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The AML Awards are given annually by the Association for Mormon Letters (AML) to the best work "by, for, and about Mormons." They are juried awards, chosen by a panel of judges. Citations for many of the awards can be found on the AML website.[1]
The award categories vary from year to year depending on the shape of the market and what the AML decides is worthy of honor. Beginning with the 2014 awards, the AML began creating a shortlist of finalists for most categories, which preceded the final awards.
"Heritage of Hostility: The Mormon Attack on Fiction in the 19th Century; Roughly One of the R's: Some Notes of a BYU Fiction Teacher (with a Pedantry of Endnotes)"
iPlates, Volume 2: Prophets, Priests, Rebels, and Kings by Stephen Carter and Jett Atwood
Creative non-fiction
Hemingway on a Bike by Eric Freeze
Other finalists
To the Mountain: One Mormon Woman’s Search for Spirit by Phyllis Barber
Way Below the Angels: The Pretty Clearly Troubled But Not Even Close to Tragic Confessions of a Real Live Mormon Missionary by Craig Harline
Hippie Boy: A Girl’s Story by Ingrid Ricks
Criticism
Ender’s World: Fresh Perspectives on the SF Classic Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card, editor
Other finalists
“Of Many Hearts and Many Minds: The Mormon Novel and the Post-Utopian Challenge of Assimilation” by Scott Hales. Dissertation, University of Cincinnati
“Toward a Mormon Literary Theory” by Jack Harrell. BYU Studies Quarterly 53.3, 2014
Drama
Pride and Prejudice by Melissa Leilani Larsen
Other finalists
The Weaver of Raveloe by Erika Glenn and Melissa Leilani Larsen
The Vision of All: Twenty-five Lectures on Isaiah in Nephi’s Record by Joseph M. Spencer
Special Award for Religious Non-fiction Publishing
Let Your Hearts and Minds Expand: Reflections on Faith, Reason, Charity, and Beauty by Thomas F. Rogers, edited by Jonathan Langford and Linda Hunter Adams
Short Fiction
"Kid Kirby" by Levi S. Peterson (Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 49:2, Summer 2016)
Other finalists
"And Thorns Will Grow There" by Emily Belanger, Sunstone #180, Spring 2016
"Light as Wings" by Spencer Hyde, Glimmer Train. Fall 2016, #97
"The Mandelbrot Set" by Heidi Naylor, Sunstone, #182, Fall 2016
"Incomplete Slaughter" by Steven L. Peck, The Colored Lens, Summer 2016
"Purytans" by Brad R. Torgersen, Analog: Science Fact and Fiction, July/Aug 2016
Short Fiction Collection
The Last Blessing of J. Guyman LeGrand and Other Stories by Darin Cozzens
Other finalists
Invisible Men by Eric Freeze
Windows into Hell by various authors, edited by James Wymore
“The Second Coming of Mormon Music,” by Michael Hicks from The Kimball Challenge at Fifty: Mormon Arts Center Essays (part of original nominee The Kimball Challenge at Fifty: Mormon Arts Center Essays from Mormon Arts Center)
On the Problem and Promise of Alex Caldiero’s Sonosophy: Doing Dialogical Coperformative Ethnography; Or, Enter the Poetarium by Tyler Chadwick
Thou Art the Christ, the Son of the Living God: The Person and Work of Jesus in the New Testament edited by Eric D. Huntsman, Lincoln H. Blumell, and Tyler J. Griffin
The Power of Godliness: Mormon Liturgy and Cosmology by Jonathan Stapley
On Fire in Baltimore: Black Mormon Women and Conversion in a Raging City by Laura Rutter Strickling
Curated and compiled by James Goldberg and Nicole Wilkes Goldberg, directed by Ariel Rivera, music by Nicole Pinnell; supported by and performed at the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts
Girls Who Choose God: Stories of Extraordinary Women from Church History by McArthur Krishna, Bethany Brady Spalding, Kathleen Peterson (Deseret Book)[46][47]
From a Small Seed: the Story of Eliza Hamilton by Camille Andros and Tessa Blackham (Henry Holt)
If Monet Painted a Monster by Amy Newbold and Greg Newbold (Tilbury House Publishers)
"Poetic Representations of Mormon Women in Late Nineteenth-Century Frontier America" by Amy Easton-Flake in Representing Rural Women (edited by Whitney Womack Smith and Margaret Thomas-Evans, Lexington Books)[46][47]
