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Recent Posts
- Psaltery & Lyre’s New Site
- 123 Psaltery & Lyre: “Agricola Dreams of Flying” by J. Rose Lara
- 122 Psaltery & Lyre: “Communion: a love poem (a villanelle)” by Rachel Bollinger
- Book Review: Philip Metres’s Sand Opera
- 121 Psaltery & Lyre: Rachael Matthews, “Horsehead Nebula”
- Book Review: Monica Ong’s Silent Anatomies
- 120 Psaltery & Lyre: Rachael Matthews, “Return, pt. III” and “Gaia”
- Book Review: Claudia Rankine’s Don’t Let Me Be Lonely
- Book Review: Matthea Harvey, If the Tabloids Are True What Are You?
- Book Review: LoterÃa Cards and Fortune Poems: A Book of Lives
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Tag Cloud
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Columns Archive
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Modesty, Mormon-style
Posted on July 13, 2011 | 165 CommentsWe try not to rant here at Doves & Serpents. We try to discuss things we’re thinking about, exchange ideas, and ask questions. But I was pushed over the edge today when I read this little gem published in The Friend (a monthly magazine for […] -
Staff Stacks
Posted on July 12, 2011 | 15 CommentsWhat the writers of D&S are into right now. -
Earthy Soulful Awakening
Posted on July 11, 2011 | 2 CommentsI grew up road-tripping to my dad’s favorites: Johnny Cash, Trio: Linda Rondstadt, Emmylou Harris & Dolly Parton, and AM sports radio mixed with a lot of static. So it’s no wonder I’ve been smitten by The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. Though each […] -
Healing Waters
Posted on July 10, 2011 | 6 Comments“You’ll only be baptized once in your life, so it is a very special experience,” my grandmother said, speaking at my eight year old daughter’s baptism last week. After her talk concluded, we made our way down the hallway to the baptismal font and while […] -
Walk to Church/Synagogue in Krakow
Posted on July 10, 2011 | 9 CommentsToday’s Walk to Church/Synagogue comes to us from Jacob Baker, who recently attended a conference in Krakow, Poland. This is sort of cheating because Jacob didn’t really take these pictures for Doves & Serpents, but kindly consented to let me use them after I Facebook-stalked […] -
02 A Mormon in the Cheap Seats: Our God is Too Small
Posted on July 9, 2011 | 14 CommentsThe problem is that our assumption of order and constancy doesn't match the diversity, incoherence, and contradictions of lived religion. -
Considering James Bond in a Post-Mad Men World
Posted on July 9, 2011 | 2 CommentsYou, the audience, look through the barrel of an assassin’s rifle at a circular white space as a smartly dressed gentleman strides into view and then he suddenly whirls toward you, his now unconcealed pistol firing. A crimson wash of blood slowly coats the […] -
Needing it Now and the Eye of the Storm
Posted on July 7, 2011 | 1 CommentAs I watched from my TV with a newborn baby, I was physically ill at the sight of those not able to escape New Orleans as the ravaging effects of Hurricane Katrina flooded their city and threatened their lives. The city was special to me, […] -
Passing up Girls’ Night Out
Posted on July 6, 2011 | 6 CommentsI consider myself a friendly, outgoing person. I had a great group of girls I was friends with in high school. I like to think people find me easy to talk to and easy to get to know. I can easily kill a half hour […] -
Rasputin Records
Posted on July 5, 2011 | 10 CommentsMy husband and I both enjoy a really broad range of musical genres. As such, I’ve often wondered — how will our kids find a way to fulfill the role of the rebellious teenager at our house when we as parents seem to appreciate most […] -
Independence Day
Posted on July 4, 2011 | 4 CommentsBecoming a citizen was a long, expensive process for my husband. I can't imagine how difficult it was for those people from Burkina Faso, Serbia, Jamaica, Colombia, Cambodia that we shared that day with at the immigration office. -
Erin’s Ride to a 10-Day Silent Vipassana Course
Posted on July 3, 2011 | 5 CommentsOur beloved Erin just wrapped up a 10-day silent vipassana meditation retreat, or as some people call it, “meditation boot camp.” Hopefully she’ll tell us more about it here later. For now, some pictures of her ride to the retreat center in Dallas: -
This Wild Playground
Posted on July 3, 2011 | 5 CommentsThis week I found myself hanging upside-down from aerial silks in an artist’s studio in Oakland, when the blasphemous words came out of my mouth, “I can’t!” I found new levels of humility while failing to find muscles I knew I had somewhere, and trying […] -
01 A Mormon in the Cheap Seats: On Being a Church Loser
