AML Awards explained

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.

1970s

AML Award winners, 1975-1979!Year!Categorty!Author!Title!Ref.
1975-1977Critical Writing, Utah Historical Quarterly, 44:4, Fall 1976.
Poetry"The Field Behind Holly House," BYU Studies 16, 1976
"" and "Letter to a Four-Year-Old Daughter"
Short Fiction"" and "The Reunion," both from the collection Frost in the Orchard[2]
"Indian Hills" and "Zarahemla," both from the collection Under Cottonwoods and Other Stories
1978Criticism"Literary Dimensions of Mormon Autobiography," Dialogue 11, Summer 1978
Poetry (Brigham Young University)
"God's Plenty"
"Grandmother"
Short Fiction"" and "Road to Damascus"
"Hit the Frolicking, Rippling Brooks"
Criticism"Whoever Heard of a Utah Poet?: An Overview of Poetry in the Early Church." Century II, 4 (Fall 1979)
1979PoetryMoods: Of Late
To Utah
Short FictionNothing Very Important and Other Stories

1980s

AML Award winners, 1980-1989[3] !Year!Category!Author!Title!Ref.
1980BiographyJ. Reuben Clark: The Public Years
Criticism"New Voices, New Songs: Contemporary Poems by Mormon Women" (Dialogue, Winter 1980)
Novel
PoetryOnce in Israel
1981Criticism (in Literature and Belief)
Poetry"Gilead"
"Lullaby in the New Year" and "Demons"
Short Fiction"Lullaby in the New Year" and "Demons"
"Another Angel"
1982-1983Criticism""[4]
DramaGod's Fools: Plays of the Mitigated Conscience
Editorial AwardEditors of the Exponent II
Mormon Humor, First PrizeFreeway to Perfection, Faith Promoting Rumors, and Sunday's Foyer
Mormon Humor, Second PrizeSelling the Chevrolet: A Moral Exercise
NovelSummer Fire
Poetry"Romaunt of the Rose: A Tapestry of Poems," BYU Studies, 23:1, 1983
Poetry, Young Poet's Prize"Feet," "Patience," "On My Father's 50th Birthday," and "The Birthday Present"
Sermon
Short FictionThe Canyons of Grace
Special Award for Popular Mormon Fiction
Special Award for Short Story AnthologyGreening Wheat: Fifteen Mormon Short Stories
1984Editing & Publishing
NovelA Woman of Destiny (Later republished as Saints)
Personal Essay""
Special Award
1985Criticism"Seven Ways of Looking at Susanna"
NovelCircle of Fire
Personal EssayGoodbye to Poplarhaven
Poetry
Short Fiction"Benediction"
1986Children's literature and Brent Watts (illus.)Marty's World
Novel
Personal and family history bookNo Regrets: The Life of Carl A. Carlquist
Personal and family history essay"When Will the Little Woman Come Out of the House?"
Personal Essay"In Jeopardy Every Hour"[5]
Poetry"Sunwatch"
Religious Literature
Short Fiction"Hozhoogoo Nanina Doo"[6]
1987CriticismNo Regrets: The Life of Carl A. Carlquist
NovelSideways to the Sun
Personal EssayLeaving Home
Poetry"Self-Portrait as Brigham Young"
Short FictionWoman Packing a Pistol[7]
1988Honorary Lifetime Membership
NovelCal Cameron by Day, Spider-Man by Night (Delacorte)
Personal Essay"" Dialogue 21.4 (Winter 1988): 133-41
PoetryTinder: answer might be. With an almost Augustinian Dry Poems (Orem, Utah: United Order Books, 1988)
Short Story"," Sunstone 12.2 (March 1988): 30-38"A House of Order," Dialogue 21.3 (Autumn 1988): 129–48"Dust," Ascent 14.1 (1988): 1-10.
Special Recognition in BiographyJuanita Brooks: Mormon Woman Historian (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988)
Special Recognition in Criticism (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988)[8]
Special Recognition in PoetrySelected Poems of Clinton F. Larson (Provo: Brigham Young University, 1988)
1989Criticism"Mormon Poetry Now!: The State of the Art" (a series of four essays published in Sunstone, 1985–1989)
CriticismMormonism and Music: A History (University of Illinois Press)
Editing & PublishingSunstone Magazine (Editors Scott Kenney, Allen Roberts, Peggy Fletcher, and Elbert Peck)
Signature Books
Novel (Norton)
Personal EssayAs for Me and My House (Bookcraft)
Poetry"Things in the Night Sky" in Harvest: Contemporary Mormon Poems
Short FictionBack Before the World Turned Nasty (University of Arkansas Press)

