Critically-acclaimed author Walter Kirn — whose books and films include Thumbsucker, Up in the Air, andLost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever — has been voted “2009 William Law X-Mormon of the Year”!!
Good choice, folks — Walter Kirn is a credit to the X-Mormon community! I hope he comes by to give the acceptance speech that he promised on his facebook page! 😀
David Archuleta has been a beloved LDS performing artist since the early aughts — the sort of charming and wholesome star who makes Mormons look good in the eyes of the public. Only one problem: like a lot of people in showbiz, David is gay. This is not a problem…
In my next class, “Sexual Purity,” they were bound to take attendance, so I couldn’t very well just not show up. I thought a bit about what the consequences might be if I were to skip one of my classes, but in the end, since I knew that some of…
*** EDIT: Due to technical and scheduling difficulties the voting will continue until Wednesday February 12th at 10am Switzerland time. Sorry for the delay! *** The polls are ready!! Here’s where you vote for your favorite works of LDS-interest art, music, writing, and video of 2019!! We have some really…
Speaking of enticements, we should probably let the man know what he’s won.
On the other hand, considering how the winner’s got a promise to keep, maybe we should determine how lavish or paltry a prize to award Kirn only after we’ve seen an actual acceptance speech. 😉
I’ve just left this note at Kirn’s fan page:
He knows where to find us. Once we’ve seen that speech, I suggest we put it up as a guest post and then get down to the serious business of rounding up some X-MOTY swag for our winner!
Absolutely!!!
Right, we’re giving him a fabulous and stylish T-shirt with the official “2009 William Law X-Mormon of the Year” graphic, right? Who wouldn’t be thrilled to win that? 😉
Well, it looks like our winner wandered into the earlier X-MOTY voting thread and left behind the quote I’ll be using in the press release that’s going out to the AP tomorrow:
Not to trivialize the deep pain that Kirn has obviously suffered at the hands of the Church, but I’m gonna have a good laugh reading that again in Sunday’s Trib.
Scratch my previous comment. With this kind of a buildup, rather than rush an announcement to the AP, let’s see what our winner comes up with speech-wise before alerting the press:
Congratulations to Mr. Kirn!!
There were some great contenders in the running as well – unfortunate that only one person could win.
Congratulations, Mr Kirn! Well done you. Your speech just made my week. MORE SPEECHES PLEASE!!
(Alas, dooce is never gonna be our friend now.)
PS: You guys need to make the speech its own post so all the world can see it and rejoice therein.
PPS: Did the ‘nacle get their winner to personally accept the award? Doubt it. That’s cos exmos are better.
Yes, we will. We’re just waiting for confirmation on which prize he’d like. 😀
lol, I wasn’t gonna say it…
The William Law X-mo award is already listed as one of Mr Kirn’s illustrious honors on his wiki. THIS DAY CANNOT GET MORE AWESOME.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Kirn
That is fabulous!!!
Yet not too surprising. Everybody knows that the “William Law X-Mormon of the Year” award is a very prestigious and coveted award. 😉
the speec is coming, i assure you. such momentous addresses take some thought, though, s hold your horses folks. also, where do i give it/put it?
in the real world i’d deliver it on the sidewalk in front of sam weller’s zion bookstore in downtown salt lake. truly. i mean it. could the press be called?
or i guess i could just post it here.
thank you to the celestial academy.
i repeat: the speech will come, probably late tonight. and i want the t-shirt, a medium. plus ten per cent of your gross income, naturally.
Medium t-shirt – check!
Ten percent of my gross income – 😉
(Oh, and if you could send me your postal address, I’ll get the shirt shipped out tomorrow: profxm -at- gmail.com)
Somebody give the man an account. Congratulations to Walter Kirn and all the nominees.
I am pleased to report that Kirn’s most prestigious award is already listed on his Wikipedia entry.
ROFL
Also, in the meanwhile, fans might enjoy this (very) recent interview over at Literary Kicks: Up In The Air With Walter Kirn
Walter Kirn — I understand that Chino has gotten in touch with you via email regarding how to deliver your speech with the appropriate fanfare. 😀
chanson – Kirn’s fanpage administrator is in contact with the Asian chapter of the Mormon Alumni Association and assurances have been made. By the way, is the European chapter proceeding with the MSP artwork change that was discussed? Also, will others be able to purchase their own X-MOTY T-shirt from MAA’s North American chapter?
You mean the masthead? I’d assumed ProfXM was doing that since he’s the tech admin. I can look into it though.
Again, I’m for it. ProfXM seemed to suggest that there was some work involved in setting up a cafe press shop. I can ask him what the difficulty is and if he needs any assistance…
Uggh, sorry, didn’t mean to create work. Setting up a shop stocked with a single item doesn’t seem the best use of time. By the way, for anyone in the LA area, our winner will be reading and signing books at Book Soup on Sunset Boulevard this evening (Thursday) at 7 pm.
taking me longer than usual to craft this speech thing. but it’s going to be big,big, big. im in the middle of sexy secular hollywood movie publicity duties, but i’m going to take a break from them to address what’s important in life pretty dang soon here. but no, i didn’t get the e-mail about the venue, the manner of the speech’s delivery, and so on. details!
my address, for one and all to know, because heavenly father sees everything anyway, is box 280 livingston, montana 59047.
walter kirn — I created an account for you here on Main Street Plaza (so that you can post your acceptance speech), and I sent you the details via email. Did you receive them?
If not, please email me: chanson dot exmormon at gmail dot com
Thanks!
