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MBR: Matthew Godfrey, Joseph Smith Papers, Documents, Volume 2, July 1831–January 1833

October 21, 2013 12:00 AM
In episode 36 of The Mormon Book Review, Matthew Godfrey joins Kirk Caudle to discuss The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents Volume 2, July 1831–January 1833. Godfrey details the early establishment of the city of Zion and letters that Joseph Smith sent to wife Emma. He reflects on the personal side of the prophet and provides his own opinion on Smith’s early leadership style. Godfrey also provides a brief update on the upcoming publication of the Council of Fifty minutes.Matthew C. Godfrey is managing historian of The Joseph Smith Papers and co-editor of volumes in the Documents series. He holds a PhD in American and public history from Washington State University. Before joining the project, he worked for eight years at Historical Research Associates, a historical and archaeological consulting firm headquartered in Missoula, Montana, serving as president of the company from 2008 to 2010. He is the author of Religion, Politics, and Sugar: The Mormon Church, the Federal Government, and the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, 1907-1921, which was a co-winner of the Mormon History Association’s Smith-Pettit Award for Best First Book. He has also published articles in Agricultural History and Pacific Northwest Quarterly and has presented papers at conferences of the Mormon History Association, the National Council on Public History, the American Society for Environmental History, and the Western History Association, among other organizations.To listen to this episode, 'Matthew Godfrey on Joseph Smith Papers, Documents, Volume 2, July 1831–January 1833,' right click here and select 'Save as.'You can subscribe to the Maxwell Institute Podcast through iTunes. Help our podcast grow by rating and reviewing it there. The podcatcher RSS feed is mi.byu.edu/feed/podcast. Send questions or comments about this and other episodes to blairhodges@byu.edu.
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MBR: Gerrit Dirkmaat, Joseph Smith Papers, Documents, Volume 1, July 1828-1831

October 02, 2013 12:00 AM
In episode 35 of the Mormon Book Review, Kirk Caudle discusses The Joseph Smith Papers: Documents, Volume 1, July 1828-1831, with the book's coeditor Gerrit Dirkmaat. In this interview Dirkmaat talks about the earliest revelations of Joseph Smith and provides key historical background information concerning Doctrine and Covenants sections 19, 25, and 41.Gerrit Dirkmaat is a historian working as an editor of The Joseph Smith Papers volumes. He received his PhD in 2010 from the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he studied nineteenth-century American expansionism and foreign relations. His dissertation was titled “Enemies Foreign and Domestic: US Relations with Mormons in the US Empire in North America, 1844–1854.” He served as the senior assistant editor of Diplomatic History from 2003 to 2009. He joined the Joseph Smith Papers project in 2010 and has since served as a historian/editor on Journals Vol. 2, Documents Vol. 1, and as the lead volume editor of Documents Vol. 3, which will be published in 2014. He is currently serving as an editor for the first volume in the Administrative series. He is the coauthor, along with Michael Hubbard MacKay, of the forthcoming book from the Maxwell Institute Press, tentatively titled Joseph the Seer: The Translation and Publication of the Book of Mormon.To listen to this episode, 'Gerrit Dirkmaat on Joseph Smith Papers, Documents, Volume 1, July 1828-1831,' right click here and select 'Save as.'You can subscribe to the Maxwell Institute Podcast through iTunes. The podcatcher RSS feed is mi.byu.edu/feed/podcast. Send questions or comments about this and other episodes to blairhodges@byu.edu.
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MBR: Merina Smith, Revelation, Resistance, and Mormon Polygamy

September 18, 2013 12:00 AM
In episode 34 of the Mormon Book Review, Kirk Caudle discusses the book Revelation, Resistance, and Mormon Polygamy: The Introduction and Implementation of the Principle, 1830–1853 with author Merina Smith. Smith situates Joseph Smith's conception of marriage within wider 19th-century views of Christian marriage and explores some differences between Nauvoo polygamy and Utah polygamy.Merina Smith graduated from the University of Colorado, raised five children, and then returned to graduate school to earn a PhD from the University of California at San Diego in 2011. She currently researches and writes as an independent historian. She resides in San Diego with her husband, legal scholar Steven Smith.To listen to this episode, 'Merina Smith, Revelation, Resistance, and Mormon Polygamy,” right click here and select “Save as.”You can subscribe to the Maxwell Institute Podcast through iTunes. The podcatcher RSS feed is mi.byu.edu/feed/podcast. Send questions or comments about this and other episodes to blairhodges@byu.edu.
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MBR: Quincy D. Newell, New Perspectives in Mormon Studies