1990s

AML Award winners, 1990-1999[9] !Year!Category!Author!Title!Ref.
1990Criticism"In Praise of Ourselves: Stories to Tell"
NovelBones
Personal EssayOnly When I Laugh
Poetry"Doing It"
Short FictionMy Hard Bargain
1991Biography
Editing & PublishingSignature Books and Ron Schow, Wayne Schow, Marybeth Raynes (ed.)Peculiar People: Mormons and Same-Sex Orientation
Honorary Lifetime Membership
NovelXenocide
Like a Fire is Burning
Personal Essay
Poetry"Island Spring and the Perseids", in Dialogue, Spring & Winter 1991
Short Fiction"Lost and Found" from Christmas for the World
Young Adult LiteratureMy Name is Sus5an Smith. The 5 is Silent
1992Biography and Jerry BorrowmanBefore the Blood Tribunal
Children's Literature and Dileen MarshAll Kinds of Answers
Honorary Lifetime Membership[10]
NovelLost Boys
Personal EssayLiberating Form: Mormon Essays on Religion and Literature
Poetry"Imagination Comes to Breakfast"
Short FictionElegies and Love Songs
1993AutobiographyHow I Got Cultured: A Nevada Memoir
Award for Editorial ExcellenceWashed by a Wave of Wind: Science Fiction from the Corridor
Children's LiteratureChinook! The Joke's on George and Beauty and the Beastly Children
DramaIn the Company of Men
Honorary Lifetime Membership
NovelTwelve Sisters
Thy Gold to Refine: The Work and the Glory, Vol. 4
Personal Essay"Monte Cristo" in Wasatch Review International, 2:1, June 1993.
PoetryCrazy for Living
SermonLighten Up! and Cat's Cradle
Service to Mormon Letters and Weber State UniversityWeber Studies, Vol. 10.3, Tenth Anniversary Issue
Short StoryOur Secret's Out
Young Adult LiteratureThe Dragon's Tapestry and The Prism Moon
1994BiographyMy Best for the Kingdom: John Lowe Butler, A Mormon Frontiersman
Criticism"Towards a Mormon Criticism: Should We Ask 'Is This Mormon Literature?'"
DramaAccommodations: a Play in Three Acts
Honorary Lifetime Membership[11]
Novel
Personal Essay""
Poetry"Magi"
Short Fiction"Who Tarzan, Who Jane"
Young Adult Literature
1995Biography
CriticismHow to Be a Mormo-American; Or, The Function of Mormon Criticism at the Present Time
DramaMarch Tale
EssayDesert Quartet: An Erotic Landscape
NovelLast Buckaroo
Poetry"Snows"
Short Fiction"Epiphany"
Young Adult LiteratureThe Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman
1996BiographyLeroy Robertson: Music Giant from the Rockies
Children's LiteratureYou Don't Always Get What You Hope For
Criticism"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)"
DramaJoyful Noise
Novel
Personal Essay"3/4-inch Marine Ply"
PoetryCollected Poems
Short FictionNo Lie Like Love: Stories
Young Adult LiteratureAngie
1997CriticismFeasting on the Word: The Literary Testimony of the Book of Mormon
Devotional LiteratureSanctuary
DramaGadianton
Personal Essay"What You Walk Away From"
PoetryStone Spirits
Short FictionBeautiful Places
1998Devotional Literature and Kathryn H. Kidd
NovelFar from Home
Personal EssayEating Chocolates and Dancing in the Kitchen: Sketches of Marriage and Family
PoetryVarious Atmospheres: Poems and Drawings
Short Fiction
Young Adult Literature
1999Devotional LiteratureOne More Strain of Praise
Drama
Marilyn Brown Novel AwardEvery Knee Shall Bow (published in 2003 as Vernal Promises)
Marilyn Brown Novel Award Honorable Mention
Barry Monroe’s Missionary Journal
Windows
NovelTathea
Personal EssayExpecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic
Short FictionSurvival Rates

