Come All Ye Saints to Zion, It’s Time to Praise Sunstone
Behold, and lo, I have much people in this place, in the regions round about;and an effectual door shall be opened in the regions round about in this easternland. ~D&C 100: 3, 12I,
Crazywomancreek wrote a lovely and replete post attempting to link all of the amazing presenters (fMhLisa, Shelah, Reese,Derek, Kimberly, me!) and some of our favorite folks from the bloggernacle (KLS, Tracy M, Kaimi, Kristine H, Ms Jack Myers, Cheryl B, Caroline from the ExII, Joanna Brooks and Holly W. and… too many to name!) with their respective blogs and/or bios but Wordpress…ate them.
You can ask Artemis, who is visiting me. Wordpress is heavily influenced by a satanic spirit. There I said it.
So I am sending you to the Sunstone Symposium link where you can peruse the program at your leisure. Come if you can, we’d all like to meet you. If you can’t make it but would like to support the awesomeness that it provides, consider donating online. Also, here is a link to the story in today’s Salt Lake Tribune on the Symposium.
One last plug for the people who are the very foundation of all the work we do today; Lavina Fielding Anderson, Margaret and Paul Toscano, Paul Swenson, Jan Shipps and Claudia Bushman will all be presenting. It is a serious dream-team of LDS academic and cultural icons.
What are you waiting for? Go get your tickets!
Argh. Yes, I know how to write in proper paragraphs but wordpress won’t let me. Sorry.
Comment by crazywomancreek — July 31, 2010 @ 6:23 pm
Would someone be so kind as to explain what Sunstone is or who they are? I have only heard their name thrown around with contempt in the past, so I am completely virgin when it comes to knowledge about this. Please educate me if you feel so inclined. Thanks in advance!
Comment by Emily A. — July 31, 2010 @ 6:29 pm
EmilyA- a good place to begin is by clicking on the links above. Let me know what needs clarifying after that and I’d be happy to help. And who said Sunstone with contempt? They should have their mouths (lovingly) washed out with soap.
Comment by crazywomancreek — July 31, 2010 @ 6:39 pm
If I ever start having trouble like that, it’s usually the wysiwyg editor, so switch over to the ‘code’ editor and it might fix it for you.
Comment by fMhLisa — July 31, 2010 @ 6:43 pm
We tried that, actually. We also tried plain-texting it in an email and pasting over. No dice. But thanks for fixing it (was it you?)
Comment by Artemis — July 31, 2010 @ 6:49 pm
I’m confused as to how one buys tickets and how much they cost.
Comment by AllieKay — July 31, 2010 @ 7:20 pm
Waah. I wanna come. *sniff, sniff*
Promise me everyone will be MISERABLE the entire time.
Comment by nat kelly — July 31, 2010 @ 7:20 pm
I’ll be there for my presentation. Wish I had more time. We need to do a bloggersnacker Thursday evening afterward.
Comment by Stephen M (Ethesis) — July 31, 2010 @ 7:37 pm
Very excited to meet new folks and catch up with old friends. Sunstone is wonderful- and Mary Ellen is amazing with how she pulls this all together.
Comment by Tracy M — July 31, 2010 @ 7:55 pm
Allie- you can buy tickets … nevermind. I did not find way to buy them at the Sheraton online. You can, I believe, call the Sunstone office (801-355-5926) and pay by credit card over the phone - or just pay check, card or cash at the door. Advance is better of course- let’s them plan but at the door is perfectly cool.
Can’t wait to see you all there! And Friday night there is a snacker/birthday cake party at the Sheraton- so def. come to that!
And Stephen M! I told you there were too many to mention. And this is CWC- not Artemis.
Comment by Artemis — July 31, 2010 @ 8:25 pm
I bought my ticket at the Sunstone site. I’m not sure if that’s still available.
Comment by Kimberly — July 31, 2010 @ 8:32 pm
Dude, I wish I could go but my SiL is getting married next Saturday and there will be many celebrations beforehand that I can’t miss.
