of \u003cem\u003eFlunking Sainthood\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Twible\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e is what it is to be an American Mormon in microcosm\u003c\/span\u003e . . . Like the best comic strips, Enid allows you to both laugh and reflect. And it’s a nice reminder that not only is God colorful, but so is life.\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/walker-a-wright\"\u003eWalker Wright\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.withoutend.org\/colorful-god-review-the-garden-enid\/#more-5380\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eWorlds Without End\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Enid \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003egives us something more\u003c\/span\u003e unique, more heartfelt, more wonderfully obscure... yes, more intellectual, but also more soulful and universal.” — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/mahonristewart.blogspot.com\/2017\/01\/mormon-schulz-scott-hales-garden-of.html\"\u003eMahonri Stewart, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Fading Flower and Swallow the Sun\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Readers will find strips that will \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003emake them laugh\u003c\/span\u003e, \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003emake them cry\u003c\/span\u003e, \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003egive them hope\u003c\/span\u003e, and most importantly, \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003emake them think\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Andrew Hamilton, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/associationmormonletters.org\/blog\/reviews\/current-reviews\/hales-the-garden-of-enid-adventures-of-a-weird-mormon-girl-reviewed-by-andrew-hamilton\/\"\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Enid is able to \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eaffect us in such a powerful way\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Steve Evans, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bycommonconsent.com\/2016\/12\/21\/review-the-garden-of-enid-adventures-of-a-weird-mormon-girl-part-one\/\"\u003eBy Common Consent\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Enid, a weird Mormon girl with an active imagination who is always contemplating the meaning of life as she tries understand the purpose of her existence and her place in the world, is \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003ethe \u003cem\u003eCalvin and Hobbes\u003c\/em\u003e for the internet generation of Mormons.\u003c\/span\u003e” — Andrew Hamilton, \u003cem\u003e\u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/associationmormonletters.org\/blog\/reviews\/current-reviews\/hales-the-garden-of-enid-the-adventures-of-a-weird-mormon-girl-part-two-reviewed-by-andrew-hamilton\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eThis graphic novel is a great one for parents to share with their teenagers\u003c\/span\u003e. . . . the stories open the door for discussions on life’s trials, doubt and faith, relationships, and going through tough times with the help of friends and a great bishop.\u003cspan\u003e” — Gerald Smith\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.millennialstar.org\/book-review-garden-of-enid-part-two-by-scott-hales\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMillennial Star\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eThere is so much good to Enid, so much familiar Mormon weirdness, and yet so much that is faith promoting and heart-warming, that it would be a great read for any young woman. It’s equally \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003egreat for weird Mormons of all ages\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003cspan\u003e” — Angela C.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/bycommonconsent.com\/2017\/02\/21\/review-garden-of-enid-adventures-of-a-weird-mormon-girl-part-2\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eBy Common Consent\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eEveryone feels somewhat out-of-place in their communities. Everyone has something in their life that makes them feel less than ideal. Everyone is searching for identity, for home. \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eThe relatability of Enid is what makes the comic so endearing\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003cspan\u003e” — Walker Wright\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.withoutend.org\/embrace-weirdness-review-the-garden-enid-part-2\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWorlds Without End\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“[Enid] faces hardship and heartbreak with courage . . .  she is literally setting out on a quest as real as any mythic hero’s. \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eIt’s funny, it’s tender, it’s real, it’s oh-so-Mormon\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Ardis Parshall, \u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.keepapitchinin.org\/2017\/03\/08\/book-note-the-garden-of-enid-adventures-of-a-weird-mormon-girl-part-two\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eKeepapitchinin\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eJust as Calvin and Hobbs, Peanuts, and other influential comics captured a moment of societal concerns that reaches beyond the brackets of those times, \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eEnid captures something essential about Mormonism in the early twenty-first century\u003c\/span\u003e. . . .  Kofford Books has blessed us as a community by collecting these into two volumes.\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e— Steven Peck, \u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Enid’s experiences and thoughts ring true to the turmoil of any young woman; for the author, a father of four young kids, to be so in tune with the indecisiveness of teen girl years is remarkable. . . . \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eHales skillfully portrays the heart of a teenage girl\u003c\/span\u003e and helps us relate to her as Enid is learning to relate to the other women in her life.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Brittany Long Olsen, \u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cimg style=\"float: left; margin-right: 5px;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/episode-6_9de85fa8-78f3-42bf-a20a-00f948bbefea_compact.jpg?v=1475606284\" alt=\"\"\u003eScott Hales is a writer and cartoonist from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the creator of the webcomics \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMormon Shorts\u003c\/em\u003e. Scott has an MA and PhD in English from the University of Cincinnati and a BA in English from Brigham Young University. He has published on American literature, comics, and Mormon fiction and poetry in various journals, including \u003cem\u003eThe Edgar Allan Poe Review\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Comic Art\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eReligion and the Arts\u003c\/em\u003e. He has also published fiction and comics in \u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSunstone\u003c\/em\u003e. Scott currently lives in Utah with his wife, Sarah, and five children.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e More Information:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e168 Pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN 978-1-58958-562-1 (Paperback)\u003cbr\u003ePublished November 2016\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"paperback","offer_id":42261936799915,"sku":"978-1-58958-562-1","price":22.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/products\/enid1_front_d354f7ab-82c2-4abd-86b4-a68e3f0dc86d.jpg?v=1476815948"},{"product_id":"the-garden-of-enid-2","title":"The Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl, Part Two","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/scott-hales\"\u003eScott Hales\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cbr\u003ewith a foreword by Theric Jepson\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e “Enid brings something real, something faith-affirming, something beyond Happy Valley and seminary videos and Saturday’s warrior to the LDS audience.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“This book is a classic whether you rush through it from cover to cover or linger over each moment.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“Hales has created a world that will be an enduring addition to Mormon Literature. Don't miss this delightful work.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“Like any good comic character, she makes me laugh. Like only a few manage to pull off, she makes me cry, too.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2kHGfNC\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable for the \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2kHGfNC\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlso available through \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2lTRlEv\"\u003eAmazon\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/preview-enid2\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDownload a free sample preview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook Description:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFifteen-year-old Enid Gardner is a self-proclaimed “weird Mormon girl.” When she isn’t chatting with Joseph Smith or the Book of Abraham mummy, she’s searching for herself between the spaces of doubt and belief. Along the way, she must grapple with her Mormon faith as it adapts to the twenty-first century. She also must confront the painful mysteries at the heart of her strained relationship with her ailing mother.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis edition of \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl\u003c\/em\u003e recasts the award-winning webcomic as a two-part graphic novel. With revised and previously unpublished comics, it features the familiar story that captivated thousands online, yet offers new glimpses into Enid’s year-long odyssey.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/authorcast\"\u003eAuthorCast\u003c\/a\u003e interview with the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003caudio preload=\"none\" controls=\"controls\"\u003e \u003csource src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/E39_Hales_Enid2.mp3\" https:=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/audio\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ\u0026amp;A with the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbutton type=\"button\" class=\"collapsible\"\u003eShow\/Hide\u003c\/button\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: What are some of the themes that pop up in part 2?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: As I was writing \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e, I was interested in unpacking ideas about faith, history, human connection, and truth. Part two is especially interested in truth—one of the slipperiest words in language and Mormonism. For much of the book, Enid is trying to anchor herself to some kind of monolithic notion of truth. She wants to finds something stable in the universe, but she finds that the closer she thinks she gets to monolithic truth, the less monolithic it appears.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think her journey encourages readers to reflect on the value of truth and how they want it to function in their own lives. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: Cameos played a big role in part 1. Who are some of the cameos that we can expect in part 2?