Piddling around with Mormon niche markets is okay, as far as it goes (which isn’t far). But for me, the real holy grail of Mormon literature would be for a Mormon author to break through nationally with authentic Mormon content. We need a Mormon Saul Bellow, John Updike, etc. If and when that ever happens, I think that’s what will crack open the Mormon culture for some real literary treatment. I haven’t seen anyone come anywhere near to pulling this off yet, though.

Good post. And in the comments, Angela Hallstrom (who wrote Bound on Earth) said this, which really resonated with me:

I think we just need to write things true, you know? Without an agenda. Without a, “I’m so spiritual, look at me,” OR a, “I’m so edgy and provocative, look at me” undertone ruining the honesty that makes good writing work.

Exactly! Honesty, not self-conscious pretention — in either direction. That’s one of the things I love about New Play Project. I don’t know how it happens so consistently, but the plays we produce really don’t have agendas. They’re not preachy or saccharine, yet they deal with hard issues without going edgy and chasing the Spirit away. They’re not afraid to question things, but it’s all within a context of faithfulness, all on a solid gospel foundation. They’re honest. They’re true. They’re awesome.

And the more we see of that in all the artistic disciplines, the better. I feel like we’re teetering on the cusp of a full-blown Mormon renaissance. Yes, we’ll always have sappy stuff, and we’ll always have edgy stuff, but now we’re finally starting to see the well-rounded and healthy works in the middle — the middle niche Chris talks about in his post. Ah, it’s a great time to be involved in Mormon arts.

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