WIZ open for business

The welcome post for WIZ stated the following:

We launch Wilderness Interface Zone knowing nature literature is something of a spiritual and artistic frontier for Mormons €¦and yet not.   With Joseph Smith’s First Vision, Mormonism certainly stakes a defensible claim in the tradition of finding God in the wilderness.   Couple this claim with belief in eternal progression, add the central role repentance plays in Mormons’ lives, and Mormons really have quite the lenses for gazing upon the grandeur of the Mystery.   With growing LDS scientific and cultural communities, Mormon literary nature writers ought to abound.   Concern does seem to be mounting in the church for taking a different stance toward how we live in this world, for re-imagining our stewardship in the Creation.   One of WIZ’s raisons d’etre is to support stewardship through story.

The intention at the time was to take a few months to establish WIZ’s tone, rough in its nature then open it up for submissions.   Testing the waters, we had our Spring Poetry Run-off, a successful trial that showed there were writers out there with nature-centric—or not so nature-centric—work that fits WIZ’s vision.

Well, a few months have passed.   We think the time has come to issue an open call for submissions.   Along with building a Mormon nature-wring community, €œsupporting stewardship through story € remains one of WIZ’s goals.   If you have a short creative nonfiction essay that explores the human-nature story in some way, a criticism essay, a lyrical science essay, a novel or long poem excerpt, a poem of 50 lines or less in length, hybrid literary form, review, commentary, etc., please consider submitting it WIZ.   We’ll also consider posting photographs of original artwork.   To view possible subjects, click on the “Categories” post in the lefthand column.   You’ll see that subjects include everything from field notes to gardens to hoverflies, plus many not yet explored here.   WIZ’s audience, small though it be, will offer feedback.   Your work does not need to be explicitly Mormon in tone or content.   If you are not a Mormon but would like to test your work with a Mormon audience, we welcome your submission.

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