Call for Submissions Summer 2013
Mormon Women Reflect on Temple Worship
As members of the LDS Church we are taught that receiving temple ordinances and doing temple work is an essential expression of our faith. While this message is universal within the Church, individual experiences and responses to the temple are varied and unique. The Summer 2013 issue of Exponent II will be devoted to exploring the diverse experiences of Mormon women as they relate to the temple.
Exponent II is respectful of the sacred nature of the temple and will not be publishing details of temple worship. Rather we are focused on how women have interpreted their temple experience, how they have felt empowered or limited by their temple participation and what role temple worship plays in their spiritual lives.
The deadline for submissions will be April 15th, 2013 and can be sent to editor@exponentii.org. The following are a list of possible topics to spur your writing imagination:
Your first experience with the temple
Experiences as a temple worker
Evolving relationship to the temple
A particular temple that’s meaningful to you
Why did you receive your endowment when you did (i.e. before mission, marriage, other) and how did that timing affect your experience?
What do you think about the Church’s devotion of resources to temple building?
Experiences with family in the temple
Funny temple stories (300 words or less)
How do you think about the person you are doing proxy work for?
Why have you chosen not to attend the temple?
Your relationship to garments
Feminist perspectives on temple worship
Experiences participating in baptisms for the dead
Worshiping in the temple with your spouse
How does the temple challenge or affirm your faith?
For those who have seen changes in temple rituals (particularly those endowed before 1993): What effect, if any, did seeing change in the temple ceremony have on your faith and your temple experience?
Your feelings/experiences with live sessions vs. film
Great sacrament sermons on temple worship/experience
We are always accepting submissions at editorATexponentiiDOTorg and love to receive poetry, personal essays and art that express the stories of Mormon women across the spectrum. Here are some of our reoccurring features for which we are continually accepting submissions:
Exponent Generations
Description: Each newspaper will highlight three previously printed/posted articles or poems:
1) From the original Women’s Exponent
2) From the Exponent II paper 1970s – 1990s
3) From the blog 2006 – 2010
These articles will be linked thematically with a brief introduction. This will 1) keep our historical fires burning, 2) allow a new generation to read great articles from Exponent II, and 3) provide a forum for the “Best of the Blog.” The Exponent’s history is what distinguishes us from other LDS publications, and an overt gesture toward our past seems key to our future.
Global Zion
Description: Our feature gives voice to the international and multicultural experience of women in the Mormon Church.
Poetry
Description: Each issue will have at least one page of poetry from current writers, and seeks out some worthy work from writers in the past including previous Exponent II contributors for at least 1 page of poetry per issue. Emphasis will be on works that express women’s life experience.
Sister Speak
Description: This feature will give readers of Exponent II a forum to present their own thoughts about a given topic. Each issue, the feature editor will introduce a question about a topic of interest to Mormon women and invite responses from readers. Readers will email their insights or experiences to the editor, who will compile a selection of responses to publish in the upcoming issue. This feature will be a forum for constructive dialogue, as readers who normally consume the publication are given the opportunity to contribute to it. It also allows for a multiplicity of viewpoints and perspectives, a founding goal of Exponent II.
Sabbath Pastorals
The Sabbath Pastorals feature presents talks or addresses given in various LDS Church meetings. We work with the speaker (and author) to remain as true to the delivered text as possible in order to offer readers an awareness of what topics members are presenting to congregations church-wide. Particularly, we provide these texts as insightful approaches for readers to consider when asked themselves to speak in an LDS worship service. Think of it as Pinterest, but for valuable expositions from the LDS pulpit.
Women’s Theology
Description: This feature will showcase emerging Mormon theology through exegesis, interfaith doctrinal comparisons, and examples of our own as to how Mormon feminism can grow and benefit from other theologies (e.g. ecofeminism, liberation theology, etc).
Flannel Board
Description: This section helps people magnify their callings by providing ideas for teaching Primary, Young Women’s or Relief Society with a feminist bent. Ideas include diverse uses for art and music, thought-provoking questions, analogies and metaphors, and for the younger crowd, games and object lessons. Sometimes, it can be as simple as a picture that could be used to demonstrate a gospel principle that shows the diversity in our Church. Other times, it could be a lesson outline or game to play.
Reconciliations, Idealist Feminist/Practical Feminist Column
Description: This feature will present a space for dialogue between people to share their experience and emotions as they have navigated their way in and out of Mormonism. There are not enough examples of productive conversations between people who have chosen to stay in the church with those who have chosen to leave. Exponent’s founding principle that “this exchange allows us to better understand each other and shape the direction of our lives” will be better fulfilled by such conversations taking place in print.