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: Joseph Smith continues to make cameos in part two, as do Eliza R. Snow, Evan Stephens, and the Book of Abraham mummy. Enid also talks with people like Jane Austen, Karl Maeser, Doctor Philastus Hurlbut, Charles Anthon, George A. Smith, and Juanita Brooks. The lost 116 pages and Joanna Brooks’ \u003cem\u003eBook of Mormon Girl\u003c\/em\u003e also make appearances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome of my favorite cameos in part two involve fictional or mythological figures from pop culture. Enid talks with Matt and Mandy from \u003cem\u003eThe\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eFriend \u003c\/em\u003emagazine, Big Foot, and Charlie Brown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe most significant cameo in the book, however, is the late Mormon scholar Eugene England, who dresses like the Angel Moroni and acts like Virgil in Dante’s \u003cem\u003eDivine Comedy\u003c\/em\u003e. Unlike other cameo characters, who always show up in simple four-panel comics, Eugene takes Enid on a five-page odyssey through space and time, belief and doubt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: How does her relationship with her mother develop in part 2?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: The relationship becomes much rockier in part two. Enid looks to her mother’s past for answers about her own identity, but she often goes about it the wrong way. She and her mother have a traumatic falling out, and much of the book is about what happens after their relationship hits the fan. In both books, Enid struggles to see her mother as a real person, which causes her to say and do hurtful things to her mother. In part two, things go from bad to worse, but they also get better in unforeseen ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: What do you think Enid learns about herself in part 2?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: At the end of part one, Enid begins to see herself as someone who is capable of having meaningful relationships with other people. In part two, she learns that cultivating such relationships makes her vulnerable to the raw emotions that define human experience. This make her a much more awkward and vulnerable character than the weird Mormon girl we saw in part one, but it also makes her more endearing and relatable. Her heart gets much bigger in part two.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: What are some of the challenges you have felt in writing this story?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: Writing Enid’s story rarely felt like a challenge. Perhaps my biggest challenge was never letting my natural reserve get in the way of her audacity. Enid and I share many of the same interests, but we have different temperaments. Maybe that’s why I found her story so easy to write.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course, many of the comics touch on controversies within Mormonism, and addressing them with sensitivity was sometimes a challenge. Some satirists like to aggravate wounds, but my satire is meant to sting like antiseptic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: What do you hope readers will take away from Enid’s life?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: I hope people will read Enid and decide to stop being sucky to each other. In other words, I hope Enid’s life brings about world peace and better music on the radio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI also hope people will read Enid and be inspired to tell stories of their own. Mormonism is an inexhaustible landscape for creative people. I hope better writers and artists than me will read Enid and want to draw on their own experiences with Mormonism to tell stories that enrich our understanding of and appreciation for the Mormon landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: Will there be a part 3? There has to be a part 3. I mean, there really, really has to be a part 3.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA: Part three is always a possibility. I have an idea for a comic about Enid’s last summer before she goes to college. \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e has always unfolded in real time, however, and I don’t know if I have the time this summer to do that with this story. I’ll probably start drawing it anyway to see where it goes. If I end up showing Enid as a freshman in college, so be it. I’m sure it will be awkward.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut I don’t plan to start a part three until I finish my current serial comic, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/chroniclesofwyler.tumblr.com\/\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eChronicles of Wyler\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, which is a kind of spin-off prequel to \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e. Readers of \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/products\/the-garden-of-enid-1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Girl, Part One \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003eknow Wyler from Enid’s EFY experience. \u003cem\u003eChronicles of Wyler \u003c\/em\u003etells the story, more or less, of how Wyler got to EFY. I’m almost finished with it, but one Wyler comic takes about three times longer to draw than an Enid comic—and I have much less time to devote to it than I had when I was drawing Enid comics all the time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChronicles of Wyler\u003c\/em\u003e is a different reading experience than \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e, and has a much smaller fan base, but I think readers who like Enid will like Wyler’s story as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/products\/the-garden-of-enid-1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl, Part One\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Enid is one of my favorite figures in Mormon culture. She is incredibly human for all of her two dimensions. On one hand, she’s a flawed yet faithful individual constantly seeking after truth. On the other, she offers a remarkable window into the life of a teen-aged girl growing up Mormon. \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eCreator Scott Hales uses his medium to his advantage, giving \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e a marvelous glint of theatricality.\u003c\/span\u003e Enid bends time and space to chat with an array of characters, from the Prophet Joseph to a less historical but no less compelling guardian angel named Eugene. It’s all just a little wacky—and yet completely true and relatable” — Melissa Leilani Larson, writer of \u003cem\u003ePilot Program\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eFreetown\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eScott Hales [is] the cartoonist for this generation, who gets us like no one else does\u003c\/span\u003e. . . . Enid wants to believe the gospel—and she does, more deeply than she realizes—but she is coming of age in a skeptical time, challenging her Seminary teacher and her Young Women leaders in ways they are not always prepared to deal with. She is awkward, she is vulnerable, yet when she follows her heart she invariably does the right thing.” — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/ardis-e-parshall\"\u003eArdis E. Parshall\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.keepapitchinin.org\/2016\/03\/31\/best-dressed-mormon-shorts-knee-length-comics-by-scott-hales\/\"\u003eKeepapitchinin\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Comics are always meant to help us take a look at ourselves and laugh\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003esomething sorely needed in Mormon Culture. Enid, with her wise-aleck streak, her unusual and difficult home life, and her overly developed brain, is no usual Mormon fifteen year old girl. With late-night imaginary conversations with long-dead prophets, well-told moments of loneliness and self doubt, snarky Sunday-class encounters, vulnerable, tense conversations with her closeted best friend, to midnight faith crises, \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003eEnid brings something real, something faith-affirming, something beyond Happy Valley and seminary videos and Saturday’s warrior to the LDS audience\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Sarah Dunster, author of \u003cem\u003eLightning Tree\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMile 21\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“I feel lucky to have lived at the time \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e was being published, because it gave me the chance to meet one of the best characters in Mormon fiction. From the beginning, she's sharp, sardonic, and frighteningly straightforward\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003eit was hard to know whether to be amused or intimidated by this self-proclaimed weird Mormon girl. But she's so delightfully unassuming, it wasn’t long before she drew me in. Enid made me wonder what it’s like to fly through the cosmos as an unorganized intelligence, made me think about what God wonders when he lies in bed at night, and taught me how to make it through Girls’ Camp safely. Get to know her: \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003ethis book is a classic whether you rush through it from cover to cover or linger over each moment\u003c\/span\u003e, as the original readers did, at a pace of a few comics a week.” — James Goldberg, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Five Books of Jesus\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“I’m at a loss how to convey how deeply \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl\u003c\/em\u003e affected me. Enid is witty, insightful, ardent, and captures many of the particular and quirky aspects of Mormonism. More than that, I found myself drawn into this fully realized character in unexpected ways. Her wholehearted engagement with life as she tries to find her place in the world had me rooting for her success over and over. I ended up genuinely caring about Enid and her story. \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003eHales has created a world that will be an enduring addition to Mormon Literature. Don't miss this delightful work\u003c\/span\u003e.” — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/steven-l-peck\"\u003eSteven L. Peck\u003c\/a\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003eA Short Stay in Hell\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Scholar of Moab\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“They told us we were a chosen generation. And now I know why: We get to read \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e! \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003eYour Mormon nerd cred is directly proportional to how many of these cartoons you laugh at\u003c\/span\u003e. \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e has it all: laughs, esoterica, faith, messy hair, messy people, and messy endings. The best Mormon comic collection since Cal Grondahl and Pat Bagley.” — Stephen Carter, author of \u003cem\u003eiPlates\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Enid isn\u003cspan\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003et a real flesh-and-blood Latter-day Saint, but the more you read the more you'll swear she is. \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003eLike any good comic character, she makes me laugh. Like only a few manage to pull off, she makes me cry, too\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Blair Dee Hodges, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“There is much that Enid does not understand, just as there is much that I do not understand. But she \u003cspan style=\"color: #eeeeee;\"\u003emakes me laugh, gives me hope for the future, and teaches me that it’s okay to be myself: a weird Mormon girl\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Jana Riess, author of \u003cem\u003eFlunking Sainthood\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Twible\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid\u003c\/em\u003e is what it is to be an American Mormon in microcosm\u003c\/span\u003e . . . Like the best comic strips, Enid allows you to both laugh and reflect. And it’s a nice reminder that not only is God colorful, but so is life.