Peculiar Pages

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Fire in the Pasture poet Lance Larsen has been selected by Utah governor Gary Herbert as the state’s newest poet laureate. Congratulations to Lance, for this honor.

(read more)

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Tyler Chadwick, of course, is the editor of the Peculiar Pages volume Fire in the Pasture.

The Association for Mormon Letters has just, mere moments ago at their annual awards luncheon, given “Award for Excellence in Anthological Editing.”

It could not be more deserved. If you haven’t read it yet, buy your copy today.

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Also awarded today was Mike Allred for his body of work. He’s one of the greats. And he’s also, recall, the guy who said this:

Isn’t it incredible that existence even exists?  So much is taken for granted, right?  For anyone that ever wanted to crack open their consciousness to what might be beyond the beyond, MORMONS &MONSTERS could be the read for you.

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Perhaps other friends of Peculiar Pages were rewarded today? Haven’t heard yet. Excited to.

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If you’re in Utah this weekend, be sure to check out the following Peculiar Pages-related sessions of AML’s annual conference on Saturday, April 21:

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9am

Tyler Chadwick, editor of Fire in the Pasture, presenting on “Situating Sonospophy: Deconstructing Alex Caldiero’s Poetarium.” Alex, of course, is both the subject of Tyler’s dissertation and a poet included in Fire.

1130am

Scott Hales, a contributor to our upcoming Dorian project is presenting “Beyond Missionary   Stories: Voicing the Transnational LDS Experience”; I suspect this paper will share some ground with his incredible paper for us. Not a lot. But a little.

1pm

Awards luncheon.

230pm

Angel Chaparro Sainz who wrote the afterword to Fire in the Pasture, brings  AML his expertise on one of the great essayistsin “Phyllis Barber: There is Love After All.”

230pm, 4pm (sorry this is stretched—-site redesign on the way!)

630pm

Reception with readings by AML-award winners at the home of Charlotte England.

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Fire in the Pasture editor Tyler Chadwick has launched http://fireinthepasture.org/ which,to be frank, puts this current incarnation of PeculiarPages.com to shame. It’s lovely and chokkefulle of poetry, analysis, poet info, et cetera. Highly recommended for your Mormon-poetry needs.

Meanwhile, the Fire in the Pasture Facebook page (which I presume you’re already following) has just announced two new upcoming readings. Can’t miss stuff, if you’ll be in the appropriate part of the world: https://www.facebook.com/events/283342811746111/

Both pages are updated regularly.

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. . . the Latter-day Saints are a minority with a vibrant subculture which has an inherent value, just like any other minority. The interesting thing about the Mormons as a minority is that the defining characteristic of the people is not ethnicity, language or place, and that the faith is the only binding factor that this global group has – yet it is strong enough to form an identity and a sense of community or of united group.

In such a varied collection, it is difficult to pick favourites, but I definitely enjoyed the approach of “something strange or horrifying invades the every-day” rather than the imagines worlds of tomorrow (or yesterday): “Other Duties” by Nathan Shumate tells of a bishop whose ward has a special calling: to battle demons; “Charity Never Faileth” by Jaleta Clegg is a story of the carelessness with which some Mormon women treat the unique opportunities to care for and serve one another, and the monstrous consequences that carelessness can have – and Green Jell-O of course; “The World” by Danny Nelson is possibly the most delightful description of the insides of a contemporary Mormon’s head; and “The Eye Opener” by Brian Gibson -which is really close to being my very favourite – tells of what goes on during a prayer, that strange time when no one is looking up . . . .

Come read the latest review—and the first by a Finn—in full at Elftown.

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On the 25th at Ken Sanders Rare Books (map), Fire in the Pasture‘s editor Tyler Chadwick will be leading readings from the book.  Among the poets likely to appear at this substantial event are E.S. Jenkins, Elizabeth Pinborough, Lisa Bickmore, Alan Mitchell, Alex Caldiero, Sunni Wilkinson, Danielle Dubrasky, Sarah Duffy, Marie Brian, Laura Nielson Baxter, (Paul Swenson*), and Michael Hicks.

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Paul Swenson’s health failed him since he told us he would be part of this event. His presence will be missed. To quote from his final email to us,

I’ll be around for the Ken Sanders reading, and would be honored to participate.

I’m still on the  journey to full health, but determined to get all the way back. The book is one hell of an achievement.

Thank you, Paul. It meant a lot, coming from you.

Requiescat in pace.

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If you are in Utah Valley, head on down to UVU and check out Life, the Universe & Everything. Always a blast, natch, this year will be even better with a Monster & Mormons session led by none other than Nathan Shumate and featuring Dan Wells! Eric James Stone!  Jaleta Clegg! Steven Peck! and possibility of a couple surprises on the side.

Don’t miss it.

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We have received a report that Fire in the Pasture-poet Paul Swenson has passed.

He’s been a significant poet for many decades and will be missed.

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This Saturday at Claremont Graduate University, Sunstone West, a small tidier Sunstone Symposium, will feature panels about two Peculiar Pages book. (Note that times and participants are subject to clarification.)

The first, Monsters & Mormons, accomplished with the help of A Motley Vision and the most fun currently available in print. Participating authors Erik Peterson (“Bichos”) and Brian Gibson (“The Eye Opener”) will be talking about their works as well as reading their own and others’ stories. Responding to their presentation will be Patrick Q. Mason, the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies and Associate Professor of North American Religion at Claremont, and the author of The Mormon Menace: Violence and Anti-Mormonism in the Postbellum South (Oxford University Press, 2011).

Also featured are several poets from Fire in the Pasture. Featuring editor, poet, and AMV-contributor Tyler Chadwick discussing a Javen Tanner poem, and, in a separate session, readings from Tyler, Neil Aitkin, Karen Kelsay, Elisa Pulido, Laura Stott, Holly Welker, and, we hope, more.

Sunstone West is always great fun and you’ll want to catch other panels and presentations while you’re there.

Come to L.A.!

Register today!

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Mike, as I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, is one of modern comics’s great talents—possibly a genius—and, wait for it, he’s a Mormon. This is his spifftacular take on our latest tome.

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Isn’t it incredible that existence even exists?  So much is taken for granted, right?  For anyone that ever wanted to crack open their consciousness to what might be beyond the beyond, MORMONS &MONSTERS could be the read for you.