I’m not doing this on this day to be cute or sentimental — this story demands more than that. And deserves it.
Title: Pioneers
Author: Michael Fillerup
Publication Info: Dialogue, Winter 2007
Submitted by: Andrew Hall
Why?: Andrew says: “I like all of Fillerup’s stories. Nicely descriptive, strong content. His two novels have not worked as well for me.”
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Possible online sources of stories and link to spreadsheet with current submissions
Because it’s summer, and we are all feeling a little lazy and languid. And because there’s already been a bunch of talk about short stories this week (apologies to non-Irreantum subscribers who don’t get to get in on the action — of course, there is a remedy for that). And because there’s simply a lot still to talk about with the posts that have been posted so far this week. And because I’m curious. This is what Short Story Friday is this week:
What’s going on?
Anybody enter the Irreantum fiction contest? Sources* tell me that the stories were heavy on the speculative fiction and sex. I’m not quite sure how to take that. How about the Sunstone contests? Anybody else have anything cooking that they can talk about right now**? Anybody have something to say about The Mormon Short Story? Continue reading “Short Story Friday: interlude — what’s cooking?”
For today a departure from our normal reading — a piece of criticism rather than a short story. Read it and then go back and read one or two or three of the Short Story Friday stories you haven’t read yet.
Title: Danger on the Right! Danger on the Left! The Ethics of Recent Mormon Fiction
Author: Eugene England
Publication Info: Fall 1999 — Dialogue, Volume 32, Number 3
Submitted by: William Morris
Why?: 1. Because it’s the most significant piece of Mormon criticism published so far that focuses on short stories. 2. Because I think it gets at what I mean by the radical middle (but not entirely) 3. Because it has an hilarious title. 4. Because it’s criticism that actually dares to not only examine ethics but use specific examples! 5. Because it’s Eugene England.
Participate:
Possible online sources of stories and link to spreadsheet with current submissions
Harlow explains it so much better than I can (see below).
Title: And
Author: N. E. Houston
Publication Info: Summer 1990 — Dialogue, Volume 23, Number 2
Submitted by: Harlow Clark
Why?: Harlow writes:
“The author gave this story an unindexable title because he has all these story collections with titles like Nothing Very Important and Other Stories, and The Voice of the Moon and Other Songs of the Night, but none of them has a story called And. He intended the story to be a bridge between The Voice of the Moon, a story by the main character of And, and Other Songs of the Night, the character’s master’s thesis.
The collection the story belongs to is unfinished. The design is to alternate stories about Amos Corbin with stories he writes about his experience. So in one story, “Shoulder to the Wheel” he imagines himself as Sisyphus, then writes a story called “Sisyphus” based on that moment in Ovid’s Metamorphoses when Orpheus comes into the underworld seeking Eurydice and all the torments stop because his song is so beautiful they can’t not listen. (It’s not as boring or erudite as it sounds.)
The author only needed 90 pages for his own thesis, so he took several he had written and used them, and swears he’ll finish the others some day.
The story reads like a nightmare of poop and pee and unrequited desire near the end of a semester. One letter to the editor said, “and baby makes three” but I suspect it’s more (or also) a story about a man whose marriage is in deep trouble but he can only bear to think about it in his dreams. I think the opening sequence, with Amos trying to get to the great and spacious building is his wife’s view of him, seeping into his dreams.
(Way the by, the author’s initials stand for Nathaniel Edward, Nathaniel being that Israelite of old in whom there was no guile, like unto Edward Partridge.)”
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Possible online sources of stories and link to spreadsheet with current submissions
Since Tyler has posted his excellent two-part review of The Fob Family Bible, it seems appropriate to feature a story from it this week. Enjoy! Or don’t. Either way, speak up in the comments so Theric isn’t forced to talk to himself about his own project.
Title: Abraham’s Purgatory
Author: B. G. Christensen
Publication Info: June 2009, The FOB Bible
Submitted by: Theric Jepson
Why?: Theric writes: “.
Though I’m adding this story from Plain and Precious Parts of the Fob Bible last, it is, in my opinion, the best entry for the SSF sweepstakes. This story has been published in other forms elsewhere before and has always engendered debate. It’s not a long read, but it challenges the reader and requires us to take sides. Highly recommended for SSF.”
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Possible online sources of stories and link to spreadsheet with current submissions
Some AMV readers may have already read this series of short short stories by Eric Nielson since he posted them at the Blogger of Jared just last year. But for those who missed it the first go round, give it a shot. I make no great literary claims for these stories — and I don’t think that Eric would either — but I agree with Ardis Parshall when she writes that this Earl Johnson character is “sad and funny and wonderful.” By choosing this Walter-Mitty-esque format, Eric gets at some very Mormon experiences but does so in a wistful way.