2000s

AML Award winners, 2000-2009[12] !Year!Category!Author!Title
2000CriticismAML-List
Devotional Literature
DramaI Am Jane
FilmGod's Army
Honorary Lifetime Membership
Novel and Darius GrayOne More River to Cross
Personal EssayStanding for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes
Short FictionCaution: Men in Trees
2001Children's Literature
2001CriticismBelieving in the Word
DramaStones
Honorary Lifetime Membership
Marilyn Brown Novel AwardMormonville
Middle Grade LiteratureMy Angelica
Novel
Review
Young Adult Literature
2002DramaHole in the Sky
Drama Honorable MentionWake Me When It's Over
Hancock County
FilmRoots and Wings
Film AdaptationCharly
Film Honorable Mention
Out of Step
Honorary Lifetime Membership
In Memoriam
NovelMississippi Trial, 1955
Picture BookBertie Was a Watchdog
PoetryLeviathan with a Hook
Short Fiction"Breakthrough" in Sunstone, issue 122, pages 42-45, April 2002.
Short Fiction Honorable Mention"First"
"Out of the Woods"
Young Adult LiteratureCharlotte's Rose
Young Adult Literature Honorable Mention
2003DramaArchipelago
EditingIrreantum
Film Adaptation, Jason Faller, and Katherine SwigertPride and Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy
Historical Fiction and Darius GrayStanding on the Promises
Marilyn Brown Novel AwardHouse Dreams
Novel
PublishingBYU Studies Quarterly
Short Fiction"Toaster Road"
Short Fiction Honorable Mention""
""
Young Adult LiteratureDante's Daughter
Young Adult Literature Honorable Mention
Slumming
2004CriticismMeridian Magazine
FilmSaints and Soldiers
Middle Grade LiteratureMy Mom's a Mortician
Middle Grade Literature Honorable MentionHunchback
Novel
Novel Honorable MentionLeaving Eden
Poetry
Special Award Honorable Mention of the University of Utah
Young Adult LiteratureEnna Burning
Young Adult Literature Honorable MentionMira, Mirror
Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Free Throws
2005Biography
Criticism, P. G. Karamesines, Kent Larsen, and Eric Russell
FilmNew York Doll
Marilyn Brown Novel Award
Marilyn Brown Novel Award Honorable MentionSeeker
NovelElantris
Novel Honorable MentionMagic Street
God's Executioner
PoetryIn All Their Animal Brilliance
Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon LettersChildren of the Promise
Special Award
Young Adult LiteraturePrincess Academy
Funeral Home Evenings
Young Adult Literature Honorable MentionOf Mice and Magic, Ravenspell Book One
Search and Destroy
2006Criticism
DramaTreasure
Film
Film Honorable MentionSisterz in Zion
Angie
NovelRedemption Road
Novel Honorable MentionEmpire
Mistborn
Personal Essay"Like the Lilies of the Field"
Personal Essay Honorable Mention
""
Service to AML
Short Fiction"Atta Boy"
Short Fiction Honorable Mention"And Cry the Name of David"
"Brother Singh"
"Judgement Day"
Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
Special Award, Blaine L. Gale, E. Hunter Hale, and Richard I. HaleTrapped By the Mormons
Young Adult LiteratureFablehaven
Young Adult Literature Honorable MentionRiver Secrets
It's a Mall World After All
2007Biography
CriticismPeople of Paradox: The History of Mormon Culture
DramaFacing East
Film
Marilyn Brown Novel AwardRift
Marilyn Brown Novel Award Honorable MentionVoices at the Crossroads
Don't You Marry the Mormon Boys
NovelOn the Road to Heaven
Novel FinalistsAustenland
Before the Dawn
I Am Not Wolf
Effigy
Novel Honorable MentionBefore the Dawn
Short Fiction"Clothing Esther"
Short Fiction Finalists"Drought", Dialogue 40:3 (Fall 2007)
"", Dialogue 40:4 (Winter 2007)
Short Fiction Honorable Mention"Light of the New Day"
""
Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
Special AwardSegullah
Special Award Honorable MentionMormons and Film
Young Adult LiteratureThis Is What I Did
Young Adult Literature FinalistsNotes on a Near-Life Experience
Dragon Slippers
Book of a Thousand Days
Finding Daddy
Young Adult Literature Honorable Mention
Alcatraz Vs. the Evil Librarians
2008DramaProdigal Son
Film
Happy Valley
Lifetime AML Membership
NovelBound on Earth
Personal Essay"The Calling"
""
Poetry
Mapping the Bones of the World
Short Fiction"Amanuensis"
Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
Special Award in Criticism
Special Award in History, Glen M. Leonard, and Ronald W. WalkerMassacre at Mountain Meadows
Special Award in Textual Criticism and Bibliography, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, Journals Series, vol. 1, Journals 1832-1839
Youth FictionFablehaven: The Grip of the Shadow Plague
2009DramaLittle Happy Secrets
FilmFire Creek
Honorary Lifetime Membership
Humor
Memoir
NovelRift
Novel Honorable MentionHotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Online WritingOne Cobble at a Time
PoetryBackyard Alchemy
PublishingZarahemla Books
Service to AML
Short Fiction"Path of Antelope, Pelican, and Moon"
Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
Young Adult LiteratureCarol Lynch Williams

2010

Smith-Pettit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
Biography
Criticism
Drama / WebFilm
Editing
Memoir
Novel
Online Writing
Personal Essay
Poetry
Service to AML
Short Fiction
Short Fiction Honorable Mention
Young Adult Literature

2011

Smith-Pettit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
Honorary Lifetime Membership
Biography
Autobiography
Criticism
Film
Special Award in Graphical Narrative
Novel
Personal Essay
Poetry
Short Story
Short Fiction
Special Award in Literary Journalism
Young Adult Novel
Marilyn Brown Novel Award

2012

Smith–Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
Lifetime AML Membership
Film
Novel
Devotional
Poetry
Award in Adaptation
Drama
Short Fiction
Young Adult Novel
Memoir/Creative Non Fiction
Middle Grade Fiction Award
Humor

2013

Given out April 12, 2014.