Posted on July 2, 2011 | 33 CommentsIf my religion were a sports stadium, then I'm in the nosebleed section. I've got a big Diet Coke, a bucket of popcorn, and the field is the size of a postage stamp. -
Winter’s Bone
Posted on July 1, 2011 | 7 CommentsAmong its confluence of forces and traditions, it is impossible to ignore that the mythological potential of America is enabled, at least in part, by its sheer size. As the borders of the United States pushed relentlessly West, spaces opened up in the endless flats […] -
Joining the Jesus Freaks
Posted on June 30, 2011 | 1 CommentDo we believe, deep down, that the poor are that way because God wants them to be? -
The Evil One
Posted on June 28, 2011 | 8 CommentsDoes reading make you a better person? -
The Great I AM
Posted on June 27, 2011 | 3 CommentsStopped at a light one Saturday morning, I met some teenage girls and their mothers with buckets requesting money to send the girls to basketball championships. My first reaction was annoyance, but I decided if they needed it enough to ask, I could definitely spare […] -
JaneAnne’s Ride to Church in Portland
Posted on June 26, 2011 | 16 CommentsToday’s Ride to Church comes to us from the West Coast–Portland, Oregon. JaneAnne writes: “I live in Willamette Heights, Northwest Portland, Oregon, and attend church in Beaverton. Although I mostly grew up in Salem, Oregon, my family lived in Beaverton when I was a small […] -
Patriarchs I Have Known and Loved
Posted on June 26, 2011 | 8 CommentsMy father grew up in a troubled home, poor as coal dust. A child of the depression and of divorce, he lined his broken-soled shoes with newsprint. As a child, he learned to hustle, earning nickels at the ballpark any night he could. There was […] -
Joseph Smith and the Archetypes of the Collectively Unconscious Male
Posted on June 25, 2011 | 5 CommentsIn their 1990 publication, King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine, Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette suggested during the apex of the “men’s movement” that males should listen to the wisdom of the ages in searching for mature expressions of modern […] -
Men On Film
Posted on June 24, 2011 | 15 CommentsAs part of this week’s discussion on “Mature Masculinity,” I thought I’d take a closer look at films and television shows that depict men grappling with questions of identity and what it means to be a man in the modern world. As we’ve discussed this […] -
Proxy Work
Posted on June 23, 2011 | 5 CommentsAs a lone-parent, five-child family on welfare, we were hardly the ideal Mormon family. -
‘Men’ in the Dock
Posted on June 22, 2011 | 14 CommentsThis is a post about men. This is a post about women. No wait, this is a post about ‘men’. This is a post about the relationships between women and men, ‘men’ and ‘women’: in a time of war. Of course, the work of feminism […] -
Atticus Finch: Fatherhood Gold Standard
Posted on June 21, 2011 | 15 CommentsFor years, I’ve cited To Kill a Mockingbird as my favorite book whenever asked. But I’ve read a lot of books since I first read that book in ninth grade English class. So thanks to a book club I’m a part of, I re-read it […] -
Burying the Weapons
Posted on June 20, 2011 | 13 CommentsWhen I became a mother I was certain my children would grow up enlightened. And for me enlightenment meant my children would not ascribe to any traditional gender stereotypes or roles. My girls would play sports and revile Barbie. My boys would wear bow ties […] -
A Most Important Proclamation
Posted on June 19, 2011 | 8 CommentsWhen I was about six years old, my Dad walked me to primary class. We passed a man in the ward who nodded at the baby girl in my dad’s arms and said, “Wow. Four girls. I guess you’ll be going for baby number five […] -
Heidi & Torben’s Ride to Church in Long Melford, England
Posted on June 19, 2011 | 7 CommentsToday’s ride to church comes to Doves & Serpents from our beloved Heidi, who writes Stacks for us every Tuesday, and her brother Torben. ; This is the parish church in the nearby village of Long Melford. I pass it every day and I’ve been […] -
Welcome to ‘Mature Masculinity Week’
Posted on June 19, 2011 | 11 CommentsGrr! Hmph! (Flex!) It’s Father’s Day, and that means that the next seven days on D&S will be dedicated to that strange cultural elaboration on the XY chromosome: it’s ‘Mature Masculinity Week’! “‘Mature’ masculinity?” I hear you cry! “Isn’t masculinity, by definition, more mature than […] -
Stories and Stone
Posted on June 18, 2011 | 9 CommentsHaving arrived in London last week on an ordinary mid-week mid-morning, I exited the lofty frame of St Pancras International Station, onto Pentonville Road. Consulting the compass on my phone, I walked West first, the great art galleries near Trafalgar Square as my destination. The […] -
No Soup For You!
