Bella’s body is what propels the action of the Twilight series. The lust (for both sex and violence) it arouses, the lust it feels, the way pain makes her feel alive and close to Edward and is therefore enjoyed, the human fragility she must overcome, the bloodlust she feels as a vampire–these elements of physicality …
Speaker: Holly Welker
SL10174: Panel: The Book of Job
The Book of Job has been labeled the ur-text of both tragedy and the practical joke; it has inspired such interpretations and responses as Answer to Job by Carl Jung and A Serious Man by the Coen Brothers. Often considered a tale of mature spirituality, it both elicits and demands thoughtful consideration. This panel will …
SL10272: Our Voices, Our Visions: A Mormon Women’s Literary Tour Encore Performance
The Mormon Women’s Literary Tour returns to Utah for a repeat performance at Sunstone! If you missed readings in California, Arizona, and Utah this spring, take this chance to hear from established and new Mormon women writers. JULIE J. NICHOLS, WHITNEY MOWER, ELISA PULIDO, ELIZABETH PINBOROUGH, HOLLY WELKER, JOANNA BROOKS
SL10334: Panel: The Pros and Cons of Writing Confessional Memoir in the Mormon Milieu
This panel will focus on the pros and cons of writing and publishing a tell-all, “confessional” memoir in the Mormon milieu—this culture of “truth-telling.” What are the ramifications of making private thoughts and actions into a public record? How does this follow D&C 42:88: “And if thy brother or sister offend thee, thou shalt take …
SL10373: Men and the Priesthood: Taking on the Feminine
Some feminists insist that they want equality in the priesthood while others just want to have a say in their culture. Before we brand an all-male priesthood as inherently bad, let’s step back and take a second look at some possible positive aspects of an all-male priesthood—as well as some of the drawbacks of such …
NW10004: Making Waves: Past and Present Approaches to Mormon Feminism and Activism
Panelists discuss the experiences that propelled their feminist awakenings and the trajectories they have observed in Mormon feminism over the years, including mission experiences, participating in email discussion lists, the emergence of blogs and social media tools, and the current efforts of LDS WAVE to engage a new generation of women in Mormon feminist advocacy. …
NW10005: LDS Church and New Media
The LDS Church has been the subject of much media scrutiny of late. With the attention has come some not-so-ideal PR, including backlash from California’s Prop 8 and survey results indicating many identify Mormons with polygamy (if they know anything about Mormons at all). Panelists and the audience discuss the LDS Church’s use of new …
SL09151 A Price Far Above Rubies vs. Eight Cows: What’s a Virtuous Woman Worth?
Produced by BYU in 1969, the short film Johnny Lingo is often cited as a wise, compassionate story of male sensitivity to female identity, a positive demonstration of how to foster female self-worth. But the story hinges on the idea that a woman’s self-esteem is based on the price she commands in a financial transaction …
SL09234 Panel: Divine Malfeasance [Partial]
Richard Nixon claimed, “If the president does it, it’s not illegal, Holly Welker, Michael J. Stevens, Doe Daughtrey, Stephen Carter, Parker Blount
SL09371 Panel: Do Mormons Dream of Monstrous Gods? Interpreting Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Myth
Mormon mom and BYU grad Stephenie Meyer created a myth so compelling, her Twilight series sold 42 million books worldwide and migrated to the movie screen and grossed $188 million. As the bestselling fiction author of 2008, Meyer is the biggest publishing phenomenon since J.K. Rowling. She has sold more books than any Mormon author …