Author Archives: Scott Parkin

The Relief Society and the Muting of Mormon Drama

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Scott Parkin

It’s been commented that one of the challenges of Mormon culture is that we’re just too mellow, that we don’t have so many of the moments of personal drama that define so much of common experience and the popular literature, with the effect that we (generally) lack the social misery that drives so much of our better literature and drama. Continue reading →

Posted in Community Voices, Personal Narratives, Storytelling and Community | 14 Comments

Unintended Consequence—Loss of the “Safe” Genre

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Scott Parkin

Since YA is becoming increasingly less “safe,” what replaces it for those readers who consider aesthetic safety as their first filter for book selection? Continue reading →

Posted in Community Voices, YA corner | Tagged , , , | 23 Comments

Double-thinking Humanities 101

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Scott Parkin

It’s interesting how many of the basic Humanities 101 concepts and questions are still being actively discussed by this august body of people who mostly have university degrees already. Continue reading →

Posted in Community Voices, Personal Narratives | 11 Comments

Thank you for not yelling at me

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Scott Parkin

One of the great challenges of a literature whose foundations come from common religion (or politics, or healthy living, or any other community that requires a conversion) is a tendency to preach. Continue reading →

Posted in Community Voices, Personal Narratives, Storytelling and Community | 7 Comments

Getting the Squirrel to Read

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Scott Parkin

My family likes to read, and we specifically like to read fiction. Except my 11-year old son, Alex (affectionately known as the Squirrel). So I’m looking for suggestions. What can I do to encourage the Squirrel to read? Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Lit corner, Community Voices | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Getting off the sidelines: Thoughts on LTUE 29

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Scott Parkin

I hope I’m not stepping on anyone else’s assigned topic here, but as an attendee and sometime panelist at the symposium on science fiction and fantasy held at BYU last week, I wanted to offer some observations. A consideration in … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Voices, SF&F corner, Storytelling and Community, The Writer's Desk | 5 Comments

Fascinating (depictions of) Womanhood

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Scott Parkin

I was born in the mid-1960s, so I grew up listening to the debate about the challenges of implementing both civil rights and women’s rights. My Saturday morning cartoons featured explorations on social and environmental responsibility (anyone remember Sealab 2020). … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Voices | 3 Comments

Community Voices: A Tale of Two Christmases

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Scott Parkin

A personal vignette. In August of 2001, the company I worked for was caught in the collapse of the technology sector, the so-called “dot-bomb” where heavily overvalued tech stocks took a beating in a massive market correction. The effect was … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Voices | 5 Comments

Mormon LitCrit: Despair Porn vs. a Literature of Hope

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Scott Parkin

It’s been an odd reading/viewing month for me. I rarely set out with a predetermined theme, but I often discover one as I go. While I understand that it’s unusual to discuss despair on Thanksgiving day, that was the accidental … Continue reading →

Posted in Mormon LitCrit | Tagged | 12 Comments

Community Voices: Please Pardon This Interruption

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Scott Parkin

I apologize for this breach in protocol. Each of us has a scheduled day to post and mine has already passed for the month, but I wanted to jump in quick before the next scheduled entry and ask a question.

Posted in Community Voices | Tagged | 53 Comments