There is a favorite early Mormon hymn, “In Our Lovely Deseret,” that urges Latter-day Saints to be “polite,” “affable and kind,” and “treat everybody right.” In this new anthology of short stories of the same title, good manners and proper etiquette are no longer even considered virtuous in many situations.

Circumstances change. For post-modern Mormons, the cultural landscape appears much different than it would have been for our pioneer forebears. As complexity adds to the confusion, good people sometimes falter. Addressing these troublesome issues are some of the most insightful LDS writers. Contributors include Phyllis Barber, Ron Carlson, Brian Evenson, Walter Kirn, Pauline Mortensen, Levi S. Peterson, and Dorothy Solomon. These authors, together with thirteen others, conjure engaging, conflicted characters—survivors, whose stories are sometimes horrific, sometimes cathartic, but always mesmerizing.

Robert Raleigh is a technical writer in the computer industry. He is the former publisher and co-editor of Poor Roberts Almanac (a literary magazine) and has published in Tar River Quarterly and elsewhere. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, in Utah Valley—the heart of Deseret.

title page

In Our Lovely Deseret
Mormon Fictions

Edited by Robert Raleigh

Signature Books
Salt Lake City

copyright page

The illustration on the front cover is a collaboration of Robert Raleigh and the Galbraith Group.

∞ In Our Lovely Deseret was printed on acid-free paper and was composed, printed, and bound in the United States.

© 1998 Signature Books, Inc. Signature Books is a registered trademark of Signature Books, Inc.

ISBN: 1-56085-119-8