Scholars and writers often joke about the "half-life" of small, literary magazines. Most begin to die the day they come into being.
But writers Benson Parkinson and Chris Bigelow hope their publication will have a long shelf life.Irreantum (which translates as "Many Waters") offers readers the latest in LDS literature, reviews, trends and insights. Harlow Clark, Jonathan Langford, Kent Larsen, Jana Bouck Remy, Edgar C. Snow, Tory Anderson and Susan Barnson -- along with Parkinson and Bigelow -- make up the staff.
The periodical was available to a limited number of subscribers for a year but now will expand its base. A great deal of the material will come from the AML List ("Association for Mormon Letters"). The magazine costs $12 a year. It is also included in the membership dues for the AML itself.
"We're still small," says Parkinson, "but what buzz we hear has been good." As an editor, he says, "My strongest interest is the 'Literature of Zion,' that implies consecration, serving with all of one's heart, might, mind and strength. I'd like to see Irreantum help Mormondom define its voice."
For more information about Irreantum or the Association for Mormon Letters, call 373-9730 or send e-mail to ChrisB@enrich.com or BYParkinson@cc.weber.edu.