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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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Columns Archive
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My Own (not-so-little-anymore) Dancing Boy
Posted on March 23, 2011 | 5 CommentsMy son Stuart turned 8 in February and was baptized as a member of our church last Sunday. (Children typically get baptized when they turn 8 in the Mormon church, so he has been looking forward this. It’s something of a rite of passage.) […] -
Magnolia
Posted on March 22, 2011 | 2 CommentsPaul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia (1999) shows us (to use David Lynch’s words:) people ‘in trouble’. Like Altman’s Short Cuts, the film revolves around the strangely interconnected lives of a number of families in the city, each trying to navigate crises that seem to be veering […] -
“I Believe” – a Review of “The Book of Mormon” Musical
Posted on March 21, 2011 | 21 CommentsAnd mostly I felt sadness that it takes people completely outside of my faith to see where the power of Mormonism lies. -
Jonathan’s Ride to Church(es) in Salt Lake City
Posted on March 20, 2011 | 21 CommentsI was inspired by Andy’s post of churches around York several weeks back and decided to give it a shot where I live here in the Salt Lake area. I had visited some of the churches in the area before, and decided to use […] -
Belly Aches
Posted on March 20, 2011 | 16 CommentsNearly a year ago, I was distressed to realize that I desperately wanted to be somewhere else, doing something else. I wanted to be someone else. Felt burnt out at work. Phoned it in with my family and wondered if I would ever enjoy them […] -
Kevin Smith: ‘Dogma’
Posted on March 18, 2011 | 4 CommentsWhen Dogma (1999) was first released, it was met with all the usual protestors: the Harry-Potter-book-burners, who hadn’t bothered to see the film. From a copy of the script, the Catholic League were left with no doubt that this was a ‘blasphemous’ film: casting Alanis […] -
“Do you want to end up living under a bridge?”
Posted on March 17, 2011 | 10 CommentsThis is, reportedly, what my daughter’s second grade teacher asked her class during a fit of frustration over their less-than-enthusiastic preparation for the looming standardized testing. Several other parents and I were concerned, but felt trapped in the status quo and didn’t really see […] -
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
Posted on March 16, 2011 | 33 CommentsI never thought too much about whether I’d be a mother (see this post if you’d like). I thought about becoming a mother about as much as I think about breathing or blinking. So after I got married (at the absurd age of 19), the […] -
Return and Report
Posted on March 15, 2011 | 10 CommentsWelcome to a new segment on Stacks where I give brief reports on what I’ve been reading or listening to lately. Today’s edition will feature four novels I’ve read in the last month, including one that was on my to do list for this year. […] -
Mormon Mommy Meets Eat, Pray, Love
Posted on March 14, 2011 | 9 CommentsIn the spirit of wayfaring, Ashley joins us today with the kind of travelogue I’d love to hear in testimony meeting. I’m the one with my mouth open wide and feet sitting in a pool of flesh-sucking fish, what Southeast Asians term a “fish spa.” […] -
The Rituals of Sin
Posted on March 13, 2011 | 8 CommentsToday on ‘The Sanctuary’ we’re very pleased to have a guest post from Krisanne, who writes at the Mormon Women Project, as well as A Paper Moth and Bottari. A couple of days ago I watched Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus, a documentary about an […] -
DRY Ink’s Ride to Church
Posted on March 13, 2011 | 8 CommentsCome see Erika’s drive to church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Erika is a licensed therapist and photographer. Click here to see her amazing work. Erika says: “I live in Baton Rouge, LA. Like any town we have our pluses and minuses. Pluses: rich […] -
The Big Lebowski
Posted on March 11, 2011 | 11 Comments‘Sometimes there’s a man. . . and he’s the man for his time and place.’ The Big Lebowski (1998) is a film about a man who ‘nobody calls. . . Lebowski.’ He is ‘The Dude’ (Jeff Bridges): and his journey to secure a replacement rug […] -
Talents: Addition and Multiplication
Posted on March 10, 2011 | 9 CommentsThis is a guest post from a favorite reader and commenter, Corktree. It may sound simplistic (or just serving of my purpose), but I’ve always read the parable of the talents to mean actual talents. It’s just easy to see how one might be […] -
I’m a Public School Junkie
Posted on March 9, 2011 | 34 CommentsI’m a public school junkie and since this is Texas Public Schools Week (who knew?), I’m hopping up on my Public Schools Soapbox. My three siblings and I are all products of Texas public schools, which served us remarkably well-academically and socially. […] -