September 03, 2013 12:00 AM
In episode 33 of The Mormon Book Review, Kirk Caudle discusses New Perspectives in Mormon Studies: Creating and Crossing Boundaries with the book's coeditor, Quincy D. Newell. Newell discusses the genesis of this collection of essays, definitions of 'Mormon studies,' how she became involved in Mormon studies, and what non-Mormon scholars add to the conversation. Newell's own work has focused largely on the experiences of nineteenth-century nonwhite Mormons, so she also reflects on the significance of Jane James in Mormon history.
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MBR: Steven Peck, on Mormon fiction and A Short Stay in Hell

August 07, 2013 12:00 AM
Episode 32 of The Mormon Book Review features Latter-day Saint author and evolutionary ecologist Steven Peck speaking about his existentialist horror novella A Short Stay in Hell. Kirk Caudle explores Peck's thoughts on exploring other faith traditions, how to find religious truth through fictional literature, and the dizzying vastness of eternity.Peck is an evolutionary ecologist who teaches history, philosophy of science, and bioethics at Brigham Young University. He has published articles in American Naturalist, Newsweek, Evolution, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Biological Theory, Agriculture and Human Values, and Biology & Philosophy, and has also edited a volume on environmental stewardship. His other books and short stories include The Scholar of Moab (Torrey House Press) and a young adult novel about warrior squirrels called Rifts of Ryme (Cedar Fort Press). Earlier this week, Peck announced that A Short Stay in Hell has been picked up by indie film director David Spaltro for a film adaptation (see here).*The audio quality for this episode is poor. You can download this episode by right clicking here and selecting 'Save as.'You can subscribe to the Maxwell Institute Podcast through iTunes. The podcatcher RSS feed is mi.byu.edu/feed/podcast. Send questions or comments about this and other episodes to blairhodges@byu.edu.
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MBR: Richard Bushman revisits Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling

July 26, 2013 12:00 AM
Episode 31 of The Mormon Book Review focuses on a new classic in Mormon history—Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (New York: Vintage Books, 2005). Host Kirk Caudle talks with author Richard L. Bushman about the continuing relevance of the book, the religious world of Joseph Smith, and nineteenth-century Christian expectations for the second coming of Jesus Christ.Richard Bushman is a Gouverneur Morris Professor of History emeritus at Columbia University. He served as the Howard W. Hunter chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University from 2008–2011. He was co-general editor of the Joseph Smith Papers until 2012. He currently chairs the board of directors for the Mormon Scholars Foundation, and with his wife Claudia, is the Church history adviser for the North American North East Area. He is the author of many books including: Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism (University of Illinois, 1984), Building the Kingdom: A History of Mormons in America (Oxford, 2001), and Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2008)To listen to this episode, 'Richard Bushman revisits Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling,' right click here and select 'Save as.'You can subscribe to the Maxwell Institute Podcast through iTunes. The podcatcher RSS feed is mi.byu.edu/feed/podcast. Send questions or comments about this and other episodes to blairhodges@byu.edu.
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MBR: Kylee Shields, Make it Happen: A Guide to Happiness for LDS Singles

July 17, 2013 12:00 AM
Episode 30 of The Mormon Book Review focuses on the book Make it Happen: A Guide to Happiness for LDS Singles (Salt Lake City: Walnut Springs Press, 2012). Host Kirk Caudle talks with author Kylee Shield about sexuality, frustrations related to marital expectations, and how 30-something single Mormons find happiness.Kylee Shields grew up in Oregon and currently resides in Arizona. She received a BA in English (creative writing/editing) with a minor in linguistics from Brigham Young University. At Arizona State University she earned a master's degree in social work (emphasis in clinical therapy). Shields currently works as a 'shadow' (family therapist) at The Anasazi Foundation, where she does therapy with adolescents from the deserts of Arizona. She also co-founded a musical fireside group that is in the process of becoming a nonprofit. She loves writing, poetry, reading great novels, and blogging. She adores her old typewriter on which she composes letters now and again, sealed with wax. She also loves to travel and has been to Egypt, Ghana, Italy, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, and almost all fifty of the states. To listen to this episode, 'Kylee Shields on Make it Happen: A Guide to Happiness for LDS Singles,” right click here and select “Save as.”You can subscribe to the Maxwell Institute Podcast through iTunes. Help our podcast grow by rating and reviewing it there. The podcatcher RSS feed is mi.byu.edu/feed/podcast. Send questions or comments about this and other episodes to blairhodges@byu.edu.
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MBR: Caroline Kline and Elizabeth Mott, Mormon Women Have Their Say: Essays from the Claremont Oral History Collection