Smith–Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
Outstanding Achievement Award
Creative non-fiction
Drama
Film
Special Award
Novel
Poetry

Other finalists

Short Fiction

Other finalists

Young Adult Fiction
Young Adult Speculative Fiction

2014

Presented March 28, 2015, at the Utah Valley University Library.[19]

Smith–Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
AML Lifetime Achievement Award
Comics
Creative non-fiction

Other finalists

Criticism

Other finalists

Drama

Other finalists

Film

Other finalists

Middle Grade Novel

Other finalists

Novel

Other finalists

Picture Book

Other finalists

Poetry

Other finalists

Religious Non-Fiction

Other finalists

Short Fiction

Other finalists

Young Adult General Novel

Other finalists

Young Adult Speculative Novel

Other finalists

2015

Presented March 5, 2016, at the Heber J. Grant building on Brigham Young University-Hawaii campus.[20]

The Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
The Association for Mormon Letters Lifetime Achievement Award
Special Awards for Scholarly Publishing
Comics[22]

One Year and One Half in Japan by Brittany Long Olsen

Other finalists

Creative Non-Fiction[23]

Other finalists

Criticism

Other finalists

Drama

Other finalists

Film[24]

Other finalists

Lyrics[25]

Other finalists

Middle Grade Novel[26]

Other finalists

Novel[27]

Other finalists

Picture Book

Other finalists

Poetry

Other finalists

Religious Non-Fiction

Other finalists

Short Story

Other finalists

Short-Story Collection

Other finalists

Young Adult Novel

Other finalists

2016

Presented at Utah Valley University, April 22, 2017.[28]

The Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
AML Lifetime Achievement Award
Comics

Other finalists

Creative Non-fiction

Honorable Mention

Other finalists

Criticism
Drama

Other finalists

Film

Other finalists

Middle Grade Novel

Other finalists

Novel

Other finalists

Picture Book

Other finalists

Poetry

Other finalists

Religious Non-fiction

Other finalists

Special Award for Religious Non-fiction Publishing
Short Fiction

Other finalists

Short Fiction Collection

Other finalists

Video Series

Other finalists

Young Adult Novel

Other finalists

2017

The final winners were presented March 23, 2018.

Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters[31]
AML Lifetime Achievement Award
Novel[32]
Short fiction
Creative nonfiction[33]

Notable mentions

Religious nonfiction[33]
Middle-grade novel[34]
Young-adult novel
Comics[35]
Picture book[35]
Drama[36]
Film[36]
Criticism[37]
Anthology[37]
Poetry[37]
Special Award in Religious Non-Fiction Publishing

2018

The final winners were presented March 30, 2019, in Berkeley, California.

AML Lifetime Achievement Award[38] [39]
Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters[40]
Special Award in Publishing[41]
Novel[42]
Short-fiction collections
Short fiction
Drama
Poetry
Creative nonfiction[43]
Religious nonfiction
Criticism
Comics[44]
Documentary film
Narrative film
Picture book
Middle-grade novel
Young-adult novel[45]

2019

The final winners were presented May 2, 2020, online, due to a cancellation of the 2020 AML Conference caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[46] [47] [48]

Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters[46] [47]
Lifetime Achievement Award[46] [47]
Special awards[46] [47]
  • in Literature and Art
  • HIVE ZINE
  • The ARCH-HIVE
  • in Literature and Performance
  • Thorns and Thistles: A Concert of Literature
  • 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
  • in Literature
  • Irreversible Things
  • Lisa Van Orman Hadley
    Novel[49]
    Short fiction
    Young-adult novel[50]
    Middle-grade novel
    Picture book
    Drama[51]
    Narrative feature films
    Documentary feature films
    Short film
    Poetry[52]
    Criticism
    Creative nonfiction[53]
    Religious nonfiction[53]
    Comics[53]

    2020

    The final winners were presented June 5, 2021, as part of an online-only conference, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[54] [55]

    Lifetime Achievement[56]
    Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters[57]
    Special Award in Religious Nonfiction[58]

    General editors: Spencer Fluhman and Philip Barlow

    Series editors: D. Morgan Davis, James E. Faulconer, Kristine Haglund, Joseph M. Spencer, Rosalynde Welch

    Authors: Joseph M. Spencer, Terryl L. Givens, Deidre Nicole Green, Sharon J. Harris, James E. Faulconer, Kylie Turley, Mark Wrathall, Kimberly Berkey, Daniel Becerra, Adam S. Miller, Rosalynde Frandsen Welch, David F. Holland

    Illustrator: Brian Kershisnik

    Special Award in Nonfiction

    Editors: Carol Edison, Eric A. Eliason, Lynne S McNeill

    Novel[59]

    Other finalists:

    Short story

    Other finalists:

    Short-fiction collection

    Other finalist:

    Poetry

    Other finalists:

    Creative nonfiction[60]

    Other finalists:

    Religious nonfiction

    Other finalists:

    Audiobook

    Other finalists:

    Podcast

    Other finalists:

