Sunstone Magazine
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Sunstone Magazine is a publication by the Sunstone Education Foundation, Inc., a 501c(3) nonprofit corporation, that discusses Mormonism through scholarship, art, short fiction, and poetry. The foundation began the publication in 1974 and considers it a vehicle for free and frank exchange in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sunstone's motto is Faith Seeking Understanding.
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[edit] History
In 1979, Sunstone began sponsoring an annual symposium in Salt Lake City, which is now a four-day event with approximately 100 different sessions generally held the second week of August. Since the 1980s, Sunstone has also held regular regional symposia in Washington, D.C., California, Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, and Boston.
While early magazine issues and symposia included heavy participation from a full range of perspectives, circumstances and events in the late 1980's and early 1990's damaged Sunstone's reputation and hurt subscribership.[1] These events included a 1989 address given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an LDS apostle, warning of "Alternate Voices"[2] and a November 1991 "Statement on Symposia" issued by the church's First Presidency; although, Sunstone was never mentioned in either case. Because of Sunstone's position as a visible symbol of independent thought within Mormonism, however, these communications led to a decline in participation in Sunstone fora by many conservative and moderate voices. This trend culminated after six intellectuals were disciplined by the Church in September, 1993, after which the potential costs of writing for the magazine and speaking at its symposia were too high. With a lack of participation from moderate and conservative voices, Sunstone experienced an unbalancing of many presentations toward liberal causes and points of view.[3][4][5]
With the passage of time and under new leadership, the Sunstone Education Foundation has begun to recover much of its former status as a vehicle for frank, honest discussion in Mormonism, with increased balance and a concerted effort to be welcoming to all voices.[6][7]
[edit] Publication
The magazine is published five times per year, and in addition to the annual Salt Lake symposium, the foundation generally sponsors three to five smaller-scale, regional symposiums each year.
[edit] List of Sunstone editors and publishers
| Name | Position | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Kenney | Editor/Publisher | 1975–1978 |
| Allen Roberts | Co-editor/publisher | 1978–1980 |
| Peggy Fletcher | Co-editor/publisher | 1978–1980 |
| Peggy Fletcher | Editor | 1978–1986 |
| Daniel Rector | Publisher | 1986–1991 |
| Elbert Eugene Peck | Editor | 1986–2001 |
| Linda Jean Stephenson | Publisher | 1991–1992 |
| William Stanford | Publisher | 2000–present |
| Dan Wotherspoon | Editor | 2001–present |
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Clark, Cody. "Da Vinci, Santa Claus and Joseph Smith walk into a symposium...: Annual Sunstone conference tackles broad range of LDS topics," Provo Daily Herald, August 07, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-03-06.
- ^ Oaks, Dallin H. "Alternate Voices," Ensign, May 1989. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
- ^ Jarvik, Elaine. "Sunstone Publisher Resigns," Deseret News, June 13, 2001.
- ^ Moore, Carrie A. "2 meets to focus on LDS thought," Deseret News, August 3, 2002.
- ^ Peck, Elbert Eugene (December 1999). "The Origin and Evolution of the Sunstone Species - twenty-five years of creative adaptation". Sunstone Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-03-06.
- ^ Stack, Peggy Fletcher. "Sunstone aims for new audiences," Salt Lake Tribune, August 6, 2002.
- ^ Mims, Bob. "Sunstone's future at a crossroads," Salt Lake Tribune, June 17, 2001.