Posted on June 16, 2011 | 1 CommentI recently read this article in the Orlando Sentinel reporting on a third round of arrests of activists arrested for violating an ordinance prohibiting the sharing of food with large groups in a city park more than twice a year. The group Food Not […] -
Mirror, Mirror, on the wall . . .
Posted on June 15, 2011 | 8 CommentsMy 14-year-old daughter recently said, “Mom, do you realize how many of your sentences begin with, ‘I just finished reading a book . . .’?” I paused for a moment, thinking about her question, and then realized-somewhat sheepishly-that she was right. So, in order to […] -
Staff Stacks
Posted on June 14, 2011 | 22 CommentsTake a look at what we're into right now. -
Fear Factor
Posted on June 13, 2011 | 8 CommentsI am terrified right now. In fact, I literally just sent a text to a friend that read, “I am terrified.” You see, this week, I set off for a ten-day silent meditation course. When it’s all said and done, I’ll be there for at […] -
Be Ye Therefore Perfect
Posted on June 12, 2011 | 9 Comments26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. — Michael Jordan In one of the best Relief Society lessons I’ve heard, the teacher […] -
Battles – ‘Gloss Drop’ Tour, London
Posted on June 11, 2011 | 1 CommentFrom the packed-in floor of a dark club (under Victorian railway tracks), and through the dancing columns of sound and light, the three members of Battles appear as conjurors, athletes, inventors, and heroes. Playing mostly material from their brand-new album (released this week) ‘Gloss Drop‘, […] -
I Love the Smell of K-Y Warming Jelly ® in the Morning, or, Marital Apocalypse Delayed
Posted on June 10, 2011 | 8 CommentsAlthough best known for “The Seventh Seal” and other serious “art house” films, I suggest Ingmar Bergman’s best work is his delightful “Smiles of a Summer Night.” Whether you watch it as a momentary diversion from a sweltering evening this summer or view it as […] -
The Parable of the Potato Soup
Posted on June 9, 2011 | 15 CommentsOnce upon a time, a woman in our ward (=church congregation) had a baby. In typical fashion, the women at church mobilized and quickly sent around a list for people to sign up to take a meal over to her family. Kennedy was very excited […] -
Kids, Bootleggers, and Diviners
Posted on June 8, 2011 | 7 CommentsI read a fair amount of young adult fiction-both as part of my job as a professor of secondary education and as a parent of two girls ages 11 and 14. I just finished reading Moon over Manifest, the 2011 Newbery Award winner, by Claire […] -
Dignified
Posted on June 7, 2011 | 4 CommentsIt's obvious that female writers and male writers are equals and "greatness" is highly subjective so we don't have to say a word, right? I'm not so sure. -
The Memory Keeper
Posted on June 6, 2011 | 8 CommentsThey say 3 moves purges as much stuff as a fire. I’m testing that theory this summer. I moved last summer to what I knew would be temporary housing, grateful to sell my suburban home and trade it for a tiny rental in a unique […] -
Paula’s ride to church in Trenton, Utah
Posted on June 5, 2011 | 34 CommentsI made a visit to my hometown in mid April, so I took some photos of my mom’s ride to church, through our little town of Trenton, Utah, just a couple of miles south of the Idaho border in Cache Valley. Trenton was founded in […] -
Gosford Park
Posted on June 4, 2011 | 5 CommentsAfter recently bingeing on the award-winning and critically acclaimed BBC mini-series Downton Abbey, the drama-comedy Gosford Park caught my eye on my Netflix suggestions menu. It turns out they share the same writer, Julian Fellowes. Directed by Robert Altman, Gosford Park was nominated […] -
On Shoes
Posted on June 4, 2011 | 18 CommentsAccording to their origins, shoes are functional items. They give a degree of protection against the chance of you stepping on something sharp or unfriendly, and may be designed to offer additional grip, warmth and in some cases, speed, compared with the bare foot. But […] -
The Birdnapper
Posted on June 2, 2011 | 6 Comments“He fell out of the nest two stories up yesterday. I think the parents have given up on him,” my friend told my 5 year old daughter after asking if “she wanted a baby bird” as we were leaving his house. My […] -
Teens and Social Media
Posted on June 1, 2011 | 9 CommentsI have a 14-year-old daughter, so I have many opportunities to think about teens, texting, and Facebook. We got her a cell phone between 6th and 7th grade. She had been claiming throughout 6th grade that she was the “only one” at school without a […] -
It’s Not You, It’s Me
Posted on May 31, 2011 | 12 CommentsI loved this recent segment from NPR’s All Songs Considered about the bands that contributors have broken up with over the years and why. From the piece: “Context is everything here, so the three narrowed their picks into four basic categories: bands you swore off […] -
Remember When . . .