To The Greatest Boy in the World — A Tribute
Posted on March 8, 2011 | 6 CommentsMy boy, my oldest, is turning nine tomorrow. He is still young, but in the last six months, there have been these strange flickers of the future, a shadow of the young man he will become running through him. There are wry asides, hair that […] -
Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers
Posted on March 7, 2011 | 12 CommentsWe can blame it all on Ben Franklin. Starting the trend for using artistic satire to editorialize, his “Join, or Die” cartoon was the first of its kind to be published. Depicting the original American colonies as pieces of a snake, he attempts to illustrate […] -
Reuben’s (Bike) Ride to Church
Posted on March 6, 2011 | 8 CommentsMy name is Reuben Collins, and I’ve lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for 5 years. My local LDS chapel is only about two miles from my home, but there’s a lot to see along the way. Most weeks, I grab my headphones and the […] -
Brandon Davies and not-so-short shorts
Posted on March 6, 2011 | 27 CommentsThis week, Brandon Davies was suspended from playing on the BYU basketball team for violations of the Honor Code. (ie: he had sex with his girlfriend) The responses have surprised me — Mormons everywhere have strong opinions about Davies’s suspension. The reactions usually fall in […] -
Tarkio Balloon
Posted on March 5, 2011 | 4 CommentsA special guest post today featuring the short documentary ‘Tarkio Balloon. The film is the first in ‘The Lost and Found Series,‘ a series of five documentary films by a collective of filmmakers “exploring what it means to lose something and what we can potentially […] -
The Fountain
Posted on March 4, 2011 | 15 CommentsHow much recompense can mythology -- or even the scientific comforts of persistence of the body -- provide in the face of human yearning? -
Celebrating the Man As Well As His Cause
Posted on March 3, 2011 | 13 CommentsA guest post from a reader, Debra. Names matter. They do. My life experience has taught me this. Names are important as they are references — signs – that direct us to meaning, and often to a particular point in time – in history. In […] -
Family Home Evening at “God’s Favorite Musical”
Posted on March 3, 2011 | 23 CommentsGuest Post: by Ian – An Early Review of The Book of Mormon Musical. This past Monday I had quite the Family Home Evening-I saw a preview performance of the new BOM Musical. I was in NYC for work and wasn’t going to miss my […] -
Laying it on Thick
Posted on March 2, 2011 | 21 CommentsThis is the fifth post in a series regarding sexuality, religion, and teenagers. You can see the other posts by clicking here. The first one was January 26, 2011. ; Guilt. Apparently religious kids-especially Mormons and especially girls-have got it in spades. If/when […] -
Rock of Ages
Posted on March 1, 2011 | 6 CommentsIn the last few years I've become a fan of Swedish death metal. There, I said it. -
Ms. Goody Two-Shoes Lives On
Posted on February 28, 2011 | 12 Comments“A Mormon Mother” was the way I was described as my Prop 8 video was linked around the internet. I can’t blame them, I am the one who introduces the topic of gay marriage with mention of one of my children, and when I identify […] -
Clapping for God
Posted on February 27, 2011 | 8 Comments; ; ; ; ; ; ; What a treat! Mel spilled over to Sunday this week to bless us with a guest post. Enjoy… I was once asked to teach the Gospel Doctrine class, and I seriously wondered if maybe I would be teaching […] -
Zachary’s Ride (Walk) to Church
Posted on February 27, 2011 | 17 CommentsCome see Laura and her son Zachary’s walk to church in the Bay Area. Laura writes: Our kindergartner loves photography, and this was the perfect opportunity. We headed out on the first sunny morning we’ve had for a week or so, and as we […] -
A Prophet at Wartime
Posted on February 26, 2011 | 6 CommentsWhat does this Prophet deplore in war? The actions of the enemy? The actions of the US-led coalition? War in general? It's hard to tell and this appears to be by design and consistent with the LDS church's oft-stated mantra that it avoids making political statements. -
American Beauty
Posted on February 25, 2011 | 13 CommentsRecently ‘Rogue Cinema’ took a foray into the dark world of David Lynch’s films, to explore his disturbing presentations of the decay of the body and inherited contortions of the mind. For all of you who joined me on that journey: thanks. It was a […] -
Hate
Posted on February 24, 2011 | 7 CommentsAs an antidote to all the love around here lately, I thought I’d offer up a little bit of good old-fashioned hate. I grew up in a very low key household where strong feelings didn’t really have a place. My typical toddler tantrums were […] -
Heroic Aspirations, Gay Marriage, and the Mormon Church
