August 2025 Newsblotter

News and events about LDS speculative fiction

As part of Further Light’s mission to gather together a community who is interested in the conversation about LDS speculative fiction, we’ll be publishing a free monthly-ish roundup of news, events, and interesting publications. If we missed something that you think should be included, please drop us a note!

Interesting Publications

The 14th Annual Mormon Lit Blitz had several fun speculative pieces including “Fairies” by Ilse Eskelsen, “Magical Thinking” by Janci Patterson, “A Ward House Stirring” by William Morris, and “Rebecca, la Misionera” / "Rebecca, the Missionary" by Arisael Rivera.

There’s a twinkle of speculative-ness in Jack Harrell’s “Morning of the First,” which imagines what it will be like to receive our bodies again. Read it in the just released MIX issue of Irreantum.

The Center for Latter-day Saint Arts recently published a fantastic article on recent LDS horror films which asks, in a genre obsessed with Catholicism, “what distinct aesthetics and anxieties might [Mormonism] bring to the table?” Check out Mason Kamana Allred’s “The Body is the Message: The Promise of Mormon Horror,” but beware of spoilers for Heretic (2024), The Handbook (2023), and The Angel (2024).

Not to spoil our chances at reprinting a chapter or two of this, but Chanel Earl’s series for Wayfare Magazine on how fairy stories teach us about the atonement is required reading. The introduction has just the right amount of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, and her interpretations of Snow White and Beauty and the Beast blew my mind. Can’t wait to read the rest!

Atonement, Metaphor, and Fairy Stories

Read something great that we should know about? Send links to editor@furtherlightmag.com with the subject line “Interesting Publications.”

SpecFic at BYU

Are you a BYU student? We’ve combed the catalog for fall classes about science fiction and fantasy. I know Juliana Chapman’s ENGL 331R section on “Women and the Arthurian Legend” will be excellent—and full of good story ideas—as I took the graduate version last year. Jamie Horrocks is teaching about British children’s literature written by women, including Beatrix Potter (a favorite of C. S. Lewis) and Lucy Boston’s speculative novel The Children of Green Knowe (ENGL 396R).

If you need ideas for LDS speculative stories, Eric Eliason’s course on Latter-day Saint folklore (ENGL 493) is bound to send you in interesting directions. Or make it Halloween all semester long with Emron Esplin’s senior capstone course on “Reading Poe Now” (ENGL 495). And for those planning to publish fiction, Carol Williams is teaching a special seminar on getting published in children's and young adult literature (ENGL 330R).

For graduate students (and advanced undergrads, it never hurts to ask if you can sneak in!), you could read ghost stories with Dennis Cutchins in ENGL 627R or study justice in fairy tales and YA fantasy in Jill Rudy’s ENGL 640R—the reading list includes the ever popular Cinder and Sofia Samatar’s fantastic new novella The Practice, The Horizon, and the Chain. Finally, Emron Esplin’s ENGL 628R seminar on “Portraying the Translator in Fiction & Film” uses a wealth of science fiction and fantasy content including the films Arrival and Stargate and literature by Jorge Luis Borges, Octavia Butler, Ted Chiang, and R. F. Kuang.

If you have a desire to learn more about C. S. Lewis in a gospel and educational context, then I have an inkling that you would enjoy attending the BYU C. S. Lewis Society! Open to students from all majors as well as community members who want to read more about his life, his beliefs, and his mythology. Join us on Tuesdays at 5 pm to discuss his essays, letters, novels, and more in an open format discussion. Join the email list at cslewissociety.byu.edu to be notified of meeting details and reading assignments.

Know about a speculative fiction class, club, or event on BYU campus? Send links to editor@furtherlightmag.com with the subject line “SpecFic at BYU.”

Community Events

Sep 25-27 - SLC FanX - You didn’t need me to tell you this was happening, did you? LDS speculative authors Charlie N. Holmberg, Brandon Sanderson, and Brandon Mull will all be there, along with tons of other local creatives. Tickets are down to a limited quantity, so if you plan on attending, don’t wait.

Sep 27 - Screening of LDS horror short film, The Angel - If you haven’t seen Burgindie’s creepy film about two polygamous wives who receive a messenger with some very strange instructions, you owe it to yourself to make the Red Rock Film Festival in Cedar City, UT. Not in Utah? Check out their humous film Java Jive online instead.

Oct 16-18 - LDSPMA - Do you have your ticket to LDSPMA yet? Speculative author J. Scott Savage will be one of the keynote speakers. I know there’s always a good contingent of SFF writers in attendance. There’s a 50% discount for college students and teens as well as a virtual option if you aren’t in Utah, so register today!

Got an event we missed? Send information to editor@furtherlightmag.com with the subject line “Community Events.”

Submissions & Deadlines

Aug 31 - Apply for a fully-stocked Narnia-themed free little library in your neighborhood? Yes please.

Sep 27 - Be a panelist at LTUE - Volunteer to talk about your favorite series or your writing process, promote your work, and get into that sweet exclusive guest greenroom. They have sandwiches! Visit the website for instructions on how to apply. If you wrote an academic paper or nonfiction piece about SF (especially LDS SF!), you can also submit to present on their academic track (deadline Oct 1).

Sep 30 - Submit to the first issue of Further Light - Don’t forget to send in your fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for inclusion in our first issue! We’re seeing a lot of short stories, but we’re in need of more nonfiction and poetry, so send us your LDS takes on your favorite SF properties and your closet epic poem! Check our submission guidelines for more details on what we’re looking for.

Nov 1 - Submit to Wayfare Magazine’s A New Story of Creation, a forum about science and religion - The list of topics is exhaustive, but I know they are very open to work from science fiction writers and readers about how science fiction can contribute to our understanding the melding of faith and science.

Dec 10 - Submit your speculative film to the Zion’s Indie Film Festival - I haven’t managed to make it out to this yet, but I always see really intriguing stuff listed in the program! Looks like there’s a screenplay contest as well. Submit here.

Got an opportunity we missed? Send information to editor@furtherlightmag.com with the subject line “Submissions & Deadlines.”