Posted on May 30, 2011 | 2 CommentsWhen we are weary and in need of strength We remember them When we are lost and sick at heart We remember them When we have joy we crave to share We remember them When we have decisions that are difficult to make We remember […] -
Living Rapturously
Posted on May 29, 2011 | 5 CommentsA week ago, some of us were waiting with bated breath to find out if Harold Camping had crunched the numbers correctly! Had the world ended during the night? Even though the LDS church uses other phrases instead of the Rapture, a term embraced by […] -
The Grovers’ Ride to Church in Vegas!
Posted on May 29, 2011 | 6 CommentsThis week’s Ride to Church comes to us from Las Vegas! Two notes from Tom: Although Las Vegas has a deserved reputation for hedonism, it is also a very religious community. Las Vegas is among the top American cities for churches per capita. Because […] -
‘We Have Won’: The Spirit of the Marathon
Posted on May 28, 2011 | 16 CommentsIn the year 490 BC, so the story goes, a herald from Athens named Pheidippides, already having run 150 miles over the previous days, ran the 25 mile distance from the battlefield at Marathon to Athens, to announce the victory over the Persian armies. As […] -
Papa, Watch me Fly!
Posted on May 27, 2011 | 5 CommentsOn Sunday nights, we gather all the piles of clean laundry into the living room and fold it while watching a movie. The kids were not amused by my choice last Sunday: “Yentl” (now stream-able on Netflix!). They don’t like to watch “old” movies and […] -
Moneybags
Posted on May 26, 2011 | 2 CommentsMoney Memory #1: A few years ago I found $20 in an old canvas purse. I should note that it was my old purse and I had forgotten about the $20 I placed in the front pocket. Still, I was excited. I emailed my family […] -
Sometimes it pays to be the squeaky wheel
Posted on May 25, 2011 | 15 CommentsMy son Stuart’s end-of-the-year dance recital was last Saturday night. He looked like a million bucks up there on stage and handled himself swimmingly when the dance moms and girls looked askance at him as one of only three boys in the dance studio. […] -
Return and Report: A Visit From the Goon Squad
Posted on May 24, 2011 | 5 CommentsWelcome back to Return and Report, a segment on Stacks where I give brief reports on what I’ve been reading or listening to lately. Today’s edition will feature an amazing book, which was was on my to do list for this year. “Time’s a goon, […] -
By the Cut of Their Hair, Ye Shall Know Them
Posted on May 23, 2011 | 19 CommentsIt’s summer buzz time at our house. The last week of school marks the time that hair standards are drastically relaxed, we’ve got teen and tween girls are picking the colors for their streaks while the little boys choose extreme styles or grow out their […] -
Tina Fey’s Arithmetic Mean Girl
Posted on May 22, 2011 | 6 CommentsDoes anyone remember the ABC After School Specials that ran from 1972–1997? I do. In fact I remember once fantasizing to myself about them: “If only the Saturday Night Live people wrote, acted in and produced these shows they might almost be . . . […] -
The Illusion of Equality
Posted on May 22, 2011 | 21 CommentsToday, a guest post from Helen. I read a review of Rebecca Asher’s book the week it came out in print, and decided to order it straight away. One of the most exciting things was reading a book written right now, talking about things happening […] -
Derall’s Ride to Church in Arizona
Posted on May 22, 2011 | 5 CommentsToday’s Ride to Church comes to us from sunny Arizona. Derall says: “It is 70 degrees as we walk out into the smiling Arizona sun at 7:45AM this May morning. Two thoughts cross my mind. First, I’m glad it is not July because […] -
Love letters to Amy Poehler
Posted on May 21, 2011 | 17 CommentsA few years ago I was crossing Castro street in San Francisco after a yoga class when I was stopped by an enthusiastic man. “Hey! You look exactly like that girl from SNL, what’s her name?,” he asks. “Amy Poehler?” I offer, as if I’ve […]