A few years before her death, Black pioneer Jane Manning James dictated her life story to Elizabeth J. D. Roundy, concluding it with these words: [M]y faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints is as strong today–nay it is if possible stronger–than it was the day I was first baptized. I pay my tithes and offerings, keep the Word of Wisdom. I go to bed early and arise early. I try in my feeble way to set... Read more

I have a fertile imagination. That is, perhaps, an understatement. I wonder if each of us lives life differently, sees our life events differently. I am usually in a poem, composing a poem, and reading a poem simultaneously. I say that metaphorically. When I played Nora in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, I said the lines, acted the part, and also recognized the unity of the script. My imagination follows trajectories. I am, as my husband has said, “leapingly intuitive.” I... Read more

Correct answers are bolded. 1: In the Gnostic poem “Hymn of the Pearl,” a young man is sent off by his ________ to pursue a quest: A) overseer B) father C) parents D) twin 2: Who wrote these words: “If the image of a thing is imprinted on the memory, the thing itself must first have been present, for the image to be imprinted.” A) Boethius B) St. Augustine C) Joseph Smith D) Percy B. Shelley (more…) Read more

Quiz on King Follett and Pre-existence literature NAME:______________________________ 1: In the Gnostic poem “Hymn of the Pearl,” a young man is sent off by his ________ to pursue a quest: A) overseer B) father C) parents D) twin 2: Who wrote these words: “If the image of a thing is imprinted on the memory, the thing itself must first have been present, for the image to be imprinted.” A) Boethius B) St. Augustine C) Joseph Smith D) Percy B. Shelley... Read more

I recorded this story, one I made up and told to my son on a cabin porch, as a “perk” for donating to the Heart of Africa film. I offer it here as a gift and/or an invitation. Feel free to download it or listen to it (best done on a cabin porch). If you choose to donate to the film, we will happily accept that. Donations are tax deductible. See the link above. Read more

She was raised by her grandmother, Susie Mae Young Thomas, who was a civil rights leader. She grew up knowing Susie’s history–of being denied classes other than those in domestic service, and knowing that a “sea of brown”–Hispanics, blacks, others who knew prejudice far too well–finally protested in favor of Susie and the others who were determined not to be held back. She raised her five sisters as well as the children she and her husband had. She portrayed Jane... Read more

In LDS literature, we are talking about the Mormon concept of the pre-existence, and then comparing some of Joseph Smith’s revolutionary concepts with their romanticized versions depicted in Saturday’s Warriors. We begin with the King Follett discourse, given at the funeral of a man who was crushed in a well. Joseph Smith chose to speak about the nature of God and pre-existent spirits “capable of enlargement.” (more…) Read more