Maybe next year…..
Comment by Risa — July 31, 2010 @ 8:42 pm
You’ll also note that while she is not presenting on her own, Maxine Hanks will be the respondent at my upcoming presentation.
Looking forward to meeting everyone there. Now to go have more anxiety attacks . . .
Comment by Ms. Jack — July 31, 2010 @ 10:38 pm
I am attending Sunstone. Is there going to be a Bloggernacle get together? I look forward to meeting everyone.
Comment by JA Benson — July 31, 2010 @ 10:53 pm
EmilyA, I was in the same boat as you for a long time. Last year was my first time attending and only because I was more a fan of my bloggernacle friends than I was afraid of the specter of Sunstone, which was informed only by other peoples impressions of other peoples impressions.
Now that I’m a subscriber and symposium attendee, I have to laugh at myself that I expected fourth hand impressions to be accurate.
Sunstone started as a magazine, later adding symposiums, where they basically do what we all do in the bloggernacle but in a more well thought out and reasoned manner, with footnotes. Some things you read you’ll totally reject, others you’ll find totally uplifting, everything will make you think. It’s basically where thinky question askers went before we had the bounties of the internet. Back when that was a new thing it was pretty controversial, and it still suffers from the stigma of those early years
They are the living example of big tent Mormonism, so they accept everyone - fundamentalist Mormons, Community of Christ, ex Mormons, what have you - as long as it comes from an honest place. Last year I wandered into a presentation I thought was going to be about Heavenly Mother and it struck me as a little evangelical for polygamy, so I just walked out and found myself a new room. No fuss. But I really feel the value in respecting anyone who comes from this messy faith tradition, so I was still glad they were there.
Check out their about page.
Comment by Reese Dixon — July 31, 2010 @ 11:19 pm
Wow, this looks like a great program — but I never catch a break with these things! I’m never in the right place at the right time. This year I’m going to NYC for a week long class; speaking of which, are there any hints from you new yorkers out there about any particular places to eat?
Comment by meems — August 1, 2010 @ 1:21 am
Hark! Looking at the program, I guess Janet must still be alive!
I’d love to go, but, again, unemployment looms all present over what I do.
Comment by Mike H. — August 1, 2010 @ 2:13 am
Here is a great podcast about what Sunstone is all about, if you have the time to listen, Emily. I have certainly changed my opinion about it. Here are links to the things that scared me away from Sunstone back in the nineties, but Sunstone was not ever named directly.
This conference talk by Elder Oakes.
The Statement on Symposia
Wikipedia article on the September Six.
Each of these are discussed in the podcast. I’m certainly not afraid of Sunstone any more. I’m just very glad it exists.
Comment by Donnell Allan — August 1, 2010 @ 2:47 am
argh! Janet is who I forgot! Which is ludicrous since if Sunstone was just Janet in a room talking for three days- we’d all still go and consider ourselves lucky. If you see anyone else I missed/want to give a shout out to- please post it. There are tons of amazing folks and I just don’t know them all.
Doh! I just remembered Chris Henrichson- doing a panel on faith and social justice. C’mon Nat, you know you want to attend…
Comment by Artemis — August 1, 2010 @ 8:49 am
Do I even need to say that the above was written by the histrionic cwc and not the paragon of poise, Artemis? Do I?
Comment by crazywomancreek — August 1, 2010 @ 10:03 am
Alas, I will be languishing in the heat of the pig barns at the county fair with my 4H kids . . . .for once Sunstone is not on the weekend of my family reunion, and now it’s during fair week.
Comment by Idahospud — August 1, 2010 @ 11:16 am
Mike H, I am really sorry to hear that. Best of luck to you. These are hard times.
Comment by Stephanie — August 1, 2010 @ 3:41 pm
The one reason I’m sad school starts for my oldest tomorrow — otherwise I would have scheduled our UT trip to coincide with Sunstone. (Mostly I’m ecstatic that school is finally starting again, though.)