    Picture book[61]

    Other finalists:

    Middle-grade novel

    Other finalists:

    Young-adult novel

    Other finalists:

    Comics[62]

    Other finalists:

    Criticism

    Other finalists:

    Drama

    Other finalists:

    Film

    Other finalist:

    2021

    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
    Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
    Special award in fiction[64]
  • Estampas del Libro de Mormón by Gabriel González Núñez
    Special award in nonfictionEugene England: A Mormon Liberal by Kristine L. Haglund (University of Illinois Press)
    Novel
  • Eleusis:The Long and Winding Road by R. de la Lanza (Intendencia de las Letras/Ulterior Editorial)
  • The Jupiter Knife by D. J. Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchie (Baen)
  • Picnic in the Ruins by Todd Robert Petersen (Counterpoint)
  • Noria by Juan Antonio Santoyo (Ulterior Editorial)
    Short fiction
  • "Y no preguntes mas . . ." ("So Ask no More . . .") by Mario R. Montani (Irreantum)
  • "Good Shepherd Church" by Riley Clay (Irreantum)
  • "Between Glory and Ruin" James Goldberg (A Desolating Sickness: Stories of Pandemic)
  • "Skillick’s Bride" Rachel Helps
  • "The Wall" by Spencer Hyde (Image)
    Young Adult Novel[65]
  • Beyond the Mapped Stars by Rosalyn Eves (Knopf)
  • A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions by Sheena Boekweg (Feiwel & Friends)
  • Where I Belong Marcia Mickelson (Carolrhoda Lab)
  • Fadeaway by E. B. Vickers (Knopf)
  • In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner (Crown Books)
    Middle Grade Novel
  • Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera (HarperCollins)
  • Breathing Underwater by Sarah Allen (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
  • Horace & Bunwinkle: The Case of the Rascally Raccoon by P.J. Gardner (illustrated by Dave Mottram) (Balzer + Bray)
  • Friends Forever by Shannon Hale (illustrated by Leuyen Pham) (First Second)
  • Tips for Magicians by Celesta Rimington (Crown Books for Young Readers)
    Picture Book
  • A Child of God by Chantel Bonner, Mauli Bonner, and Morgan Bissant (Shadow Mountain/Ensign Peak)
  • The Boy and the Sea by Camile Andros and Amy June Bates (Abrams)
  • We Believe: Illustrated Articles of Faith by Annie Poon (Covenant)
  • Thankful by Elaine Vickers and Samantha Cotterill (Paula Wiseman Books)
  • 10 Little Disciples by Sierra Wilson (Ambassador-Emerald Intl)
    Film[66]
  • Witnesses (directed by Mark Goodman, written by Mitch Davis)
  • His Name is Green Flake (directed and written by Mauli Bonner)
  • Maggie on Stratford Ave (directed and written by James May)
  • Scenes from the Glittering World (directed by Jared Jakins)
  • The Touch of the Master’s Hand (directed and written by Gregory Barnes)
    Drama
  • REDEEMHer: How I Screwed up my perfect Mormon life by Tatum Langton
  • The King Stag by Janine Sobeck Knighton
  • Gin Mummy by Melissa Leilani Larson
  • 1820: The Musical (book: George Nelson; music and lyrics: Kayliann Lowe Juarez, Doug Lowe, and Kendra Lowe)
    Poetry
  • The Ache and The Wing by Sunni Brown Wilkinson (Sundress Publications)
  • Beneath the Falls by Mark D. Bennion (Resource publications)
  • Down Their Spears by Jared Pearce (Cyberwit)
    Podcast[66]
  • This Is the Gospel (LDS Living)
  • 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
  • Sunstone Mormon History (Sunstone Education Foundation)
    Comics[67]
  • Friends Forever by Shannon Hale (illustrated by Leuyen Pham) (First Second)
  • Future Day Saints: The Gnomlaumite Crystal by Matt Page
  • The Glass Looker: Collected Tales of Joseph Smith by Mark Elwood
    Criticism
  • 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.
    Creative Nonfiction
  • Zion Earth, Zen Sky by Charles Shirō Inouye (Neal A. Maxwell Institute)
  • Blossom as the Cliffrose: Mormon Legacies and the Beckoning Wild edited by Karin Anderson and Danielle Dubrasky (Torrey House Press)
  • Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops by Allison Hong Merrill (She Writes Press)
  • Scrupulous: My Obsessive Compulsion for God by Taylor Kerby (BCC Press)
  • Where the Soul Hungers: One Doctor’s Journey from Atheism to Faith by Samuel M. Brown (Neal A. Maxwell Institute)
    Religious Nonfiction
  • Proclaim Peace: The Restoration’s Answer to an Age of Conflict by Patrick Q. Mason and J. David Pulsipher (Maxwell Institute)
  • Stretching the Heavens: The Life of Eugene England and the Crisis of Modern Mormonism by Terryl L. Givens (University of North Carolina Press)
  • The Restoration: God’s Call to the 21st Century World by Patrick Q. Mason (Faith Matters)
  • The Anatomy of Book of Mormon Theology, Vols. 1 and 2 Joseph M. Spencer (Greg Kofford Books)
  • Humility: A Practical Approach by Shawn Tucker (BCC Press)
    Lyrics
  • Fragility by Christian Asplund
  • Therapy Sessions by David Archuleta
  • A Fish of Earth by Emily Brown
  • Pressure Machine by The Killers
  • Strangest Congregations by Andrew Wiscombe