\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/walker-a-wright\"\u003eWalker Wright\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.withoutend.org\/colorful-god-review-the-garden-enid\/#more-5380\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eWorlds Without End\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Enid \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003egives us something more\u003c\/span\u003e unique, more heartfelt, more wonderfully obscure... yes, more intellectual, but also more soulful and universal.” — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/mahonristewart.blogspot.com\/2017\/01\/mormon-schulz-scott-hales-garden-of.html\"\u003eMahonri Stewart, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Fading Flower and Swallow the Sun\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Readers will find strips that will \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003emake them laugh\u003c\/span\u003e, \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003emake them cry\u003c\/span\u003e, \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003egive them hope\u003c\/span\u003e, and most importantly, \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003emake them think\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Andrew Hamilton, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/associationmormonletters.org\/blog\/reviews\/current-reviews\/hales-the-garden-of-enid-adventures-of-a-weird-mormon-girl-reviewed-by-andrew-hamilton\/\"\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Enid is able to \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eaffect us in such a powerful way\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Steve Evans, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bycommonconsent.com\/2016\/12\/21\/review-the-garden-of-enid-adventures-of-a-weird-mormon-girl-part-one\/\"\u003eBy Common Consent\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Enid, a weird Mormon girl with an active imagination who is always contemplating the meaning of life as she tries understand the purpose of her existence and her place in the world, is \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003ethe \u003cem\u003eCalvin and Hobbes\u003c\/em\u003e for the internet generation of Mormons.\u003c\/span\u003e” — Andrew Hamilton, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/associationmormonletters.org\/blog\/reviews\/current-reviews\/hales-the-garden-of-enid-the-adventures-of-a-weird-mormon-girl-part-two-reviewed-by-andrew-hamilton\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eThis graphic novel is a great one for parents to share with their teenagers\u003c\/span\u003e. . . . the stories open the door for discussions on life’s trials, doubt and faith, relationships, and going through tough times with the help of friends and a great bishop.\u003cspan\u003e” — Gerald Smith\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.millennialstar.org\/book-review-garden-of-enid-part-two-by-scott-hales\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMillennial Star\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“There is so much good to Enid, so much familiar Mormon weirdness, and yet so much that is faith promoting and heart-warming, that it would be a great read for any young woman. It’s \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eequally great for weird Mormons of all ages\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Angela C., \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bycommonconsent.com\/2017\/02\/21\/review-garden-of-enid-adventures-of-a-weird-mormon-girl-part-2\/\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eBy Common Consent\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Everyone feels somewhat out-of-place in their communities. Everyone has something in their life that makes them feel less than ideal. Everyone is searching for identity, for home. \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eThe relatability of Enid is what makes the comic so endearing.\u003c\/span\u003e” — Walker Wright, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.withoutend.org\/embrace-weirdness-review-the-garden-enid-part-2\/\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWorlds Without End\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“[Enid] faces hardship and heartbreak with courage . . .  she is literally setting out on a quest as real as any mythic hero’s. \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eIt’s funny, it’s tender, it’s real, it’s oh-so-Mormon\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Ardis Parshall\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.keepapitchinin.org\/2017\/03\/08\/book-note-the-garden-of-enid-adventures-of-a-weird-mormon-girl-part-two\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eKeepapitchinin\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Just as Calvin and Hobbs, Peanuts, and other influential comics captured a moment of societal concerns that reaches beyond the brackets of those times, \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eEnid captures something essential about Mormonism in the early twenty-first century.\u003c\/span\u003e . . .  Kofford Books has blessed us as a community by collecting these into two volumes.”\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e— Steven Peck,\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e50 no. 2\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e“Enid’s experiences and thoughts ring true to the turmoil of any young woman; for the author, a father of four young kids, to be so in tune with the indecisiveness of teen girl years is remarkable. . . . \u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eHales skillfully portrays the heart of a teenage girl\u003c\/span\u003e and helps us relate to her as Enid is learning to relate to the other women in her life.”\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Brittany Long Olsen, \u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e 50 no. 2\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/episode-6_9de85fa8-78f3-42bf-a20a-00f948bbefea_compact.jpg?v=1475606284\" style=\"float: left; margin-right: 5px;\"\u003eScott Hales is a writer and cartoonist from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the creator of the webcomics \u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMormon Shorts\u003c\/em\u003e. Scott has an MA and PhD in English from the University of Cincinnati and a BA in English from Brigham Young University. He has published on American literature, comics, and Mormon fiction and poetry in various journals, including \u003cem\u003eThe Edgar Allan Poe Review\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Comic Art\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eReligion and the Arts\u003c\/em\u003e. He has also published fiction and comics in \u003cem\u003eDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSunstone\u003c\/em\u003e. Scott currently lives in Utah with his wife, Sarah, and five children.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e More Information:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e169 Pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN 978-1-58958-563-8 (Paperback)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished February 2017 \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"paperback","offer_id":42261937160363,"sku":"978-1-58958-563-8","price":22.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/products\/enid2_cover.jpg?v=1483034774"},{"product_id":"dime-novel-mormons","title":"Dime Novel Mormons","description":"\u003cp\u003eedited and introduced by \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/michael-austin\"\u003eMichael Austin\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/ardis-e-parshall\"\u003eArdis E. Parshall\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e2018 Best Anthology Book Award, John Whitmer Historical Association\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e “Kofford has done a remarkable job in reproduction here from the original art to historic typefaces. The editors provide helpful introductions to the now forgotten age of this piece-work for hire. They are just fun to read.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #e6e6e6;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e— \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bycommonconsent.com\/2017\/03\/18\/mormon-image-in-literature-everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-what-your-neighbors-think-about-you\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBy Common Consent\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bycommonconsent.com\/2017\/03\/18\/mormon-image-in-literature-everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-what-your-neighbors-think-about-you\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e“A great treasure is preserved for us to read and ponder.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #e6e6e6;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e— \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.millennialstar.org\/book-review-dime-novel-mormons\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eThe Millennial Star\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2mJjD1Z\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/dime-novel-mormons\/id1215023233?uo=4\u0026amp;mt=11\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/applebooks_480x480.png?v=1649199519\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=cn5lEAAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/google-play-badge2_a56b9286-69fa-4581-9680-5ea7c47f0c1a_480x480.png?v=1648668766\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable in ebook for \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2mJjD1Z\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w?ean=2940157217624\"\u003eNook\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/dime-novel-mormons\"\u003eKobo\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=cn5lEAAAQBAJ\"\u003eGoogle Play\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/dime-novel-mormons\/id1215023233?uo=4\u0026amp;mt=11\"\u003eApple\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlso available through \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2Nfxslv\" title=\"Dime Novel Mormons\"\u003eAmazon\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePart of \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/the-mormon-image-in-literature\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-variant: small-caps;\"\u003eThe Mormon Image in Literature\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e series \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/preview-dime-novel-mormons\"\u003eDownload a free sample preview\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Book Description: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDime novels probably did more than any other kind of book to turn lower- and middle-class Americans into both book owners and book readers. They were so cheap that almost anyone could afford them, and so exciting that almost everybody wanted to read them. It’s hard to tell just how many of these dime novels featured Mormons, but the way Mormons were portrayed in dime novels was remarkably consistent over many decades and multiple genres. This consistency tells us that dime novelists were playing with common stereotypes that nearly all their readers recognized—indeed, these stereotypes worked their way into much of the more respectable literature of the day and influenced the way American culture has interacted with Mormonism ever since. These tropes were based on three things, perhaps the only three things that most Americans knew about the Mormons in the final decades of the nineteenth century: Danites, polygamy, and the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Whatever variation occurs in the dime novels comes from mixing these three ingredients into new concoctions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor this volume, four full-length dime novels have been chosen to represent different aspects of the Mormon image in dime novels: \u003cem\u003eEagle Plume, the White Avenger. A Tale of the Mormon Trail\u003c\/em\u003e (1870); \u003cem\u003eThe Doomed Dozen; or, Dolores, the Danite’s Daughter\u003c\/em\u003e (1881); \u003cem\u003eFrank Merriwell Among the Mormons; or, The Lost Tribes of Israel\u003c\/em\u003e (1897); and \u003cem\u003eThe Bradys Among the Mormons; or, Secret Work in Salt Lake City\u003c\/em\u003e (1903). The often-lurid and scandalous portrayals of Mormons in these dime novels had consequences for the relationship between Mormons and the rest of the United States. They would represent reality for millions of people, and the basic portrayals found their way into more serious literature. Understanding how these stereotypes were created and first employed can help us understand many things about the way that Mormonism has always functioned in American culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/authorcast\"\u003eAuthorCast\u003c\/a\u003e Interview with the Editors:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003caudio preload=\"none\" controls=\"controls\"\u003e \u003csource src=\"http:\/\/files.gregkofford.com\/podcast\/E41_Dime%20Novel%20Mormons%20Press%20Event.mp3\"\u003e\u003c\/audio\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComprehensive Table of Contents:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbutton type=\"button\" class=\"collapsible\"\u003eShow\/Hide\u003c\/button\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003eA Mormon Dime Novel Bibliography\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEagle Plume, the White Avenger.