"Danites, Damsels, and World Domination: Mormons in the Dime Novels" by Michael Austin in Sunstone
"Wrestling with God: Invoking Scriptural Mythos in LDS Literary Work" by James Goldberg in Remember the Revolution: Mormon Essays and Stories (self-published)
Heart of Africa written by Tshoper Kabambi and Margaret Blair Young, directed Tshoper Kabambi
Other finalist:
Gruff written and directed by Kohl Glass
2021edit
The winners were announced July 23, 2022, at the AML Conference. Note that, for the fiction awards, the additional of bilingual judges led to the consideration of Spanish-language works published as far back as 2016. Additionally, with the return of a lyrics award, music was considered from both 2020 and 2021.[63]
AML Lifetime Achievement Award
Michael Austin
Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
Faith Matters hosted by Aubrey Chaves, Tim Chaves, and Terryl Givens; produced by Bill Turnbull and Branson Hirschi (Faith Matters Foundation)
Latter-day Contemplation hosted by Christopher Hurtado and Riley Risto; created by Shiloh Logan and Riley Risto; edited by Christian Hutardo (Latter-day Peace Studies)
Leading Saints hosted by Kurt Francom; executive produced by Kurt Francom; produced by Lillian Angelovic
Vardis Fisher: A Mormon Novelist by Michael Austin (University of Illinois Press)
“The Case for Resurrection: A Mormon Movie Manifesto” by Barrett Burgin in Mormonism and the Movies, edited by Chris Wei, (BCC Press)
“Theologies of the Afterlife in Mormon Women’s Late-Nineteenth-Century Poetry” Amy Easton-Flake in Nineteenth-Century American Women Writers and Theologies of the Afterlife (Routledge)
Mormonism in SF edited by Adam McClain for SFRA Review 51:3, Summer 2021.
Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints edited by Jason R. Combs, Mark D. Ellison, Cathrine Gines Taylor, and Kristian S. Heal. (Maxwell Institute)
Bedtime Stories for Girls of Destiny by Raeleigh Wilkinson (Cedar Fort)
A Book, Too, Can Be A Star: The Story of Madeleine L’Engle and the Making of A Wrinkle in Time by Charlotte Jones Voiklis and Jennifer Adams (authors), Andelina Lirius (illustrator)
Mud! by Annie Bailey (author) and Jen Corace (illustrator) (Abrams Appleseed)
Pirates Don’t Dance by Shawna J. C. Tenney (Sleeping Bear)
The Mission. Tania Anderson, director. Danish Bear Productions.
The Brilliant Darkness! (Dem Toi Ruc Ro!). Aaron Toronto, director, co-writer, and co-producer. Nha Uyen Ly Nguyen, co-writer, co-producer, and lead actor.
Cheer. Season 2. Greg Whiteley, creator, executive producer, director. One Potato Productions, Netflix.
Lucy and Whitney. Parker Gehring, director and writer.
WWJD. Davey Morrison and Bianca Dillard, directors. Written by Davey Morrison and Anna Lewis. Based on a play by Anna Christina Kohler Lewis.
^In 1978, Clark and Brown were honorable mentions in the poetry category.
^In 1978, Rosenbaum was an honorable mention in the short story category.
^Quotation from listing: "The podcast category is new to the AML Awards this year. The judges focused solely on podcast episodes published in 2020. Podcasts were required to have at least four episodes published last year to qualify. We want to acknowledge that the pandemic had an effect on podcast production, and, unfortunately, some podcasts that would have qualified in 2019 didn’t this year.
Because it was a new category, we cast a fairly wide net, searching various podcast platforms for any podcast that focused on Mormonism in any capacity as well as podcasts produced by Mormon-related/adjacent organizations and individuals who are known to be Mormon. Unsurprisingly, many of the podcasts in the Mormon space focus on current issues, interviews, or Mormon history. Of those, we focused on podcasts that either featured Mormon writers or used interesting storytelling techniques. In creating the final list, we judged on such criteria as production values, literary/narrative value, and relevance to the field of Mormon literature.