Title: The Secret Life of Earl Johnson
Author: Eric Nielson
Publication Info: Blogger of Jared Blog, 2008
Submitted by: Eric Nielson
Why?: Eric writes: “A Mormon version of Walter Mitty.
Not sure if this is what you’re looking for. The link is for the first in a series of five, just replace the roman numeral in the end of the link to get to the others. If self promotion is bad form I apologize.”
Wm: Please note that Eric was kind enough to update the posts so you can now navigate between each piece in the series easily. And as he now knows, a little self-promotion is just fine.
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Possible online sources of stories and link to spreadsheet with current submissions
Digging back in to the archives here for a story from the very early days of Mormon Studies. A teaser: “She sat down, checked over the week’s menus and shopping lists and picked up Moby Dick, which she knew she’d never finish.”
Title: The Princess of the Pumpkin
Author: Karen Rosenbaum
Publication Info: Dialogue, 1967
Submitted by: Theric Jepson
Why?: Theric writes: “.
I was going through my Dialogue DVD and this is the first work of fiction Dialogue ever published. Published in their second year and written by a friend of mine. Who knew? (Wm, do you know Karen? She’s in the Berkeley Ward.)”
Wm replies: I have no idea. My memories of the attending the Berkeley Ward are a bit hazy. It was a rather intense time of my life. My guess is that it’s one of those things where I’d have to see a photo because I suck at learning people’s names.
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Possible online sources of stories and link to spreadsheet with current submissions
Here’s what so cool about this edition of Short Story Friday: we’re linking to a revised version of a story (as he notes below — the first short story) that was first published at Popcorn Popping. And we can do that because we let people provide feedback to what we posted and Shawn decided to use it and revise the story.
Title: Returned
Author: S.P. Bailey
Publication Info: revised version of a story posted at Popcorn Popping, April 2006
Submitted by: S.P. Bailey
Why?: Shawn writes: “1. More missionary/post-mission stuff. A great subject in my opinion.
2. This was the first ever story posted on Popcorn Popping. Heady stuff. The linked version is substantially edited–based in part on the critiques received at PP. Link to the original version.
3. I wrote it.”
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Possible online sources of stories and link to spreadsheet with current submissions
Remember how I said that Short Story Friday was going to focus on AMVers for the next few weeks? I meant it. But here’s the thing: we’ve got some excellent short story writers on our team.
Title: The Widower (link is to PDF download)
Author: Eric W. Jepson
Publication Info: Dialogue Wireless, 2007/Dialogue, Summer 2009
Submitted by: Theric Jepson
Why?: “Um, I wrote it?” Yes, he did. I like the part about the second-wife -to-be dressing up as Amelia Bedilia. I’m a little confused about his kids, though. I’m also jealous because he covers similar ground to what I’m trying to do with my novella, although it’s actually pretty different.
Participate:
Possible online sources of stories and link to spreadsheet with current submissions
We’re going self-serving for today’s Short Story Friday.
Title: Return
Author: William Morris
Publication Info: Popcorn Popping, December 2007
Submitted by: S.P. Bailey
Why?: “1. Missionary and post-mission fiction is fraught with possibility. Wm. captures a lot of good stuff here: disorientation, anticipation of an uncertain future, and the powerful way that a place can imprint itself on a missionary’s mind.
“2. This story was posted in the last days of popcorn popping. I didn’t feel like it got the audience it deserved. Hopefully it gets some love here.”
Thanks, Shawn.
A few comments on the story by the author (me):
1. It’s not autobiographical or even semi-autobiographical even though it reads as it probably would be. Okay, that’s not entirely true. The image of the bus is from my mission to Romania, but it’s made much more than it really was. It was more of an aesthetic experience for me personally — and I was already writing it as I was experiencing it. All that stuff about time is stuff I added when writing the story.
2. I’m not convinced by the ending. I rewrote it several times. I think it still needs work.
3. What is important about this story is that it marks the first time that I try to explore through fiction some uniquely Mormon psycho-emotional-spiritual moments — or at least such moments expressed mainly through the language and worldview of Mormonism. It’s become a bit of an obsession, really. Most of my Mormon-themed fiction since then has tried to do the same thing. Which means it all shares the same weaknesses as this story — a bit thin on plot, edges in to sentimentalism, and focuses too much on interiority.
Not to bias your reading or anything.
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Possible online sources of stories and link to spreadsheet with current submissions
A Motley Vision 