Several LDS authors received awards at the recent annual meeting of The Association for Mormon Letters.
Thomas F. Rogers, best known for his play "Huebener" — the story of an LDS boy joining the resistance in Nazi Germany during World War II — was singled out for a lifetime membership in the organization. Rogers, an emeritus professor of Russian language and literature at BYU, was praised for his "commitment to creative work that conveys Latter-day Saint values under pressure."
Along with Rogers, AML presented awards to Don H. Staheli and Robert T. Barrett in children's literature for "The Story of the Walnut Tree," an imaginative retelling of how Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley's walnut tree became a part of the new Conference Center.
Dian Saderup Monson received an award for her essay, "Believing in the Word," which was published in the prestigious journal "First Things."
J. Scott Bronson got an award for "Stones," a drama that shines a unique light on the early Christian era. The play was hailed as setting "a new standard for Mormon drama."
The award for Middle-grade Literature went to Carol Lynch Williams for a series of four books, three of which reached the national market. "Angelica," "Christmas in Heaven," Carolina Autumn" and "Tish" were touted for embracing the "values of the best Mormon literature."
Brady Udall's novel "The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint" — a story "where miracles happen and religion has the power to change people" — won the novel award. "Udall doesn't shrink from describing the horrors of Edgar's life," reads the commentary, "but he also never takes on the tabloid and voyeuristic view prevalent in much of today's entertainment."
The Marilyn Brown Novel Award, for an unpublished manuscript of singular quality and potential, went to A. Jeff Call for "Mormonville," a novel about a muck-raking journalist who gets a wake-up call in Mormon Utah.
For more detailed information, consult the AML website at www.aml-online.org.