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1. The Adopted Son of the Dacotahs.\u003cbr\u003e2. The Gantlet of Death.\u003cbr\u003e3. The Chief of the Danites.\u003cbr\u003e4. What Happened Before the Moon Went Down.\u003cbr\u003e5. The Letter L.\u003cbr\u003e6. The Spider and the Fly.\u003cbr\u003e7. The Secret of the Waters.\u003cbr\u003e8. The Spot of Blood.\u003cbr\u003e9. The Footprints by the River.\u003cbr\u003e10. An Elder’s Wooing.\u003cbr\u003e11. The Elder Plays a Desperate Game.\u003cbr\u003e12. The Three Friends.\u003cbr\u003e13. The Story of the Danite.\u003cbr\u003e14. Fate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Doomed Dozen; or, Dolores, The Danite’s Daughter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1. The Suicide’s Daughter.\u003cbr\u003e2. The Secret.\u003cbr\u003e3. Mother and Son.\u003cbr\u003e4. A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.\u003cbr\u003e5. Friend or Foe.\u003cbr\u003e6. The Threat.\u003cbr\u003e7. Snakes in the Grass.\u003cbr\u003e8. The Flight.\u003cbr\u003e9. The Danites.\u003cbr\u003e10. An Unexpected Ally.\u003cbr\u003e11. Caught in Their Own Trap.\u003cbr\u003e12. Hope and Despair.\u003cbr\u003e13. The Masked Visitor.\u003cbr\u003e14. Mysterious Intruders.\u003cbr\u003e15. Faith in a Foe.\u003cbr\u003e16. A Strange Story.\u003cbr\u003e17. Friends in Disguise.\u003cbr\u003e18. Hope.\u003cbr\u003e19. The Danite and His Daughter.\u003cbr\u003e20. Diamond Cut Diamond.\u003cbr\u003e21. The Allies Scent Danger.\u003cbr\u003e22. The Messenger from Fort Bridger.\u003cbr\u003e23. The Prophet and His Pet.\u003cbr\u003e24. Judith.\u003cbr\u003e25. The Plot.\u003cbr\u003e26. Unmasked.\u003cbr\u003e27. A Strange Quintette.\u003cbr\u003e28. On the Trail.\u003cbr\u003e29. Thwarted.\u003cbr\u003e30. Set Free.\u003cbr\u003e31. Good for Evil.\u003cbr\u003e32. The Black Jury.\u003cbr\u003e33. A Cry for Mercy.\u003cbr\u003e34. The Mormon Wife.\u003cbr\u003e35. Angels’ Rest.\u003cbr\u003e36. Hercules Bluff.\u003cbr\u003e37. Hercules Bluff’s Little Game.\u003cbr\u003e38. A Border Sport’s Mistake.\u003cbr\u003e39. Hors de Combat.\u003cbr\u003e40. The Wounded Danite.\u003cbr\u003e41. Number Twelve.\u003cbr\u003e42. A Pair of Precious Pards.\u003cbr\u003e43. What Satan’s Pet Heard.\u003cbr\u003e44. A Life-Debt Paid.\u003cbr\u003e45. Well Met.\u003cbr\u003e46. Conclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrank Merriwell Among the Mormons; or, The Lost Tribe of Israel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1. An Unyielding Father.\u003cbr\u003e2. William Ayer is Surprised.\u003cbr\u003e3. A Fruitless Appeal.\u003cbr\u003e4. Frank and Jack.\u003cbr\u003e5. Whitcomb’s Story.\u003cbr\u003e6. “In the Forbidden Valley.”\u003cbr\u003e7. A Dash to the Rescue.\u003cbr\u003e8. The Mad Prophet.\u003cbr\u003e9. A Battle Against Odds.\u003cbr\u003e10. In the Dungeon.\u003cbr\u003e11. The Black Tribunal.\u003cbr\u003e12. The Pit of Fire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Bradys among the Mormons; or, Secret Work in Salt Lake City.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1. The Man with the Roman Nose.\u003cbr\u003e2. The Bradys Find Themselves up against Trouble at the Very Start.\u003cbr\u003e3. About the Man Who Threw a Fit in Old King Brady’s Room.\u003cbr\u003e4. Major Merry Talks Mine.\u003cbr\u003e5. The House Behind the Wall.\u003cbr\u003e6. Old King Brady Finds Himself Next to Mr. Podmore at Last.\u003cbr\u003e7. Grace.\u003cbr\u003e8. The Brothers of the Golden Lion.\u003cbr\u003e9. Caught in a Trap.\u003cbr\u003e10. Old King Brady in the Lion’s Den.\u003cbr\u003e11. Simon Sellers Goes Back on the Mormons.\u003cbr\u003e12. Conclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ\u0026amp;A with the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbutton type=\"button\" class=\"collapsible\"\u003eShow\/Hide\u003c\/button\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003eQ: For those who are not familiar with the Mormon Image in Literature series, can you explain its purpose and scope?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cu\u003eMike\u003c\/u\u003e: The Mormon Image in Literature series is a collaboration between an archival researcher and a literary critic that seeks to reprint the books that shaped the public perceptions of Mormonism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. We will include books by Mormons and books about Mormons, but will focus on works that are hard to find and virtually unknown in the twenty-first century (as opposed to books like \u003cem\u003eA Study in Scarlet\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eRiders of the Purple Sage, \u003c\/em\u003ewhich have been continuously in print since their first publication). Along with faithful reproductions of the texts that scholars can use as primary research texts, each of these volumes contains an introduction and notes that set the works, and their authors, in a context that relates both to the way Mormons were understood by the author and the way the publishing industry in the United States was changing and demanding different kinds of works.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cu\u003eArdis\u003c\/u\u003e: These novels have next to nothing to teach me about Mormon history directly—they're too wildly inaccurate to be data sources. What they \u003cem\u003edo\u003c\/em\u003e give me is a chance to enter the Mormon past, in a sense. I read the words, knowing that readers of a hundred or more years ago read the same words. \u003cem\u003eThis\u003c\/em\u003e is what people thought of us. If I were a missionary, \u003cem\u003ethis\u003c\/em\u003e is what would be in the minds of people behind the doors I knocked on and in the minds of listeners at street meetings. If I were a Mormon mother sending my boy out as a missionary, \u003cem\u003ethis\u003c\/em\u003e is what he would have to face, \u003cem\u003ethis\u003c\/em\u003e is why I might be afraid for him, \u003cem\u003ethis\u003c\/em\u003e is why I would be proud of him. \u003cem\u003eThis\u003c\/em\u003e is what is behind the sneer on the conductor's face when he takes my ticket; \u003cem\u003ethis\u003c\/em\u003e is what brings a curl to the lip of the government employee I appeal to for assistance. I know how I feel and what I think when I read news accounts today, or watch current TV, with caricatures of my behaviors and beliefs; when I read a sensational novel like those in our series, I know what it meant and felt like to a Mormon of the era to read these. We can dress up like pioneers and we can put on pageants about episodes in Mormon history—but that is superficial playacting. Watching the stories of these novels playing out in my imagination, just as they played out in the imaginations of their original readers, seems to me to be much closer to replicating historical reality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: If you ran a bookstore, what section do you think these books would fit best in?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cu\u003eArdis\u003c\/u\u003e: Fiction, or historical fiction. I would keep the series together, rather than breaking it up by genre. (The genre mix will be more and more evident as the series continues.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cu\u003eMike\u003c\/u\u003e: I would put them in the fiction section. Or in the Mormon Studies section if I owned one of the handful of bookstores in the world with a Mormon Studies section. And, like Ardis, I would keep the series together.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: Granted that the four titles collected in \u003cem\u003eDime Novel Mormons\u003c\/em\u003e are not considered “highbrow” literature, can you give me a passage or scene that stood out to you in illustrating how public perception of Mormons may have been influenced by popular media tropes?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cu\u003eArdis\u003c\/u\u003e: When the villain Mercer Aldrich\/John Leigh is introduced in \u003cem\u003eDolores, the\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eDanite's Daughter\u003c\/em\u003e, he is portrayed as handsome and intelligent and well-mannered and well-dressed—everything a woman might want, seemingly. But, of course, his civilized exterior is a mask hiding what he really is: a Mormon! a Danite! a threat! The fact that he can present himself so attractively only underscores the danger by warning readers that they cannot trust their judgment where a Mormon is concerned. That is a trope repeated in many of these novels, whenever a Mormon agent or missionary is among civilized society in the East or in England—it is only when he is among his own evil kind that the character's true nature shows itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA flesh-and-blood Mormon missionary who was kind and articulate had two strikes against him when the people he approached had that stock Mormon villain in mind. The more polite an elder was, the more effort he put into personal cleanliness, the more cheerful he was, the more carefully he presented his gospel message, the more at a disadvantage he could be: Isn't he just like the novels portray Mormons? Why, the nicer he is, the more rotten his heart must be, and the more clever he is at concealing his evil intent! There really isn't much a man can do to dispel the expectations of a public primed to expect the worst exactly when he is on his best behavior. In some cases, novelists who are most familiar with the Mormon message have also worked bits of standard missionary presentations into their stories, so that when an elder taught a bit of doctrine, it must have set off alarm bells in the minds of readers—here is a Mormon who not only \u003cem\u003eacts\u003c\/em\u003e the way these novels have depicted Mormons, he's actually \u003cem\u003esaying\u003c\/em\u003e what they warned me he would say! He must be just as bad as they say, too!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cu\u003eMike\u003c\/u\u003e: In the beginning of \u003cem\u003eThe Bradys Among the Mormons\u003c\/em\u003e, Old King Brady, the nation's most accomplished private detective, is summoned to Washington, DC, to meet with a senator. Utah has become a state, and a candidate for its congressional seat has proposed to the senator's daughter. The senator will allow the marriage, but only if the Mormon, Joseph Smith Podmore, proves to be single and not secretly practicing polygamy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book came out right at the start of the Reed Smoot hearings, so it refers to a major public concern of the time. But it also shows a popular dime novel publisher trying to get as much life as possible out of the Mormon stereotypes that had existed for about thirty-five years in this kind of fiction. Brady will travel to Utah and discover a beautiful and modern Salt Lake City, but beneath that city, in a series of tunnels and caverns accessible only to Mormon elders, things go on just as they always have: polygamy, Danites, blood atonement, and all the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think that the new generation of dime novels that came out at the turn of the twentieth century created modern frames for the previous century's sensational stereotypes of Mormons, which had a lot to do with the perpetuation of those stereotypes and the assumption of many Americans that nothing really changed after the Manifesto.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: Was there anything in this collection of stories that surprised you in its depiction of Mormons, whether positive or negative? Anything that did not follow the standard villain tropes of secrecy, sexual deviancy, and violence?