Comment by Vada — August 1, 2010 @ 7:07 pm
Why have a panel? Didn’t you know that Consumerism & Capitalist forces will drive all sectors of Social Justice?
Actually, if you believe that, I have some swamp land on Mars to sell you. I’m just feeling really snarky towards the Conservative Agenda lately.
Too bad too many LDS members feel that Social Justice will come if those oppressed just get more righteous. Or, unemployment goes away if you’re more righteous. Or, physical & mental challenges go away if you’re righteous.
Comment by Mike H. — August 1, 2010 @ 7:25 pm
Sounds like it will be an awesome session. Wish I could go but I tend to aviod Utah as much as possible. (Just kidding… well sort of…)
Comment by ssj — August 1, 2010 @ 10:09 pm
I can only go fo 2 days!
I’m sorry for everything I’ll miss by you awesome people.
Comment by reader Rachel — August 1, 2010 @ 11:59 pm
Thanks for the nod, CWC! I’m thrilled to have so many Bloggernacle folks participating in Sunstone this year!
Pre-registration is closed, but people can still register on site for workshops, day/evening sessions, and the banquet.
Wednesday night’s opening lecture is FREE and open to the public. Plus there will be free cake and gelato after the Jan Shipps/Jon Butler lecture. Thought we’d do something special to honor Sunstone’s 35 years of publishing.
There’s no charge to attend after-hours gatherings of Bloggernacle folks (i.e. Friday night after Pillars of My Faith), the singles gatherings, or Saturday night’s after party. For those on a budget, a three pack of daytime tickets is $15.
RD’s short history of Sunstone is right on. It was founded by graduate students in 1974 who wanted to take a more scholarly look at Mormonism. The Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium was originally dedicated to theological explorations, but within a few years grew beyond theology to include history, literature, Mormon experience, art, philosophy, sociology, cultural studies, women’s studies, etc.
Sunstone’s open forum approach does make some folks nervous. Sunstone doesn’t advocate positions, but we do provide a forum where academic and lay scholars and thinkers/seekers/writers can hash out issues of interest to the Mormon community. Plus it’s a lot of fun to meet other like-minded people and hang out for a weekend of meaty presentations and thoughtful discussions.
Mary Ellen
Comment by Mary Ellen — August 2, 2010 @ 12:16 am
Totally! It eats way too much!
Comment by PapaKrok — August 2, 2010 @ 11:08 am
Thanks for the info Reese and Donnell. You guys rocks.
Comment by Emily A. — August 2, 2010 @ 5:27 pm
I missed that, ended up buying my daughter a pass to the entire symposium so she could be there for the panel I’m on
Guess it is all good. See you later this week.
Comment by Stephen M (Ethesis) — August 2, 2010 @ 9:34 pm
“I will be languishing in the heat of the pig barns at the county fair with my 4H kids”
Best excuse goes to Idahospud! And, long live 4H.
Hey Sunstone! When are you coming to California??
Comment by Lupita — August 2, 2010 @ 9:39 pm
It was here earlier this year Lup, it was a great one too. If I remember right, 2011 brings it to the Northern part of California, and then it should be back down your way in 2012. You know, if we make it past the Armageddon.
Comment by Reese Dixon — August 2, 2010 @ 11:54 pm
Yes–Sunstone West is in the Bay Area on odd years and in So Cal/Claremont on the even years.
Comment by Mary Ellen — August 3, 2010 @ 7:00 pm
Isn’t there one in the Seattle area sometimes?
Comment by nat kelly — August 3, 2010 @ 7:12 pm
Does anybody know if there will be mp3’s available for download after the symposium? If so, when? Thanks!
Comment by bookofarmaments — August 4, 2010 @ 3:09 pm
Bloggersnacker tonight (Friday) at the Sheraton, 10pm in the conference rooms. Everyone come. You don’t have to have been at the conference, either.
Comment by Bored in Vernal — August 6, 2010 @ 8:28 am