Posted on February 23, 2011 | 73 CommentsThis guest post is written by Brent D. Beal, whose marriage to Heather Olson Beal is not at all threatened by the idea of same-sex marriage. My name is Brent Beal. I’ve been married for eighteen years. My wife and I have three […] -
Awakenings
Posted on February 22, 2011 | 15 Comments"True spirituality is not a defense against the uncertainties, pain and danger in life, not an 'an inoculation,' as Joseph Campbell called popular religion, to avoid the unknown. It is an opening to the entire mysterious process of life." -
The Sound of Silence
Posted on February 21, 2011 | 20 Comments“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.” Abraham Lincoln On New Year’s Eve, I ceremoniously drew my approval whore, thanked and then released her: I welcomed a new year after a glorious hike and a fish and chips meal on […] -
A Ride to Church – York
Posted on February 20, 2011 | 19 CommentsThis morning I got in my ‘ride’ (a pair of size 11 Mizuno running shoes), and went to church. If you’ve read some of my other posts and comments around the site, you may have guessed that I don’t attend a church at the moment. […] -
Wide Eyed
Posted on February 20, 2011 | 12 Comments*Please note: This post addresses rape and violence to women. Buddhists use the word interdependence, and it’s one I resonate strongly with. I see the softness of my own edges and those of others. I notice that we are all intrinsically linked and connected on […] -
Adam-God Theory
Posted on February 19, 2011 | 11 CommentsWhat we believe truly matters. Most of what we believe has its roots in what we were taught as children by people who we once rightfully worshipped as demi-gods; [...] These are the source of our own private Adam-God Theory. -
Moon
Posted on February 18, 2011 | 12 CommentsToday’s post on ‘Rogue Cinema’ is a collaboration between Matt and Andy. “WHERE ARE WE NOW?” If you’ve seen 2001: A Space Odyssey you’ll find many similarities between the mood, the sets, the characters, the landscapes and even the plot devices found in Moon; so […] -
Business Lunch
Posted on February 17, 2011 | 12 CommentsToday, a guest post from Jacque. I wasn’t driving. My boss had borrowed her husband’s SUV for the day so the four of us could ride together. . .. . .. . .along with all the food. We were a car full; four professional women, […] -
In God we Trust
Posted on February 16, 2011 | 24 CommentsThis post is the fourth in a series of posts regarding religion, teenagers, and sexuality. You can see the rest of the posts here. One little snippet in Regnerus’s book (Forbidden Fruit: Sex & Religion in the Lives of American Teenagers) that has implications […] -
Myo
Posted on February 15, 2011 | 8 CommentsI am a Sunday Painter, an I-storyteller, a blogger with a miniscule audience in a big, noisy world. Oftentimes, I feel a mild sense of despair over my lack of talent or panic with each approaching deadline. I'm not going to set the world on fire with my musings on Miss Piggy or Liz Phair, but I am keeping something lit within me. -
Playing Valentine
Posted on February 14, 2011 | 213 CommentsLegend has it that one of the roots of Valentine’s Day stem from a third century ban on marriage passed by Roman emperor Claudius II who thought married men made poor soldiers. A priest named Valentine continued the marriage tradition by marrying couples in secret, […] -
A Ride to Church – Nacogdoches
Posted on February 13, 2011 | 9 CommentsWe moved to Nacogdoches (pronounced Nac-a-do-ches), a small town of 30,000, in 2008. On your way into town, a big billboard proudly announces that Nacogdoches is “the oldest town in Texas.” [I’m not sure what this means–does it means it’s the oldest white […] -
Hosanna in the Highest
Posted on February 13, 2011 | 22 CommentsThis week on ‘The Sanctuary’: a guest post from Andy. One way of characterising my spiritual journey over the last four years would be to say I’ve gone from functioning within an inherited culture, towards a more critical outlook and need for rationality in assembling […] -
Leaving
Posted on February 12, 2011 | 33 CommentsI'm in the process of choosing to leave. I'm almost there. There's only a consideration of the cost. -
Black Swan
Posted on February 11, 2011 | 7 CommentsToday’s post is from a guest that we’ll call ‘White Cygnet’. I didn’t expect Black Swan to strike at my Mormon roots. I found the film both disturbing and moving (once I could calm down from its “thriller” effect), but surprisingly the part that spoke […] -
Bearing a Burden
Posted on February 10, 2011 | 6 CommentsIt sounds corny, but by carrying around her belongings (two pairs of sturdy shoes, a box of office supplies, a blanket, and a black garbage bag full of what I assume was clothing) I felt like I was literally bearing her burden, whoever she was. -
What do a burger, a rare steak, and a gift all have in common?