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cu\u003eMike\u003c\/u\u003e: In \u003cem\u003eFrank Merriwell Among the Mormons\u003c\/em\u003e, the author takes care to depict the standard Mormon villain—an aging patriarch trying to force a beautiful young maiden to marry him—as a member of a breakaway group of Mormons who are defying the Church. One of the heroes of the story is a young, monogamous, mainstream Mormon who wants to marry the beautiful young maiden in question. Frank Merriwell points out that the rising generation of Mormons are good citizens who are opposed to polygamy. In 1897, in a dime novel, this amounts to something like high praise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cu\u003eArdis\u003c\/u\u003e: Hmm. This one is harder. Nothing comes to mind as surprising in the depiction of Mormons—the maidens are all fair and helpless; the Mormon villains are uniformly despicable; the Gentile heroes are unfailingly perfect specimens of stalwart American manhood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne element that I hadn't been aware was so prevalent in these books is that the Mormon landscape is shown to be as malevolent as the Mormon soul. There is that vast underground network of dimly-lit caverns beneath Salt Lake City, all interconnected by natural tunnels, their walls sometimes dripping with lake water, their dead-ends dropping off suddenly into bottomless pits, their acoustics so perfect that our heroes can eavesdrop on secret Danite conversations without their own voices or footsteps betraying their presence to those Danites. The natural twists and turns in those tunnels and caverns somehow magically line up with the geometric regularity of the surface, so that the house of every prominent Mormon, built on Salt Lake's straight streets and right-angled blocks, has easy access to the subterranean world. Even the mountain hideouts have magical qualities. Danites, and eventually our heroes, can pass into and out of valleys by means of caves and secret passages.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI understand that readers of dime novels were probably not familiar with the legitimate writings of naturalists and army surveyors and the great Western explorers who report no trace of such geographic features, but it's still a bit surprising to me that readers of these stories could suspend their disbelief in such weird and abnormal landscapes in order to enter into the story. So, you have no faith in the basic humanity of tens of thousands of Mormons? Okay, but how does that translate into your lack of faith in the integrity of the natural world? That, in some ways, surprises me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: This has already been addressed in passing, but I’d like to make it an explicit focus: How would you address readers who may be concerned that the books collected in this volume are often stigmatized as being “anti-Mormon” literature?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cu\u003eMike\u003c\/u\u003e: Oh, there is no question that these are anti-Mormons books—much more so than anything being produced today. But these portrayals are not unrelated to depictions of Mormons in some kinds of contemporary literature—the modern mystery novel, for example, where there are still Danites and blood atonement in some places. It is important for Latter-day Saints to understand the history of how we have been portrayed because that history has had consequences that we are still living with. It is always worth our time to learn the history of ideas and perceptions that are still with us today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cu\u003eArdis\u003c\/u\u003e: They \u003cem\u003eare\u003c\/em\u003e anti-Mormon books—they falsify Mormon doctrine and character and intent; they shaped and promoted anti-Mormon feeling that extended from the novels into the real world and persists to the present. The question for me is, “Granted that these are anti-Mormon books, is there any good purpose in reprinting them, in reading them?” And I would answer that with a shouted “Yes!”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou won't learn anything about Mormonism here, but you \u003cem\u003ewill\u003c\/em\u003e learn—in a sometimes delightful way, if you can turn off the natural tendency to take offense—quite a bit about the world that Mormons lived in or confronted whenever they looked outside Mormondom. You'll better understand where these warped views come from when you hear them repeated in some form today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that anybody, young or old, Mormon or not, read these stories, recognizing them for what they are. I agree with something Boyd K. Packer said in 1976 in a fireside address about the arts: “Teachers [readers in this case] would do well to learn the difference between studying some things, as compared to studying \u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eabout\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ethem. There is a great difference.” Readers aren't reading anti-Mormonism in these novels to adopt that view themselves; they're reading \u003cem\u003eabout\u003c\/em\u003e it, to understand and face it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #f3f3f3;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQ: Can you give us a glimpse as to what is yet in store for the Mormon Image in Literature series?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cu\u003eMike\u003c\/u\u003e: The next few volumes will focus on some of the literature produced by Mormons in the nineteenth century. We are working on a critical edition of Orson F. Whitney's \u003cem\u003eElias\u003c\/em\u003e, for example, and on the collected works of Josephine Spencer, which have never been published before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cu\u003eArdis\u003c\/u\u003e: I'm especially excited for two books written by Mormon women, which are as different as can be from the dime novels. The first is one or more volumes of the collected short stories of Josephine Spencer who saw well beyond her own time, and the other is the novel \u003cem\u003eVenna Hastings\u003c\/em\u003e by Julia Farr (the pseudonym of a woman I had been chasing through history before realizing she was a novelist). Both of these present a Mormon image that is positive, generally not preachy, and which Mormons at the turn of the twentieth century could read with interest—and maybe a sigh of relief that for once they could see themselves, not caricatures, on the printed page.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlong with these, you can look forward to mysteries, love stories, comedies, an outrageous depiction of missionaries that sparked a national investigation, high-minded or well-intentioned religious prose—just about every genre imaginable, except perhaps science fiction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eDime Novel Mormons\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Reading these dime novels gives me perspective on why various people have such strange ideas about Mormons. . . if you can suspend a feeling of deep outrage at the gross factual distortions contained in these books, you will likely have a great time reading the tales.”— Meg Stout, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.millennialstar.org\/review-dime-novel-mormons\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Millennial Star\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Kofford has done a remarkable job in reproduction here from the original art to historic typefaces. The editors provide helpful introductions to the now forgotten age of this piece-work for hire. They are just fun to read.” — Bill Smith, \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bycommonconsent.com\/2017\/03\/18\/mormon-image-in-literature-everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-what-your-neighbors-think-about-you\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBy Common Consent\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Because of Mormon inspired fiction, like that found in these four dime novels, we have a better understanding of the struggles and strains in the collision of the two worlds of Mormons and Gentiles We have Michael Austin, Ardis E. Parshall, and Greg Kofford Books to thank for this great gift to our Mormon heritage. A great treasure is preserved for us to read and ponder.” — Gerald Smith, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.millennialstar.org\/book-review-dime-novel-mormons\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Millennial Star\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“Dime Novel Mormons will appeal to readers interested in American and literary history, nineteenth-century pop fiction, and specifically the history of the calumniation of the Latter-day Saints.” — Veronica Anderson, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/byustudies.byu.edu\/content\/dime-novel-mormons-0\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eBYU Studies\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Editors:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/michael-austin\"\u003eMichael Austin\u003c\/a\u003e is the author or editor of seven books and more than 50 articles, book chapters, and reviews, including \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/products\/re-reading-job\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eRe-reading Job: Understanding the Ancient World’s Greatest Poem\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e. He is currently Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of Evansville.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/ardis-e-parshall\"\u003eArdis E. Parshall\u003c\/a\u003e is a historian, freelance researcher specializing in Mormon history, and author. She co-edited with Paul Reeve \u003cem\u003eMormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia\u003c\/em\u003e and is currently writing \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.keepapitchinin.org\/2015\/05\/25\/she-shall-be-an-ensign-the-history-of-the-church-told-through-the-lives-of-its-women\/\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eShe Shall Be an Ensign\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, a history of the LDS Church told through the lives of Mormon women. She blogs at \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.keepapitchinin.org\/\"\u003eKeepapitchinin\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e More Information:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e254 pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN 978-1-58958-517-1 (paperback)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"paperback","offer_id":28934597961,"sku":"978-1-58958-517-1","price":22.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/products\/MormonImage_DimeNovelMormons.jpg?v=1486742405"},{"product_id":"every-man-a-prophet","title":"Every Man a Prophet","description":"\u003cp\u003ea novel by \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/stephen-c-lesueur\"\u003eStephen C. LeSueur\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eNow available in paperback and ebook.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e\"In \u003cem\u003eEvery Man a Prophet\u003c\/em\u003e, not only has Stephen C. LeSueur captured the lives, desires, trials, and struggles of young missionaries and their leaders better than in any other work I have encountered, he has gifted the world with the best volume of Mormon fiction that I have read.\"\u003c\/span\u003e — Andrew Hamilton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e\"The closest to capturing what it means to be and live a missionary life with all of the attendant joys, events, and miseries that it encompasses. I laughed, I commiserated, I wept unabashedly, I feel so much closer to my roots.\"\u003c\/span\u003e — \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/melvin-c-johnson\"\u003eMelvin C. Johnson\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e\"Beautifully written, richly sketched, and compellingly told . . .  an unflinching examination of the intersection between life and spirituality.