    2022

    Award winners were announced April 29, 2023 at a virtual conference.[68] [69]

    AML Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Michael Hicks[70]
    Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters
  • Stephen R. Carter[71]
    Novel[72]
  • The History of Honey Spring by Darin Cozzens (Zarahemla Books)
  • And All Eternity Shook by Jacob L. Bender (Ships of Hagoth)
  • The Resurrection Box by Declan Hyde (Gypsy Fox Publishing)
  • Heike’s Void by Steven L. Peck (BCC Press)
    Short fiction
  • "The Intelligences" ("As inteligências") by Marcelo Bighetti (translated by Kent S. Larsen) (Irreantum)
  • "The Profile of Daria Black" by Michaelbrent Collings (In Gilded Glass: Twisted Myths and Shattered Fairytales, WordFire Press)
  • "The Algorithms of Happiness" by Ryan Habermeyer (Iron Horse Literary Review)
  • "Worlds Without End" by Tygan Shelton (Irreantum)
  • "Twilight of the Eye Creature" by Nathan Shumate (Cold Fusion Media)
    Short-fiction collection
  • The Year They Gave Women the Priesthood and Other Stories by Michael Fillerup (Signature Books)
  • Down the Arches of the Years by Lee Allred (Hemelein Publications)
  • The Darkest Abyss: Strange Mormon Stories by William Morris (BCC Press)
  • Sharks in an Inland Sea by Lehua Parker (Hemelein Publications)
    Drama[73]
  • The Wrong People Have Money by Reed McColm. Varscona Theatre, Alberta. Shadow Theatre.
  • A. D. 16 by Bekah Brunstetter (book) and Cinco Paul (story, music, and lyrics). Olney Theatre Center, Olney, Maryland.
  • Mestiza, or Mixed by Melissa Leilani Larson. Plan-B Theatre, Salt Lake City.
  • Mother, Mother: The Many Mothers of Maude by Julie Jensen. Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Salt Lake City. Pygmalion Productions.
    Creative Nonfiction[74]
  • The Burning Book by Jason Olson and James Goldberg (BCC Press)
  • The Precarious Walk: Essays from Sand and Sun by Phyllis Barber (Torrey House Press)
  • Wineskin: Freakin’ Jesus in the ‘60s and ‘70s by Michael Hicks (Signature Books)
  • East Winds: A Global Quest to Reckon with Marriage by Rachel Rueckert (BCC Press)
    Religious Nonfiction
  • 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)
  • Book of Mormon Studies: An Introduction and Guide by Daniel Becerra, Amy Easton-Flake, Nicholas J. Frederick, and Joseph M. Spencer. (Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center)
  • Mormon Women at the Crossroads: Global Narratives and the Power of Connectedness edited by Caroline Kline. (University of Illinois Press)
  • Original Grace: An Experiment in Restoration Thinking by Adam S. Miller (Maxwell Institute/Deseret Book)
  • The Book of Mormon for the Least of These: Vol. 2, Mosiah-Alma by Fatimah Salleh and Margaret Olsen Hemming (BCC Press)
    Criticism (long-form)
  • Mormonism, Empathy, and Aesthetics: Beholding the Body by Gary Ettari (Palgrave Macmillan)
  • Experiment upon the Word by Frederik S. Kleiner (BCC Press)
  • John Held Jr.’s Fiction by Glen Nelson (Center for Latter-day Saint Art)
    Criticism (short-form)
  • "The Divine Feminine in Mormon Art" by Margaret Olsen Hemming ()
  • "Lands Before Time: Plan of Salvation Typology in the Films of Don Bluth" by Randy Astle (Irreantum)
  • "Apologia Unmasked: Brigham City, Film Noir and the Future of Mormon Cinema" by Lane Welch (Utah Monthly)
  • "The Secular Syllabus and the Sacred Book: Literary Scholars Approach the Book of Mormon" by Rosalynde Welch (Journal of Book of Mormon Studies)
    Young-adult novel[75]
  • Beneath the Wide Silk Sky by Emily Inouye Huey (Scholastic)
  • Wakers by Orson Scott Card (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
  • The Silence that Binds Us by Joanna Ho (HarperTeen)
  • This Might Get Awkward by Kara McDowell (Scholastic)
  • The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart (Declorate)
    Middle-grade novel
  • Willis Wilbur Wows the World by Lindsey Leavitt (Penguin Workshop)
  • The Legend of the Dream Giants by Dustin Hansen (Shadow Mountain)
  • The Hope of Elephants by Amanda Rawson Hill (Charlesbridge)
  • Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Scholastic)
  • Secrets of the Looking Glass by J. Scott Savage (Shadow Mountain)
    Picture book
  • 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)
  • Pretty Perfect Kitty Corn by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham (Abrams)
    Comics[76]
  • Joseph Smith and the Mormons by Noah Van Sciver (Abrams ComicArts)
  • The Glass Looker: Volume 2 by Mark Elwood (Luman Books)
  • The Manderfield Devil by Rachel Allen Everett (independently published)
  • Beware the Eye of Odin Doug Wagner (writer) and Tim Odland (artist) (Image Comics)
    Poetry
  • Fatal by Kimberly Johnson (Persea Books)
  • Litany with Wings by Tyler Chadwick (BCC Press)
  • Golden Ax by Rio Cortez (Penguin)
  • Drift Migration by Danielle Beazer Dubrasky (Ashland Poetry Press)
  • Hemingway in Paradise and other Mormon Poems by Scott Hales (Mormon Lit Lab)
    Special Award in Publishing—Republication
  • The Corianton Saga edited by Ardis E. Parshall (BCC Press)
  • A Vision Splendid: The Discourses of David O. McKay edited by Anne-Marie Wright Lampropoulos (Greg Kofford Books)
  • The Bacillus of Beauty by Harriet Stark, edited by Joe Monson (Hemelein Publications)
    Film[77]
  • 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.
    Podcast[78]
  • This Global Latter-day Life (Caroline Kline, host and writer; Claremont Graduate University, Claremont Mormon Studies; Dialogue Podcast Network)
  • Come Follow Me Kids (Bay Kids)
  • Leading Saints (Kurt Francom, host/executive producer; Lillian Angelovic, producer)
  • Tribe of Testimonies (Andrea Hales, host)
  • Y Religion (Anthony Sweat, host and producer; Brigham Young University Religious Education)