While they are not finalists, we also wanted to give a nod to podcasts that are doing interesting things in the space and are of special interest to Mormon literature, including Chapter and Verse (a daily poem on a verse or two of scripture); HIVE CAST (interesting production, strong focus on Mormon art); Face in Hat (in particular, the episode on the finale of The Good Place); and Zion’s Suffragists (especially the selection and presentation of documentary materials)."
^This is the first work of interactive fiction nominated for an AML Award.
Referencesedit
^"AML Awards - Dawning of a Brighter Day". associationmormonletters.org. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
^"AML Awards 1980 – 1989". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
^"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-10-22. Retrieved 2014-10-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^"Personal Essay Explored at AML Conference." Sunstone Magazine. Retrieved 6 February 2016. Note: a typo in the article calls these the 1980 award winners.
^"Hozhoogoo Nanina Doo" by Michael Fillerup. Reproduced from Dialogue on author's website. Included here to correct spelling errors from other sources. Accessed April 26, 2021.
^"Sunstone" (PDF). Sunstonemagazine.com. March 1988. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
^"AML SYMPOSIUM CONSIDERS VIRGINIA SORENSON AND HER CONTEMPORARIES" (PDF). Sunstonemagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
^"AML Awards 1990 – 1999". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
^Hall, Andrew (5 Mar 2016). "2015 AML Award Winners". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
^ abHall, Andrew (21 Feb 2016). "2015 AML Lifetime Awards". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
^ abcHall, Andrew (5 Feb 2016). "2015 AML Awards Finalists #5: Drama, Comics, and Criticism". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
^ abHall, Andrew (1 Feb 2016). "2015 AML Awards Finalists #1: Creative Non-Fiction and Religious Non-Fiction". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
^Hall, Andrew (11 Feb 2016). "2015 AML Awards Finalists #6: Film". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
^ abcHall, Andrew (4 Feb 2016). "2015 AML Awards Finalists #4: Lyrics, Picture Book, and Poetry". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
^ abHall, Andrew (3 Feb 2016). "2015 AML Awards Finalists #3: Young Adult and Middle Grade Novel". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved 4 Feb 2016.
^ abcHall, Andrew (2 Feb 2016). "2015 AML Awards Finalists #2: Novel and Short Fiction". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved 4 Feb 2016.
^"2016 AML Awards - Dawning of a Brighter Day". Associationmormonletters.org. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
^"Orson Scott Card: Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters - Dawning of a Brighter Day". Associationmormonletters.org. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
^"Susan Elizabeth Howe: AML Lifetime Achievement Award - Dawning of a Brighter Day". Associationmormonletters.org. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
^ ab"2017 AML Awards". Dawning of a Brighter Day. March 24, 2018.
^ ab"2017 AML Awards Finalists #1: Novel and Short Fiction" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Accessed Feb. 26, 2018
^ ab"2017 AML Awards Finalists #3: Creative Non-Fiction and Religious Non-Fiction" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Accessed Feb. 26, 2018
^"2017 AML Award Finalists #2: Middle Grade and Young Adult Novel" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Accessed Feb. 26, 2018
^ ab"2017 AML Awards #4: Comics and Picture Books" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Accessed Feb. 27, 2018
^ ab"2017 AML Awards Finalists #5: Drama and Film" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Accessed Feb. 28, 2018
^ abc"2017 AML Awards Finalists #6: Anthology, Criticism, and Poetry" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Accessed Mar. 5, 2018
^"Carol Lynn Pearson, AML Lifetime Achievement Award." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 16 February 2019. Accessed 19 February 2019.
^"Melissa Leilani Larson: Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 15 February 2019. Accessed 19 February 2019.
^ abc"2018 AML Award Finalists #3: Drama and Poetry." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 13 February 2019. Accessed 19 February 2019.
^ abc"2018 AML Award Finalists #1: Novel and Short Fiction." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 11 February 2019. Accessed 19 February 2019.
^ abc"2018 AML Awards Finalists #5: Non-Fiction, Criticism." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 15 February 2019. Accessed 19 February 2019.
^ abc"2018 AML Award Finalists #4: Comics and Film." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 14 February 2019. Accessed 19 February 2019.
^ abc"[2018 AML Award Finalists #2: Children’s literature
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^ abcdefghijklmnopqr"AML Awards," presentation video. 2 May 2020. Accessed 2 May 2020.