\" \u003c\/span\u003e—\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/ryan-d-ward\"\u003eRyan D. Ward\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e\"Every so often, if one is lucky and blessed, they come across a novel such as \u003cem\u003eEvery Man a Prophet\u003c\/em\u003e—a novel which surprises the reader at every turn.\"\u003c\/span\u003e — David Kranes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4h1purn\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/id6742033163\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/applebooks_480x480.png?v=1649199519\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=zcNGEQAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/google-play-badge2_a56b9286-69fa-4581-9680-5ea7c47f0c1a_480x480.png?v=1648668766\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAvailable in ebook for \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4h1purn\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/id6742033163\"\u003eApple\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=zcNGEQAAQBAJ\"\u003eGoogle Play\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=fWC5EAAAQBAJ\u0026amp;rdid=book-fWC5EAAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, and, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/search?query=1230008783219\"\u003eKobo\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/preview-every-man-a-prophet\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePreview the volume.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eBook Description:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEvery Man a Prophet\u003c\/em\u003e by Stephen C. LeSueur is a powerful exploration of faith, love, and self-discovery set within the framework of missionary life in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Eddie Pedersen and Orrin Tanner, two missionaries serving in Norway, each grapple with the weight of expectation, personal desires, and the search for their true selves. Eddie struggles to reconcile his faith with feelings he has been taught to suppress, while Orrin’s relentless pursuit of perfection masks a deep fear of failure. Together, they navigate a land of cold landscapes and colder hearts, striving to find meaning and connection in their spiritual calling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough Eddie and Orrin’s intertwined journeys, LeSueur crafts a deeply human story of vulnerability and resilience. The novel delves into the complexities of identity, faith, and the universal longing to belong. As the two men confront the rigid doctrines of their religion and the unyielding truths of their own hearts, readers are drawn into an unforgettable narrative of courage and redemption. \u003cem\u003eEvery Man a Prophet\u003c\/em\u003e is a profound tale of the sacrifices we make for faith and the truths we uncover about ourselves along the way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eEvery Man a Prophet\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eEvery Man a Prophet\u003c\/em\u003e, not only has Stephen C. LeSueur captured the lives, desires, trials, and struggles of young missionaries and their leaders better than in any other work I have encountered, he has gifted the world with the best volume of Mormon fiction that I have read.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cem\u003eEvery Man a Prophet\u003c\/em\u003e touches hearts, opens minds, and changes lives. It is the story of three men struggling to learn what it means to be prophetic, but more importantly learning what it means to be human, to be children of God. And it helped me to learn more about these things myself.  I recommend it to everyone. It is a book that has the power to touch and change lives and maybe even wards, missions, and the Church.\" — Andrew Hamilton, Reviews Coordinator, Association for Mormon Letters\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eEvery Man a Prophet\u003c\/em\u003e is a novel that not only entertains but also challenges readers to reflect on their own beliefs, identities, and sacrifices made in pursuit of faith. For me, it portrays what I think is \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003ethe closest to capturing what it meant to be and live a missionary life with all of the attendant joys, events, and miseries that it encompasses. I laughed, I commiserated, I wept unabashedly, and I feel so much closer to my roots\u003c\/span\u003e, even though I left 42 years ago.\" — \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/melvin-c-johnson\"\u003eMelvin C. Johnson\u003c\/a\u003e, author of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/products\/life-and-times-of-john-pierce-hawley\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eLife and Times of John Pierce Hawley: A Mormon Ulysses of the American West\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/products\/no-poor-among-them\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e (reviewed \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.associationmormonletters.org\/reviews\/current-reviews\/lesueur-every-man-a-prophet-reviewed-by-melvin-clarno-johnson\/\"\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eEvery Man a Prophet\u003c\/em\u003e tackles heavy themes with grace and nuance. It is \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003ebeautifully written, richly sketched, and compellingly told\u003c\/span\u003e. It is \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003ean unflinching examination of the intersection between life and spirituality\u003c\/span\u003e and how religious tradition navigates the intersection and vagaries between spiritual and prophetic impression and normal decision-making. I can’t think of anything I’ve read that is quite like it, and I will be thinking about it for a long time to come.\" —\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/ryan-d-ward\"\u003eRyan D. Ward\u003c\/a\u003e, author of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/products\/no-poor-among-them\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd There Was No Poor Among Them: Liberation, Salvation, and the Meaning of the Restoration\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e (reviewed \u003ca href=\"%20(reviewed%20Association%20for%20Mormon%20Letters)\"\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003eEvery so often, if one is lucky and blessed, they come across a novel such as \u003cem\u003eEvery Man a Prophet\u003c\/em\u003e—a novel which surprises the reader at every turn.\u003c\/span\u003e The reader thinks, \"Oh, I’ve read the missionary novel!” But the reader has not read \u003cem\u003ethis \u003c\/em\u003emissionary novel—one in which tenderness is mixed with sharp-edged pain. And the reader has not read \u003cem\u003ethis \u003c\/em\u003esmart and funny missionary novel. Every time a reader may think Steve LeSueur's fine novel begins to seem familiar, it bristles with newness. And a sense of competition. Characters change. Their gifts change. The landscape changes to a seascape. Personal problems and victories become those of a village. Again and again what seems familiar transforms and takes on new and surprising dimensions. I did not want \u003cem\u003eEvery Man\u003c\/em\u003e to stop but awaited its next surprise. This novel is more than what it seems at every turn.\" — David Kranes, author of \u003cem\u003eAbracadabra\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/LeSueurBookJacketPhoto_160x160.jpg?v=1683563521\" alt=\"\" style=\"margin-right: 5px; margin-bottom: 16px; float: left;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: start;\" class=\"default-style\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/stephen-c-lesueur\"\u003eStephen C. LeSueur\u003c\/a\u003e is a former journalist and magazine editor. His first book,\u003cem\u003e The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri\u003c\/em\u003e (University of Missouri Press) won the 1987 Best Book award from the John Whitmer Historical Association. More recently, he wrote\u003cem\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/products\/life-and-death\"\u003eLife and Death on the Mormon Frontier: The Murders of Frank LeSueur and Gus Gibbons by the Wild Bunch\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e (Greg Kofford Books, 2023). His essays and articles on Mormon history have been published in numerous journals and books. While a college student, Steve served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Norway from 1972 to 1974. He worked in five different cities and served as an assistant to the mission president at the mission headquarters in Oslo. He and his wife, Kathy, live in Arlington, Virginia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eMore Information:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e389 pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN: \u003cspan data-sheets-root=\"1\"\u003e978-1-58958-826-4 (paperback)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003e\u003c!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--\u003e\u003c\/style\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"paperback","offer_id":44858422919339,"sku":"978-1-58958-826-4","price":26.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"paperback - signed copy","offer_id":45313576173739,"sku":"","price":26.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/LeSueur_EveryManAProphet_55ab1076-a0b4-4aab-a9b5-5a205042e0cf.jpg?v=1739571713"},{"product_id":"elias","title":"Elias—An Epic of the Ages: A Critical Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/orson-ferguson-whitney\"\u003eOrson Ferguson Whitney\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003eedited by \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/reid-l-neilson\"\u003eReid L. Neilson\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eNow available in print and ebook!\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e\"Anyone interested in Latter-day Saint literature will want this book on their shelves.\" \u003c\/span\u003e— \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/richard-l-bushman\"\u003eRichard Lyman Bushman\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e\"Whitney's \u003cem\u003eElias \u003c\/em\u003eis one of the great understudied and unknown works of Latter-day Saint literature.\"\u003c\/span\u003e — Matthew Bowman\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e\"Neilson has done a great service in curating this most important work for generations to come.\"\u003c\/span\u003e — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/eric-a-eliason\"\u003eEric A. Eliason\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3JprRck\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/id6751209603\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/applebooks_480x480.png?v=1649199519\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=O5x-EQAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/google-play-badge2_a56b9286-69fa-4581-9680-5ea7c47f0c1a_480x480.png?v=1648668766\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAvailable in ebook for \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3JprRck\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/id6751209603\"\u003eApple\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=O5x-EQAAQBAJ\"\u003eGoogle Play\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=L3tqEQAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=fWC5EAAAQBAJ\u0026amp;rdid=book-fWC5EAAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, and, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/search?query=9781589588295\"\u003eKobo\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/preview-elias\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePreview the volume.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/q-a-with-reid-neilson-editor-of-elias-an-epic-of-the-ages-critical-edition\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead a Q\u0026amp;A with the editor.