    See also

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: AML Awards - Dawning of a Brighter Day. associationmormonletters.org. 23 August 2017.
    2. Web site: Dialogue, 11:6, p. 9 . 23 August 2017 . .
    3. Web site: AML Awards 1980 – 1989 . 2023-02-05 . Dawning of a Brighter Day . en-US.
    4. Web site: Archived copy . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141022022026/http://mldb.byu.edu/AML%20Awards/Awards1983.htm . 2014-10-22 . 2014-10-21.
    5. "Personal Essay Explored at AML Conference." Sunstone Magazine. Retrieved 6 February 2016. Note: a typo in the article calls these the 1980 award winners.
    6. "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.
    7. Web site: March 1988 . Sunstone . 2017-08-23 . Sunstonemagazine.com .
    8. Web site: AML SYMPOSIUM CONSIDERS VIRGINIA SORENSON AND HER CONTEMPORARIES . 2017-08-23 . Sunstonemagazine.com .
    9. Web site: AML Awards 1990 – 1999 . 2023-02-05 . Dawning of a Brighter Day . en-US.
    10. Salt Lake Tribune, 30 January 1993
    11. Peterson . Levi S. . August 1998 . In Memoriam: Samuel W. Taylor . . 11.
    12. Web site: AML Awards 2000 – 2001 . 2023-02-05 . Dawning of a Brighter Day . en-US.
    13. http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/aml-awards/aml-awards-2010/ AML Awards database
    14. Web site: 2011 AML Awards | Dawning of a Brighter Day . 2012-04-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120502030605/http://blog.mormonletters.org/?p=4367 . 2012-05-02 .
    15. http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/aml-awards/aml-awards-2011/ AML Awards database
    16. Web site: Report on AML Conference 2013 and List of Awards | Dawning of a Brighter Day . 2014-04-14 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140415044508/http://blog.mormonletters.org/?p=6111 . 2014-04-15 .
    17. http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/aml-awards/aml-awards-2012/ AML Awards database
    18. http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/aml-awards/aml-awards-2013/ AML Awards database
    19. http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/aml-awards/aml-awards-2014/ AML Awards database
    20. Web site: 2015 AML Award Winners . Hall . Andrew . 5 Mar 2016 . Dawning of a Brighter Day . . 5 March 2016.
    21. Web site: 2015 AML Lifetime Awards . Hall . Andrew . 21 Feb 2016 . Dawning of a Brighter Day . . 22 February 2016.
    22. Web site: 2015 AML Awards Finalists #5: Drama, Comics, and Criticism . Hall . Andrew . 5 Feb 2016 . Dawning of a Brighter Day . . 5 February 2016.
    23. Web site: 2015 AML Awards Finalists #1: Creative Non-Fiction and Religious Non-Fiction . Hall . Andrew . 1 Feb 2016 . Dawning of a Brighter Day . . 1 February 2016.
    24. Web site: 2015 AML Awards Finalists #6: Film . Hall . Andrew . 11 Feb 2016 . Dawning of a Brighter Day . . 11 February 2016.
    25. Web site: 2015 AML Awards Finalists #4: Lyrics, Picture Book, and Poetry . Hall . Andrew . 4 Feb 2016 . Dawning of a Brighter Day . . 4 February 2016.
    26. Web site: 2015 AML Awards Finalists #3: Young Adult and Middle Grade Novel . Hall . Andrew . 3 Feb 2016 . Dawning of a Brighter Day . . 4 Feb 2016.
    27. Web site: 2015 AML Awards Finalists #2: Novel and Short Fiction . Hall . Andrew . 2 Feb 2016 . Dawning of a Brighter Day . . 4 Feb 2016.
    28. Web site: 2016 AML Awards - Dawning of a Brighter Day. Associationmormonletters.org. 23 April 2017 . 23 August 2017.
    29. Web site: Orson Scott Card: Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters - Dawning of a Brighter Day. Associationmormonletters.org. 23 April 2017 . 23 August 2017.
    30. Web site: Susan Elizabeth Howe: AML Lifetime Achievement Award - Dawning of a Brighter Day. Associationmormonletters.org. 23 April 2017 . 23 August 2017.
    31. Web site: 2017 AML Awards. March 24, 2018. Dawning of a Brighter Day.
    32. "2017 AML Awards Finalists #1: Novel and Short Fiction" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Accessed Feb. 26, 2018
    33. "2017 AML Awards Finalists #3: Creative Non-Fiction and Religious Non-Fiction" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Accessed Feb. 26, 2018
    34. "2017 AML Award Finalists #2: Middle Grade and Young Adult Novel" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Accessed Feb. 26, 2018
    35. "2017 AML Awards #4: Comics and Picture Books" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Accessed Feb. 27, 2018