Posted on February 9, 2011 | 48 CommentsA couple years ago, I sat in a Relief Society lesson at church about modesty. According to the rumor mill, this lesson was necessitated by the fact that some women in our congregation were dressing immodestly, a most unfortunate reality that was making it difficult […] -
Foolish Love
Posted on February 8, 2011 | 7 CommentsMy husband likes to attribute a lot of our personality quirks to generational influences. In his eyes, we are deeply earnest, but pathologically afraid of cheesiness or sentimentality (to such a degree that almost all of our shows of affection tend to be in joke […] -
Commercial Appeal
Posted on February 7, 2011 | 16 CommentsYou may have been watching the Packers and Steelers last night, but since I don’t care for pro football and typically pick a favorite based on the fashion statement the uniforms make (saw two sets of yellow pants yay!), I watched the ads. I learned […] -
C’mon, get happy
Posted on February 6, 2011 | 7 CommentsIf you asked a Mormon what the purpose of this life is, you would probably get an explanation of the Plan of Salvation. Something along the lines of coming to earth to get a body, to learn and grow, and to be tested in this […] -
Mirror
Posted on February 5, 2011 | 9 CommentsWhen the Universe ends-or re-begins?-how will we know? Who will write the history of it? And what is the basis of any hope that anyone would care to read it? -
David Lynch: ‘Inland Empire’
Posted on February 4, 2011 | No Comments‘What time is it?’ ‘It’s after midnight.’ In one of the key, echoed scenes of Inland Empire (2006), Laura Dern’s character ascends a dark staircase to a strange office, where a man with glasses listens to her tell her story: of a dark time recalled […] -
Number 8
Posted on February 3, 2011 | 2 CommentsI gave him an out, saying something about maybe he'd already had lunch. "Yeah, thanks anyway, I'm not hungry, I already ate," he said. -
The Birds and the Bees, Mormon Style
Posted on February 2, 2011 | 31 CommentsDid you have a birds-and-the-bees talk when you were a kid? Mine occurred in fourth grade the night before they showed the puberty video at school. My dad came up to my room, pulled out a legal pad, drew a very simple drawing of . […] -
The Golden Rule
Posted on February 1, 2011 | 5 Comments[UPDATED] I am bound and cannot escape. I live in shadows and mists along the edges of that magical world of my childhood; a realm where all of humanity is enslaved by unhappiness and fear of certain destruction ... unless ... -
Going Green
Posted on January 31, 2011 | 6 CommentsOne of the most profound ideas from my big Christmas trip was how it affected my relationship with my wallet. Taking a family of 6 that far for that long went beyond the normal vacation budgets and into spending money that could/should have been saved […] -
Smart-Asses Welcome
Posted on January 30, 2011 | 5 CommentsToday at the yoga studio we offered a day of full retreat complete with restorative yoga, meditation classes, clean vegetarian meals, and dharma talks. It was a day to rejuvenate and draw within. During one of the dharma talks we were discussing the mind, and […] -
Scapegoats
Posted on January 29, 2011 | 15 Comments"Don't blame it all on the devil" seems a reasonable enough point for mature minds. Maybe too obvious a point? It's tempting to take all of this at face value and assume that Defoe's meaning is simple, but I'd like to suggest something further ... -
David Lynch: ‘Eraserhead’
Posted on January 28, 2011 | 4 CommentsThe chicken on the table isn't dead. The baby is perhaps a cow fetus. And Henry has to raise it - as far as he possibly can -- and to the limits of his sanity. You recognise the cries: they are the same as a human child.