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eBook Description:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"176\" data-end=\"906\"\u003eOrson F. Whitney’s \u003cem data-start=\"195\" data-end=\"222\"\u003eElias—An Epic of the Ages\u003c\/em\u003e stands as Mormonism’s most ambitious literary achievement, a sweeping poetic retelling of the plan of salvation and the Restoration. First published in 1904 and refined in Whitney’s 1914 edition, the ten-canto epic draws upon scripture, history, and inspired imagination to place the life and mission of Jesus Christ at the center of a cosmic narrative that spans premortality, the Savior's mortal ministry, the apostasy, and the dispensation of the fulness of times. In the tradition of Milton’s \u003cem data-start=\"711\" data-end=\"726\"\u003eParadise Lost\u003c\/em\u003e and Dante’s \u003cem data-start=\"739\" data-end=\"754\"\u003eDivine Comedy\u003c\/em\u003e, Whitney sought to give his faith a literary monument equal to its spiritual grandeur—an epic in which doctrine, history, and prophecy meet in verse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"908\" data-end=\"1604\"\u003eThis new critical edition, edited by Reid L. Neilson, presents the definitive text of Whitney’s 1914 revision alongside rich historical context, literary analysis, and contemporary responses that situate \u003cem data-start=\"1196\" data-end=\"1203\"\u003eElias\u003c\/em\u003e in the cultural and religious landscape of turn-of-the-century Mormonism. Both a devotional masterpiece and a literary artifact, \u003cem data-start=\"1406\" data-end=\"1433\"\u003eElias—An Epic of the Ages\u003c\/em\u003e invites modern readers to encounter Whitney’s soaring vision anew.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003ePraise for Elias—An Epic of the Ages: A Critical Edition\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Orson Whitney was the preeminent Latter-day Saint man of letters at the turn of the twentieth century. Reid Nielson has brought this ambitious writer and poet back to life with a critical edition of Whitney’s vast poem \u003cem\u003eElias:  An Epic of the Ages\u003c\/em\u003e. Whitney sought to pour everything he knew and experienced as a gospel believer into one grand work. Neilson annotates \u003cem\u003eElias \u003c\/em\u003eand embeds it in the sources emanating from Whitney’s work: autobiographical reflections, contemporary reviews, Whitney’s own critical work, and assessments of Whitney’s overall achievement. \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003eAnyone interested in Latter-day Saint literature will want this book on their shelves\u003c\/span\u003e.\" — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/richard-l-bushman\"\u003eRichard Lyman Bushman\u003c\/a\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eJoseph Smith:  Rough Stone Rolling\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003eWhitney's \u003cem\u003eElias \u003c\/em\u003eis one of the great understudied and unknown works of Latter-day Saint literature\u003c\/span\u003e. Reid Neilson's fine critical edition makes excellent sense of the text itself in footnotes, commentary, and emendation, but also surrounds it with a helpful array of primary sources. Here the poem springs to life embedded in its time and place. But it also speaks to later generations anew.\" — Matthew Bowman, Howard W Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies, Claremont Graduate University\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"No one has ever likely come closer to fulfilling Orson F. Whitney’s oft-cited hopeful prediction that the Latter-day Saint people may 'yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own' than the erudite apostle himself, who remains unequalled as a producer of—and enduringly influential voice shaping a collective vision for—Latter-day Saint literature.\u003cbr\u003e     \"Elder Whitney figureheads both the school of thought, and the historical period, bearing the 'Home Literature' epithet he coined. His vision for what 'Mormon Letters' can and should be, has stretched in time and space-encompassing vastness commensurate with his own awe at the Divine love and gloriously cosmic wonders he saw in the Restoration worldview revealed to Joseph Smith.\u003cbr\u003e     \"Nowhere is Orson F. Whitney’s vision more fully realized than in his own magisterial masterwork, \u003cem\u003eElias: An Epic of the Ages\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003eexpertly edited and historically contextualized in this volume, and presented along with contemporaneous and more recent critical assessments, by Reid L. Neilson, who has done a great service in curating this most important work for generations to come.\u003c\/span\u003e\" — \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/eric-a-eliason\"\u003eEric A. Eliason\u003c\/a\u003e, professor, English Department, Brigham Young University\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"On February 1, 1976, Elder Boyd K. Packer delivered. a compelling and inspiring address at a BYU twelve-stake fireside. 'The Arts and the Spirit of the Lord' sought to give an apostolic explanation for why few Latter-day Saints 'have captured the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the restoration of it in music, in art, in literature.' In the course of the talk, Elder Packer returned more than once to a discussion of the poetry of Elder Orson F. Whitney,  'a gifted and inspired poet whose work is virtually unknown in the Church.' The talk inspired in me a desire to explore the spiritual power of Elder Whitney's poetry. I found what Elder Packer was talking about.  We still, however, have had a gap to fill. Elder Whitney's greatest poem about the Savior has been hard to find.  Professor Reid Neilson has finally remedied that problem. \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003eHis beautiful annotated critical edition of Whitney's \u003cem\u003eElias: An Epic of the Ages\u003c\/em\u003e should become a sought after volume in the library of anyone anxious to be edified by the 'spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ' in literature.\u003c\/span\u003e  Thank you, Reid and Kofford Books, for making this beautiful edition available.  Much edification awaits us!\" — Neal W. Kramer, former president, Association for Mormon Letters\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Orson F. Whitney . . . sought to craft an epic poem for Mormonism in the style of Milton’s \u003cem\u003eParadise Lost\u003c\/em\u003e. The result was \u003cem\u003eElias\u003c\/em\u003e, a sweeping narrative that blends theology, history, and mythic imagery to recount the Latter-day Saint story. . . . Whitney’s poem, though flawed by outdated assumptions, remains a remarkable attempt to enshrine Mormonism within the tradition of epic poetry. Neilson’s editorial work ensures that readers not only experience the poem itself but also understand its broader historical and cultural significance. \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003eThe result is a volume that is both scholarly and accessible, offering lasting value to students of Mormon studies, literature, and theology.\u003c\/span\u003e\" — Chad Nielsen, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2025\/09\/book-review-elias-an-epic-of-the-ages-a-critical-edition-by-orson-f-whitney-edited-by-reid-l-neilson\/\"\u003eTimes \u0026amp; Seasons\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eAbout the Authors:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/orson_160x160.jpg?v=1755192968\" alt=\"\" style=\"margin-right: 5px; float: left;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/orson-ferguson-whitney\"\u003eOrson Ferguson Whitney\u003c\/a\u003e (1855–1931) was a prominent leader, historian, and poet in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as an apostle from 1906 until his death. A gifted orator and writer, he is best known for his multi-volume work, the \u003cem\u003eHistory of Utah\u003c\/em\u003e, which remains a significant historical resource. Whitney also authored numerous poems and hymns. His work reflected a deep devotion to his faith and a passion for preserving the history of the Latter-day Saints.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/Reid_Neilson_Photo_2022_160x160.jpg?v=1755193027\" alt=\"\" style=\"margin-right: 5px; float: left;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe award-winningauthor and editor of more than three dozen books, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/reid-l-neilson\"\u003eReid L. Neilson\u003c\/a\u003e worked as the managing director of the Church History Department from 2010 to 2019 and was appointed Assistant Church Historian and Recorder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2015. He joined the faculty of Brigham Young University in 2022, where he currently oversees the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, the Religious Studies Center, and BYU Studies. He and his wife, Shelly, have five children and live in Bountiful, Utah.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eMore Information:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e339 pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-58958-828-8 (paperback); 978-1-58958-822-6 (hardcover)\u003cbr\u003ePublished September 23, 2025\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45413396054187,"sku":"978-1-58958-828-8","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":45528455413931,"sku":"978-1-58958-822-6","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback - Signed Copy","offer_id":45954239070379,"sku":"978-1-58958-828-8","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover - Signed Edition","offer_id":45954293039275,"sku":"978-1-58958-822-6","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/WhitneyNeilson_Elias.jpg?v=1754425757"},{"product_id":"sacred-scar-poems","title":"Sacred Scar: Poems","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/scott-hales\"\u003eScott Hales\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eNow available in paperback and ebook.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e“This collection made me laugh and made me cry, but more importantly, it helped me find beauty in the struggle of being human.”\u003c\/span\u003e — Katherine Cowley\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e“Both saintly and Latter-day Saint, these poems find humor and holiness in belief, suffering, history, and family.”\u003c\/span\u003e — Jim Richards\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e“\u003cem\u003eSacred Scar\u003c\/em\u003e is both profoundly personal and generally appealing.”\u003c\/span\u003e — \u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eGabriel González Núñez\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3O6Iiwp\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/id6758677644\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/applebooks_480x480.png?v=1649199519\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=jb29EQAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/google-play-badge2_a56b9286-69fa-4581-9680-5ea7c47f0c1a_480x480.png?v=1648668766\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlso available in ebook for \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3O6Iiwp\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/id6758677644\"\u003eApple\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=jb29EQAAQBAJ\"\u003eGoogle Play\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=L3tqEQAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=fWC5EAAAQBAJ\u0026amp;rdid=book-fWC5EAAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, and, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/sacred-scar\"\u003eKobo\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/preview-sacred-scar\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePreview the volume.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/q-a-with-scott-hales-author-of-sacred-scar\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead a Q\u0026amp;A with the author.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eBook Description\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSacred Scar\u003c\/em\u003e is a luminous, unflinching collection of poems that moves effortlessly between the sacred and the everyday. Drawing on the lives of saints, pioneers, ancestors, and the poet’s own family, Scott Hales explores the way faith, memory, and suffering shape a human life. These poems travel from ancient deserts to modern suburbs, from battlefield soil to baptismal fonts, revealing how holiness can emerge from pain, curiosity, humor, and the fragile work of living. With a storyteller’s eye and a historian’s care, Hales invites readers into a space where past and present speak to each other in striking, unforgettable ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt once intimate and expansive, \u003cem\u003eSacred Scar\u003c\/em\u003e is a meditation on belief—how it breaks, heals, transforms, and returns. Whether confronting grief, wrestling with doubt, or celebrating the strange grace of ordinary days, Hales writes with compassion, wit, and a deep reverence for the human impulse to remember.