^"Association for Mormon Letters 2019 award finalists announced; virtual conference May 2" by Christine Rappleye. [Deseret News]. 30 April 2020. Accessed 3 May 2020.
^ ab"2019 AML Awards Finalists #1: Novels and Short Fiction" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 7 March 2020. Accessed 17 March 2020.
^ abc"2019 AML Awards Finalists #2: Children’s Literature" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 9 March 2020. Accessed 17 March 2020.
^ abcd"2019 AML Awards Finalists #3: Drama and Film" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 10 March 2020. Accessed 17 March 2020.
^ ab2019 AML Awards Finalists #4: Poetry and Criticism" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 11 March 2020. Accessed 17 March 2020.
^ abc2019 AML Awards Finalists #5: Non-Fiction and Comics" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 12 March 2020. Accessed 17 March 2020.
^"Announcing the 2021 AML Virtual Conference!" by James Goldberg. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. March 31, 2021. Accessed April 5, 2021.
^AML Awards as livestreamed by the Association for Mormon Letters. June 5, 2021. Accessed June 5, 2021.
^"John Serge Bennion: 2021 AML Lifetime Achievement Award." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. April 12, 2021. Accessed April 12, 2021.
^"Steven L. Peck: The 2021 Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. April 10, 2021. Accessed April 11, 2021.
^"AML Special Award: The Book of Mormon: Brief Theological Introductions." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. May 31, 2021. Accessed June 1, 2021.
^ abcd"2020 AML Awards Finalists #1: Novels, Poetry, and Short Fiction." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. April 5, 2021. Accessed April 5, 2021.
^ abcd"2020 AML Awards Finalists #2: Nonfiction, Audiobooks, Podcasts." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. April 6, 2021. Accessed April 6, 2021.
^ abc"2020 AML Awards Finalists #3: Picture Book, Middle Grade, Young Adult." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. April 8, 2021. Accessed April 9, 2021.
^ abcd"2020 AML Awards Finalists #4: Comics, Criticism, Drama, Film." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. April 9, 2021. Accessed April 11, 2021.
^ abcdefghijklmnop"2021 AML Award Winners." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. July 24, 2022. Accessed September 30, 2022.
^ abc"https://www.associationmormonletters.org/2022/06/2020-aml-awards-finalists-1-novels-and-short-fiction 2020 AML Awards Finalists #1: Novels and Short Fiction." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. June 17, 2022. Accessed June 17, 2022.
^ abc"2021 AML Awards Finalists #2: Young Adult, Middle Grade, Picture Book." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. June 20, 2022. Accessed June 20, 2022.
^ abcd"2021 AML Awards Finalists #3: Film, Drama, Poetry, Podcasts"
^ abcde"2022 AML Conference: Mormon Literature Progress & Prospects: The Legacy of Eugene England." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Accessed September 30, 2022.
^"2022 AML Award Winners." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. April 29, 2023. Accessed April 29, 2023.
^"2023 AML Virtual Conference: Austens, Kings, Le Guins, & Tolkiens of Our Own: Mormons & Genre, April 27-29, 2023." Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. March 24, 2023. Accessed April 2, 2023.
^"Michael Hicks: 2023 AML Lifetime Achievement Award," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 3, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023.
^"Stephen Carter: The 2023 Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 1, 2023. Accessed April 2, 2023.
^ abc"2022 AML Award Finalists #1: Novels and Short Fiction," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 1, 2023. Accessed April 2, 2023.
^"2022 AML Award Finalists #6: Drama," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 10, 2023. Accessed April 10, 2023.
^ abc"2022 AML Awards Finalists #2: Creative Nonfiction and Criticism," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 3, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023.
^ ab"2022 AML Award Finalists #5: Film and Religious Nonfiction," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 8, 2023. Accessed April 9, 2023.
^ abc"2022 AML Awards Finalists #3: Young Adult Novel, Middle Grade Novel, Picture Book," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 5, 2023. Accessed April 5, 2023.
^ abc"2022 AML Awards Finalists #4: Comics, Poetry, Republication," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 6, 2023. Accessed April 6, 2023.
^"2022 AML Award Finalists #7: Podcast," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 19, 2023. Accessed April 19, 2023.