This week is the BYU Studies 50th Anniversary Symposium. The Conference takes place on the 12-13 and there are also lectures Wed. evening, the 10th.  I was originally slated to present, but will be unable to attend due to an incredible scheduling oversight on my part. See the program.

Also, for those unable to attend, there will be blog reports of each presentation accessible from the BYU Studies homepage. Buen provecho!

BYU Studies 48:4 (2009)

This issue, recently arrived, is a special issue on Thomas L. Kane and the Mormons, 1846-1883 and is edited by David J. Whittaker. From the preface and the BYU Studies website: (more…)

As always, this is not a transcript, but my own notes, typed as fast as I can, edited, and reformulated for clarity. I will have notes forthcoming this weekend from five other presentations: Casey Griffiths, “Joseph F. Merrill and the Transformation of the Church Educational System”; John P. Livingston on “N. Eldon Tanner and LDS Church Administration”; Matthew Heiss, “The Annual History: The Origins of Local Unit Record Keeping”; William G. Hartley & Theodore Moore, “Our Churches and Hoes Shall Be Beautiful: The LDS Church’s beautification movement, 1938-47″; and Mark L. Grover, “The Beginning of the Church Construction Program in South America.” In addition, BHodges will have notes from a number of the presentations he attended (different from mine–we tired to coordinate on this) at his blog, Life on Gold Plates. (more…)

Here is the program for the BYU Studies Conference, March 12-13, 2010.

Also, don’t forget to join the Salt Lake Mormon Studies Student Association as it welcomes Brian Cannon to speak on “Historians’ Treatment of Divine Influence in LDS History” this Thursday, February 25, 2010.

Full details can be found here including information about dinner at 5:15 p at Moochie’s.

While looking through some historical reports of the San Benito Branch, I came across this interesting entry: (more…)

The Salt Lake Mormon Studies Student Association will host Brian Cannon, Professor of History at BYU, on February 25, 2010 at 7 pm for a public lecture entitled: “Many Refractions of Light: Historians’ Treatment of Divine Influence in LDS History.”  The lecture will be held on the University of Utah Campus in the Carolyn Tanner Irish Humanities Building, room 101 (main floor). (more…)

This is adapted from an excerpt of a larger paper I wrote for my public history internship course last year. Sorry in advance for the sub par photography: (more…)

Update: See end of list for Signature Book’s 2010 list of forthcoming titles.

Last year I put together, with help from a number of publishers, a list of forthcoming and recently published books on Mormon History.  Most of those books highlighted last November have indeed found a place on bookshelves, so it’s about time to do it again.  There are some exciting books that have recently come off the press and which are still forthcoming.  I wasn’t able to be as comprehensive as last time, but there are still some neat things on the horizon that I was able to find, and maybe I’ll be able to do a follow up post. For now, I’m sure I missed some titles, so if you know of others, please leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list. (more…)

Let’s give a round of applause to my friend Brent Brizzi for taking the time and effort to transcribe the proceedings and make it available here. I have made only a few cursory edits from the version he sent me. (more…)

We had a great crowd tonight. Somewhere between 50 and 60 were in attendance. The SLMSSA would like to thank the Mormon Times for putting up a notice about the event beforehand which likely drew a number of attendees. We were pleased to have Steve Harper, professor of religion at BYU presenting on what insights memory studies can shed on the First Vision. Stay tuned to the SLMSSA website for details about future lectures and events. (more…)

Looking forward to seeing  you on Thursday at 7 pm for Steve Harper’s lecture in room 101 of the Carolyn Tanner Irish Humanities Building at the University of Utah. There is a bit of construction in the area, so I’m putting up this map to show where to go to get to the building and parking area. This is the unaltered map.  [See the SLMSSA website at this link for a marked map showing where to go]: (more…)

STOP! If you haven’t read the first part of this, A Mexican Missionary Takes A Plural Wife…And Breaks The News To Wife 1 in a Letter…, read that first.

Otherwise, here is Wife 1’s response. (more…)

I feel not to disclose here in this forum the names of those involved given the really really awkward nature of this exchange, but I thought it interesting enough to share. What are your thoughts on it?

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April 14,

My Darling Wife, (more…)

2009 was also a fruitful year for evaluating scholarship at the JI.

Jordan W.’s review of Matt Grow’s book was later published in the International Journal of Mormon Studies: Book Review: Liberty to the Downtrodden (more…)

Yea, we had current events posts too. See, we don’t just live in the past!

David G. wrote on: Larry EchoHawk’s Mormonism, Casinos, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Christopher posted some interesting material about Glenn Beck, and that long before a Salon.com article took those themes to a national audience. A Boston Phoenix article on Beck cited Chris’s blogs here at the JI (and in the process, finally got credit for being on the cutting edge of this analysis): (more…)

See also PYMHM, 2009: Historical Posts, Part 1.

In bringing you conference coverage, aside from the efforts of various JI permas, we often benefited from friends such as Brent Brizzi and Trevor Holyoak who were kind enough to share their notes for posting on the JI. I’m proud to say that we often posted fuller notes than any competing reports, often posted them more quickly, and covered more events than just about anyone. One reporter, upon meeting me at one of these events said, playfully, “Oh, I hate you guys, you’ll probably have your stuff up tonight, won’t you?” I answered, “Probably.” (more…)

Well, the Niblets are here, and in a blatant and shameless attempt to remind everyone of some of the fantastic content you may have missed or forgotten from us in 2009, here is the first of a thematic series of Posts You Might Have Missed, 2009. In my opinion, 2009 was the best year yet for the JI as well as a year of transition. See Christopher’s 2nd birthday write up for info about us and our history through most of 2009. (more…)

From my inbox. I’m glad to see this version in print. It was originally included on a cd-rom in the back of the printed biography, color coded to show what was not included in the printed version. The color coding is retained in this copy. Though many of the additions are repetitive material, making the book (perhaps unnecessarily) about twice the length of the printed version, the most important additions are the full source notes. Given that the information contained in this book is already available in a more compact and cheaper format, this may not be a purchase that everyone is interested in. However, for a Mormon bibliophile like me, it’s a must own. And to be sure, to get the chance to hear Ed speak and sign your copy of any of his tomes–well worth your evening. (more…)

I received notice of an internship opening with the historic sites division. Having myself interned there, I can say it’s an excellent experience.

http://www.lds.org/emp/new/home.html

Intern-Historic Sites-Church History Department-1000012

Description

Purpose of Internship: To assist in research and writing tasks associated with the development of historic sites and associated educational materials. (more…)

Fresh from my inbox:

SUMMER SEMINAR ON JOSEPH SMITH

“The Foundations of Mormon Theology: The Nature of God and the Human”

Brigham Young University

June  1-July 9, 2010 (more…)