    36. "2017 AML Awards Finalists #5: Drama and Film" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Accessed Feb. 28, 2018
    37. "2017 AML Awards Finalists #6: Anthology, Criticism, and Poetry" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Accessed Mar. 5, 2018
    38. "Carol Lynn Pearson, AML Lifetime Achievement Award." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 16 February 2019. Accessed 19 February 2019.
    39. "2018 AML Award Winners." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 30 March 2019. Accessed 31 March 2019.
    40. "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.
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    43. "2018 AML Awards Finalists #5: Non-Fiction, Criticism." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 15 February 2019. Accessed 19 February 2019.
    44. "2018 AML Award Finalists #4: Comics and Film." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 14 February 2019. Accessed 19 February 2019.
    45. "[2018 AML Award Finalists #2: Children’s literature 2018 AML Award Finalists #2: Children’s literature]." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 12 February 2019. Accessed 19 February 2019.
    46. "AML Awards," presentation video. 2 May 2020. Accessed 2 May 2020.
    47. "2019 AML Award Winners" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 2 May 2020. Accessed 2 May 2020.
    48. "Association for Mormon Letters 2019 award finalists announced; virtual conference May 2" by Christine Rappleye. [Deseret News]. 30 April 2020. Accessed 3 May 2020.
    49. "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.
    50. "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.
    51. "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.
    52. http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/2020/03/2019-aml-awards-finalists-4-poetry-and-criticism 2019 AML Awards Finalists #4: Poetry and Criticism
    53. http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/2020/03/2019-aml-awards-finalists-5-non-fiction-and-comics/ 2019 AML Awards Finalists #5: Non-Fiction and Comics
    54. "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.
    55. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1DljKrl7Ig AML Awards
    56. "John Serge Bennion: 2021 AML Lifetime Achievement Award." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. April 12, 2021. Accessed April 12, 2021.
    57. "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.
    58. "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.
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    60. "2020 AML Awards Finalists #2: Nonfiction, Audiobooks, Podcasts." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. April 6, 2021. Accessed April 6, 2021.
    61. "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.
    62. "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.
    63. "2021 AML Award Winners." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. July 24, 2022. Accessed September 30, 2022.
    64. "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.
    65. "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.
    66. "2021 AML Awards Finalists #3: Film, Drama, Poetry, Podcasts"
    67. "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.
    68. "2022 AML Award Winners." Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. April 29, 2023. Accessed April 29, 2023.
    69. "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.
    70. "Michael Hicks: 2023 AML Lifetime Achievement Award," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 3, 2023. Accessed April 3, 2023.
    71. "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.
    72. "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.
    73. "2022 AML Award Finalists #6: Drama," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 10, 2023. Accessed April 10, 2023.
    74. "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.
    75. "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.
    76. "2022 AML Awards Finalists #4: Comics, Poetry, Republication," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 6, 2023. Accessed April 6, 2023.
    77. "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.
    78. "2022 AML Award Finalists #7: Podcast," Dawning of a Brighter Day, Association for Mormon Letters. April 19, 2023. Accessed April 19, 2023.