Beautiful! I'm glad you went. Part of the reason I like your writing and podcasts is that you are so respectful of people who have wildly different backgrounds and points of view from your own, while still calling out horrific stuff. As I get older, the more important I think it is to be open-minded. So important. I've come a long way. Still have a ways to go, I imagine!
Thank you, Christy! I appreciate that has come through to you. I figure I'm in no position to judge anyone else, and I certainly don't like being judged myself. Thank you, as always, for your kindness and support.
That's very kind of you to say, Carl. It means the world that some of the joy writing brings to me is coming through to readers like you. I appreciate your support.
Thank you for sharing this insightful and moving piece. Your ability to capture the complexity and nuance of the Mormon experience is remarkable. Your willingness to step outside your comfort zone and engage with a community you initially approached with skepticism is a testament to your open-mindedness and curiosity.
Your observations about the power of storytelling, the search for truth, and the importance of human connection resonated deeply with me. The image of the storm rolling over the Wasatch Front as a metaphor for the challenges faced by the queer Mormon community is both powerful and poignant.
Your experience at the Sunstone Symposium was transformative, and I appreciate you sharing your journey with us. Your words have inspired me to look beyond stereotypes and seek stories that challenge my assumptions.
I have also been following your work through your podcasts, “Bundyville” and “Bundyville: The Remnant.” Your deep dive into the complex issues surrounding the anti-government movement is both informative and compelling. It is fascinating to see how your work exploring different facets of American culture intersects.
Thank you again for this powerful and thought-provoking piece.
It meant a lot to me to read your comment. I am continually curious about the LDS faith and culture, and many other spiritual systems, and I found that curiosity was so satisfied by the conference. I'm very glad to know that our work on Bundyville reached you. If you're not completely tired of my voice yammering in your ear, I've also done two others shows - Burn Wild and Two Minutes Past Nine - and I read the audio version of When the Moon Turns to Blood, too. This is to say, I'll keep you occupied for awhile!
I want to thank you for staying. I've attended Sunstone a few times, and I think you are the person who was most engaged with conversation and the conference as a whole.
I've also been thinking about the audience comment about an American Zion being built on the dispossession and blood of Indigenous people. Such an insightful comment. I'm sure you've already read it, but the article at High Country News on the theft of the commons (https://www.hcn.org/articles/the-theft-of-the-commons/) has been really helpful for thinking through colonization this week. Industrialization separated Latter-day Saints from the land in both the U.S. and Great Britain, and their deep sense of alienation led them west -- where they dispossessed and murdered Indigenous people. What I can't decide if the idea of Zion resacralizes the land in a way that might be helpful in this moment.
Beautiful! I'm glad you went. Part of the reason I like your writing and podcasts is that you are so respectful of people who have wildly different backgrounds and points of view from your own, while still calling out horrific stuff. As I get older, the more important I think it is to be open-minded. So important. I've come a long way. Still have a ways to go, I imagine!
Thank you, Christy! I appreciate that has come through to you. I figure I'm in no position to judge anyone else, and I certainly don't like being judged myself. Thank you, as always, for your kindness and support.
Thank you so much for the wonderful and informative story. I can't express the sheer joy your writing brings to me and many others. Thank you.
That's very kind of you to say, Carl. It means the world that some of the joy writing brings to me is coming through to readers like you. I appreciate your support.
Thanks for going to the conference despite some hesitation!
This gives me hope that the humanity that binds us is stronger than the hateful rhetoric thats attempts to divide us.
I'm glad you feel that way; it was my takeaway, too!
Thank you for sharing this insightful and moving piece. Your ability to capture the complexity and nuance of the Mormon experience is remarkable. Your willingness to step outside your comfort zone and engage with a community you initially approached with skepticism is a testament to your open-mindedness and curiosity.
Your observations about the power of storytelling, the search for truth, and the importance of human connection resonated deeply with me. The image of the storm rolling over the Wasatch Front as a metaphor for the challenges faced by the queer Mormon community is both powerful and poignant.
Your experience at the Sunstone Symposium was transformative, and I appreciate you sharing your journey with us. Your words have inspired me to look beyond stereotypes and seek stories that challenge my assumptions.
I have also been following your work through your podcasts, “Bundyville” and “Bundyville: The Remnant.” Your deep dive into the complex issues surrounding the anti-government movement is both informative and compelling. It is fascinating to see how your work exploring different facets of American culture intersects.
Thank you again for this powerful and thought-provoking piece.
It meant a lot to me to read your comment. I am continually curious about the LDS faith and culture, and many other spiritual systems, and I found that curiosity was so satisfied by the conference. I'm very glad to know that our work on Bundyville reached you. If you're not completely tired of my voice yammering in your ear, I've also done two others shows - Burn Wild and Two Minutes Past Nine - and I read the audio version of When the Moon Turns to Blood, too. This is to say, I'll keep you occupied for awhile!
Yes, my thoughts exactly! You explained this so well. ❤️
I want to thank you for staying. I've attended Sunstone a few times, and I think you are the person who was most engaged with conversation and the conference as a whole.
I've also been thinking about the audience comment about an American Zion being built on the dispossession and blood of Indigenous people. Such an insightful comment. I'm sure you've already read it, but the article at High Country News on the theft of the commons (https://www.hcn.org/articles/the-theft-of-the-commons/) has been really helpful for thinking through colonization this week. Industrialization separated Latter-day Saints from the land in both the U.S. and Great Britain, and their deep sense of alienation led them west -- where they dispossessed and murdered Indigenous people. What I can't decide if the idea of Zion resacralizes the land in a way that might be helpful in this moment.
Yes! I love Antonia’s work! That’s a very interesting idea you’re thinking about with Zion. I hope you write something about that?