And we beheld the sea, which we called Irreantum, which, being interpreted, is many waters.
The Book of Mormon is loaded with rivers and seas and such, none of which are particularly associated with Christmas, but consider Alma’s collection of future refugees embracing beauty and truth at the Waters of Mormon. They promised one another to stick together and to support one another, probably suspecting that they would shortly be chased from their homes into a world of confusion and chaos.
And so they were.
Not to be histrionic—who am I kidding?—to dramatically embrace the histrionic, that right there is what it’s like to be an artist. We’re all wandering around the wilderness, surrounded by chaos and confusion, hoping for a bit of love from the world around us. Success in this world is as much luck as skill, as much timing as labor. No one is guaranteed anything. But. Like Alma’s people. We can promise to stick together, to support one another.
In that sense, what better Christmas present could one artist give another than a piece of their own audience? With that in mind, I invited creators known to Irreantum readers to choose another creator whose work they admire and share them with you.
I’m grateful to everyone involved in this issue—both those who sought and those willing to be found. So often we labor alone, not knowing if anyone is interested in what we are doing.
With this Christmas issue we shout like little angels, Hark! Because the world is filled with beauty. And we all are called to see.
Merry Christmas,
————–th—
For Christmas,
David J. Butler would like to gift you
The Library of Godwin’s The Congregation of the Firstborn
David J. Butler is the beloved and AML Award–winning author of such novels as Witchy Eye and The Cunning Man (with Aaron Michael Ritchey); and nonfiction like In the Language of Adam. His interview with game designer Sandy Petersen recently appeared on Irreantum. The Library of Godwin‘s prints and books are available online and in certain galleries of fine taste.
For Christmas,
Merrijane Rice would like to gift you
Scott Hales’s “Big City Prophet”
Merrijane Rice has recently become better known through her collections aligned with the New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Old Testament. Scott Hales is an historian, poet, and comics artist whose books include Hemingway in Paradise and The Garden of Enid.
For Christmas,
James Goldberg would like to gift you
Citlalli Xochitiotzin’s «Nuevos comienzos» / “New beginnings”
James Goldberg is a cofounder of the Mormon Lit Blitz which has expanded the readership for international Mormon voices. His own books range from The Five Books of Jesus to Remember the Revolution to his latest, Latter-day Sikh (with ). Citlalli Xochitiotzin is president of the Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin Foundation.
For Christmas,
Lee Allred would like to gift you
Stanley Wheeler’s “The Blacksmith’s Work”
Lee Allred‘s classic “For the Strength of the Hills” appeared in Writers of the Future back in 1997. Since then he has been a reliable source of Mormon-tinged science fiction. His most recent collection is Down the Arches of the Years. Stanley Wheeler‘s work has lately been appearing in Raconteur Press books, including PinUp Noir 2 and Accidental Pirates.
For Christmas,
Kimberly Johnson would like to gift you an excerpt from
Lindsey Webb’s Plat
Kimberly Johnson is an award-laden poet (including two AML Awards for Leviathan with a Hook and Fatal) and recipient of a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Lindsey Webb’s Plat was a finalist for the National Poetry Series.
For Christmas,
Darlene Young would like to gift you
six poems of Jim Richards’s
Darlene Young is the premiere popular voice of 21st-century Mormon poetics. Her voice has long been a vital part of Irreantum, including in 2022, 2002, 2025, 2000 (yes, she got started in the 20th!), and 2022 again. Her most recent collection is Count Me In. Jim Richards teaches literature and creative writing at BYU-Idaho; his debut collection is Song for My Left Ear, Song for My Right.
For Christmas,
Glen Nelson would like to gift you
Leslie Graff’s She made it delicious
Glen Nelson recently received AML’s lifetime-achievement award for his innumerable artistic projects and for his leadership and mentoring within the realm of fine arts, most notably his cofounding of The Center for Latter-day Saint Arts. Leslie Graff is on the faculty at the Danforth Art Museum School.