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eSacred Scar\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“A brilliant collision of Catholic Saints, LDS history, pop culture, and the everyday. In these poems, the ghosts of the past are summoned by every street corner, every statue, every fence and canyon, every staircase, every mirror, and every mountain trail. \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003eThis collection made me laugh and made me cry, but more importantly, it helped me find beauty in the struggle of being human\u003c\/span\u003e.” — Katherine Cowley, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet \u003c\/i\u003eseries\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003eBoth saintly and Latter-day Saint, these poems find humor and holiness in belief, suffering, history, and family\u003c\/span\u003e. Readers will appreciate the plainspoken clarity with which Scott Hales dresses the ‘scar of memory.’ To offset fear of being forgotten, he points to places where saints and pioneers walked, saying, look, ‘That’s my shadow there in the grass.’ Someday, his descendants will surely swap stories about Saint Scott of Cedar Valley.” — Jim Richards, author of \u003ci\u003eSong for My Left Ear, Song for My Right\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Sometimes humorous, sometimes somber, covering topics that range from Catholic sainthood to Mormon history,\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e \u003cem\u003eSacred Scar\u003c\/em\u003e is both profoundly personal and generally appealing\u003c\/span\u003e. Hales once again demonstrates his mastery of the poet's craft through his use of language and form. For those reasons, the poems in this collection are a delight to read.” — \u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eGabriel González Núñez, author of \u003cem\u003eBook of Mormon Sketches\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Scott Hales’s \u003cem\u003eSacred Scar: Poems\u003c\/em\u003e derives its strength from the ecumenical and deeply personal nature of the poems. They are always grounded in some emotional truth\/kernel that matters to Scott, in a way that you can feel as you are reading. . . .  \u003cem\u003eSacred Scar\u003c\/em\u003e offers a glimpse of how Hales pursues spiritual truth through his poetry, and the result is lovely. May we all enjoy the emotional depth and playfulness coexisting in the spiritual life on display in Scott’s work.\" — Conor Hilton, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.associationmormonletters.org\/reviews\/current-reviews\/hales-sacred-scar-poems-reviewed-by-conor-hilton\/\"\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letter\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"margin-right: 5px; margin-bottom: 16px; float: left;\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/scott_160x160.jpg?v=1764612670\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/scott-hales\"\u003eScott Hales\u003c\/a\u003e is a writer, historian, and literary critic living in Eagle Mountain, Utah. He is the author and illustrator of the graphic novel \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/products\/the-garden-of-enid-1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e (Greg Kofford Books, 2016, 2017) and \u003cem\u003eHemingway in Paradise and Other Mormon Poems\u003c\/em\u003e (Mormon Lit Lab, 2022). When he isn’t writing, he’s running. When he isn’t running, he’s thinking about it. He and his wife, Sarah, have five children.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eMore Information:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e88 pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-58958-836-3 (paperback)\u003cbr\u003ePublished February 17, 2026 \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45823613370539,"sku":"978-1-58958-836-3","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/Hales_SacredScar.jpg?v=1764099704"},{"product_id":"loved-ones","title":"Loved Ones","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/kevin-klein\"\u003eKevin Klein\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eNow available in print and ebook.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e“In these poems, devotion and irreverence are not contraries but different sides of the same coin.”\u003c\/span\u003e — Lance Larsen\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e“Kevin Klein reminds us that, in an ongoing restoration, imagination is just as necessary as faith.”\u003c\/span\u003e — Carol Lynn Pearson\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003e“Reading this collection is like being in your favorite ward’s testimony meeting on a good day.”\u003c\/span\u003e — Darlene Young \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0GLHG526H\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/kindle2.png?9112655742455458650\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/id6758682529\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/applebooks_480x480.png?v=1649199519\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=JcW9EQAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/google-play-badge2_a56b9286-69fa-4581-9680-5ea7c47f0c1a_480x480.png?v=1648668766\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlso available in ebook for \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0GLHG526H\"\u003eKindle\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/id6758682529\"\u003eApple\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=JcW9EQAAQBAJ\"\u003eGoogle Play\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=L3tqEQAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=fWC5EAAAQBAJ\u0026amp;rdid=book-fWC5EAAAQBAJ\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, and, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/loved-ones\"\u003eKobo\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/preview-loved-ones\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePreview the volume.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/blogs\/news\/q-a-with-kevin-klein-author-of-loved-ones\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead a Q\u0026amp;A with the author.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eBook Description:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"87\" data-end=\"620\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eLoved Ones\u003c\/em\u003e is a luminous collection of forty poems that trace the arc of human devotion through the Christian virtues of faith, hope, charity, and love. With a voice both reverent and playful, Kevin Klein explores the everyday sacred—chapel cleaning and youth soccer, midwinter pruning and middle-school band concerts, pioneer grit and parental tenderness. Each poem invites readers to notice grace in unexpected places, discovering how holiness often hides in humor, hardship, and the humble rituals that bind us to one another.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"622\" data-end=\"1091\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eRooted in scripture yet grounded in modern life, Klein’s work is rich with vivid imagery, spiritual introspection, and disarming warmth. Whether he is contemplating the nature of prayer, celebrating family, or mourning with those that mourn, his poems open the heart to deeper compassion and connection. \u003cem data-start=\"926\" data-end=\"938\"\u003eLoved Ones\u003c\/em\u003e is a gentle but profound reminder that the divine is found not only in miracles, but also in the people who teach us to believe, endure, give, and love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003ePraise for Loved Ones:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“In \u003cem\u003eLoved Ones\u003c\/em\u003e, Kevin Klein catalogues how inescapably lowly we are: ‘Dust of the earth, \/ worms’ meat and dung, \/ far-flung particles of stars.’ But more importantly, how God blesses our broken tries. And yes, ordinances ground us, but so do our private sacraments: mopping a church bathroom, pruning a cherry tree, donning a headlamp to trim a sleeping daughter’s fingernails. \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003eIn these poems, devotion and irreverence are not contraries but different sides of the same coin.\u003c\/span\u003e What are we in search of? Among other things, ‘clackety rapture’ and just a little more light.” — Lance Larsen, former Utah Poet Laureate and author of \u003cem\u003eMaking a Kingdom of It\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003eKevin Klein reminds us that, in an ongoing restoration, imagination is just as necessary as faith\u003c\/span\u003e. Is part of faith—the call to discover or build divinity within even our most familiar relationships, stories, and tasks. How do we redeem our dead, mourn with others, renew the sacrament, and revise our hopes for heaven in a fallen world? This learning journey includes paths that lead us through darkness, but the poems in \u003cem\u003eLoved Ones\u003c\/em\u003e are little lights along the way.” — Carol Lynn Pearson, recipient of the Association for Mormon Letters Lifetime Achievement Award and author of \u003cem\u003eFinding Mother God\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003eReading this collection is like being in your favorite ward’s testimony meeting on a good day\u003c\/span\u003e when you forget the hardness of the pews and the irritating flickering of that one light fixture but begin to recognize in every voice both someone you love and a part of yourself—the clumsiness and scrabblings and holiness of real life working towards life in Christ. Here is the grit and the sparkle; here is grace.” — Darlene Young, recipient of the Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters and author of \u003cem\u003eCount Me In\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Kevin Klein’s \u003cem\u003eLoved Ones\u003c\/em\u003e is \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(230, 230, 230);\"\u003ea beautiful, lovely witness of what it means to live as a Latter-day Saint\u003c\/span\u003e. His poems root themselves in the realities of our mortal existence and garnish those realities with the transcendent ones that his religious convictions insist are there. While the poems are often light and joyful, they don’t shy away from the pain and loss that accompany mortality, imbued throughout with an insistent hope.\" — Conor Hilton, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.associationmormonletters.org\/reviews\/current-reviews\/klein-loved-ones-poems-reviewed-by-conor-hilton\/\"\u003eAssociation for Mormon Letters\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/KevinKlein_160x160.jpg?v=1765489397\" style=\"margin-right: 5px; margin-bottom: 16px; float: left;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/kevin-klein\"\u003eKevin Klein\u003c\/a\u003e is an elementary teacher and writer living in Orem, Utah. He earned an MA in English with a creative thesis of poetry from Brigham Young University, and his LDS-themed poetry has appeared in \u003ci\u003eBYU Studies\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e Dialogue, Irreantum, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eWayfare\u003c\/i\u003e. He has also authored two picture books, \u003ci\u003eOh How Lovely Was the Morning\u003c\/i\u003e, and a symphonic, poetic farmyard story titled \u003ci\u003eShowdown Symphony\u003c\/i\u003e. His family is, among other things, one of his favorite sources of inspiration and feedback.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eMore Information:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e86 pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-58958-839-4 (paperback)\u003cbr\u003ePublished February 17, 2026 \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Greg Kofford Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45929582198955,"sku":"978-1-58958-839-4","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0266\/2257\/files\/Klein_LovedOnes.jpg?v=1765312800"}],"url":"https:\/\/gregkofford.com\/collections\/personal-essay\/poetry).oembed","provider":"Greg Kofford Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}