June 25, 2013 12:00 AM
Episode 29 of The Mormon Book Review focuses on the new book Mormon Women Have Their Say: Essays from the Claremont Oral History Collection (Greg Kofford Books, 2013). In this interview, host Kirk Caudle talks with editor Caroline Kline and contributor Elizabeth Mott about feminism, women's studies, working mothers, gender roles, and perspectives on how the LDS Church benefits women.Caroline Kline obtained a BA from Scripps College in classical languages, an MA in classics from UC Santa Barbara, and is currently finishing coursework for a PhD in religion at Claremont Graduate University. Her academic areas of interest include feminist Mormon communities, the intersections between Mormon and feminist theology, and women in American religion. She is the cofounder of the Mormon feminist blog, The Exponent, and is a board member of LDS WAVE (Women Advocating for Voice and Equality). Her publications include “From Here to Eternity: Women’s Bodies, Women’s Destinies in the Theology of Janice Allred” in the journal Element, and “The Mormon Conception of Women’s Nature: A Feminist Analysis,” forthcoming in the Journal of Feminist Theology (Britain and Ireland). When she has completed her doctorate, Caroline hopes to teach at a college or university. She is the mother of three small children.Elizabeth Mott is completing coursework for a PhD in religion with a focus on American religious history at Claremont Graduate University. She received a master’s degree in mass communications from Brigham Young University before moving to Claremont to study religion. Her interests include the role of communications in religious change, gender, theology, and lived religion.Audio quality is poor in this episode. To listen to 'Caroline Kline and Elizabeth Mott, Mormon Women Have Their Say,” right click here and select “Save as.”You can subscribe to the Maxwell Institute Podcast through iTunes. Help our podcast grow by rating and reviewing it there. The podcatcher RSS feed is mi.byu.edu/feed/podcast. Send questions or comments about this and other episodes to blairhodges@byu.edu.
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MBR: Brittany Chapman, Women of Faith in the Latter Days

May 29, 2013 12:00 AM
Episode 27 of The Mormon Book Review features Brittany Chapman. She received her undergraduate degree in humanities at Brigham Young University with an English emphasis and music minor. She received her MA in Victorian Studies from the University of Leicester in England. Her thesis focused on women's life writings (diaries and autobiography) and Utah women's suffrage, club movements, and plural marriage, using the experience of one woman—Ruth May Fox—to illustrate these larger social movements.Through this project, Chapman got to know people at the LDS Church History Library, where she eventually interned before being hired full-time. Chapman now works at the Church History Library, specializing in LDS women's history.In this episode, host Kirk Caudle interviews Chapman about the Church's 'Women of Faith' project, reasons women had for entering into polygamy, and why the history of LDS women is often neglected.To listen to this episode, 'Brittany Chapman on Women of Faith in the Latter Days,' right click here and select 'Save as.'You can subscribe to the Maxwell Institute Podcast through iTunes. Help our podcast grow by rating and reviewing it there. The podcatcher RSS feed is mi.byu.edu/feed/podcast. Send questions or comments about this and other episodes to blairhodges@byu.edu.
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The "Mormon Book Review" joins the new Maxwell Institute Podcast

May 27, 2013 12:00 AM
We're pleased to announce the launch of the new Maxwell Institute Podcast, featuring interviews with scholars specializing in biblical and scriptural studies, Mormon studies, and religious studies more generally. In addition to episodes hosted by Blair Hodges (formerly of the FAIR Podcast), we've invited Kirk Caudle, host of The Mormon Book Review podcast, to bring his show under the new Maxwell Institute Podcast umbrella. Over the past year, Caudle's show has featured a number of authors including Terryl and Fiona Givens, Patrick Mason, John Turner, and others.Caudle received a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies (Bible and History) from Cascade College and a master's in interdisciplinary studies (Spiritual Traditions and Ethics) from Marylhurst University. He initiated and co-chairs the Mormon Studies Special Topics session of the American Academy of Religion, Pacific Northwest Region conference. He's also spent the past three years as a New Testament instructor at the Portland, Oregon LDS Institute of Religion.We're working on integrating the podcast directly into our blog, and soon you'll be able to subscribe through iTunes. In the meantime, check out Caudle's latest episode, a brief discussion with Blair Hodges about the new Maxwell Institute Podcast.To listen to this episode, right click here and select 'Save as.'
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