Hey gang,
Check this out: http://www.twitvid.com/BE6D0
Pay special attention near the end of the clip.
Love it. I want to have a drink with Walter Kirn. Next time he’s in Switzerland, for sure.
I call dibs on Taipei.
Congrats to Walter and to all others who were nominated.
Personally speaking, it was an honor to come in dead last.
It reminds me of what Orrin Hatch said when he found himself in an identical circumstance during the GOP presidential primaries a few years agowhere he noted that he did better than he expected.
🙂
Hey Steve,
Why was every mention of the X-MOTY contest deleted from exmormon.org???
Now that the winner has been announced, would it be too much to ask that we be allowed to drop a note over at RfM? Or do your readers need to wait for Colbert to announce the results of our little contest?
Personally speaking, your comments here strike me as bordering on boorish.
Hi Steve — Thanks for stopping by!
I don’t think you should take such a defeatist attitude to joke that dead last is better than you would expect. In all sincerity, if you’d campaigned at all, you obviously would have done better.
Don’t know the reasons behind the deletions. RfM Admin made the call and I’m not privy to that kind of stuff.
It is too bad the post(s) have been removed.
There were actually some good nominees that Cabbie nominated in one of the threads, but that post was removed as well..I don’t understand how it all works (on exmormon.org) or pretend to understand. Different strokes for different folks I suppose. They (the mods there) have a right to set whatever boundaries they see fit.
I know many people appreciate reading what Steve B. has to say. I think he deserves an honorary award as it is.
I didn’t know about the contest until late in the game and really didn’t want to campaign anyway. We’re all in this x-Mo thing together.
Besides, I thought Hatch’s observation was very funny and decided to post it here because it made me laugh when I first heard him make it.
Congrats to Walter!
🙂
This is what I’d assumed, which is why I wouldn’t blame him.
I’m totally with you, and I think it’s cool that you’d come by and congratulate the winner. In a similar vein, I’m happy to congratulate those from our community who beat me on the Niblets. 😉
OTOH, you have some clout with admin over at RfM. So I feel like it shouldn’t be out-of-bounds to ask what gives? Why refuse such a trivial request of good fellowship with fellow exmo sites?
My comments are “bordering on boorish?” Sounds like you can leave the Mo Church but you can’t leave certain x-Mos alone.
Geezus, I take my resounding defeat in good stride, offer Walter kudos for the recognition he obviously has received and I get panned by a grumpy heckler.
Maybe I should resort to the ol’ Mormon script and claim persecution. 🙂
Steve, chill, I’m commenting here not five minutes after watching the latest thread over at RfM get deleted. So, yeah, I’m testy.
On top of that, I happen to be the guy who argued for your inclusion in the X-Mormon of the Year contest.
I’d just like to be able to leave a link over at RfM maybe 2-3 times a year without feeling like I’m stepping on toes? Otherwise, I’m more than happy to leave you and Susan well enough alone, except when I’m doing things like, you know, singing your praises. Good grief.
Steve, come on, let’s not play this game.
I know you’re good friends with my good friend Tom Clark, and the last thing I want is bad blood within the exmo community.
Chino’s comment may have been a bit much, but (even though RfM policy obviously isn’t decided by you personally) I think it’s not totally unreasonable that exmos outside the RfM community would wonder what the deal is…
No, actually, this was a bit much:
Does anyone here really need a translation of that playground taunt?
For those who might want to address their personal concerns to Admin, Susan I/S’s openly-available contact email is: exmolight@gmail.com
Admin does what it decides to do (which is its right, since it’s their private board). In making its command decisions, I get deleted over there as much as anyone (as Susan and Eric have stated on the board).
So much for “clout.” 🙂
Thanks Steve.
I emailed her a polite query at that address and didn’t receive a reply. So I guess we’re in the same boat. 😉
I recommend that you join us here at MSP, where the policy is far more transparent.
“Playground taunt?” Hell, I came in dead last and didn’t mind it at all. Were you born without a humor gene? (Now THAT’S a taunt). 🙂
It reminds me of the time I received the Pulitzer prize and was then beaten in state cartoon competition the same year by a cartoonist working for a paper in Flagstaff. I offered the guy my kudos for his achievement, as it was determined by the contest judge: multi-Pulitzer winner Paul Conrad and then-editorial cartoonist for the L.A. Times.
Lighten up. Have a gin and Jello.
I’m not playing a game. If Admin makes deletes on its board and then chooses not to answer inquiries from folks on this board as to why the deletes were made, I’d say you’ve gotten your answer.
I have made inquiries over time to Admin about various issues about which I have a disagreement per Admin’s decision to delete whatever they decided to delete at the time–and haven’t got a response, either.
I don’t sweat it when it gets to that point. If Admin want to talk to me, they can; if not, well, that’s the way the game is played.
Yeah, that’s me, Steve. The guy with zero humor genes. The guy who wrote:
Scary stuff. By the way, your drink recommendations suck.
That’s basically my system as well.
I would be more than happy to have a friendly and cooperative relationship between this site (as well as all of Outer Blogness) and RfM. If RfM responds by slamming the door in our faces, I think that’s extremely unfortunate, but I’m not losing any sleep over it.
I’m serious about welcoming you to join us here at RfM. email me and I’ll make an author account for you: chanson dot exmormon at gmail dot com
Thanks for the backpat, Chino baby. You still are extraordinarily defensive about being called out on your humorless grumpiness.
You didn’t get the joke. Walter won. I’m glad. I got creamed. So what?
Just admit you missed the flyover and move on. 🙂
I thought Steve’s comment was classy (and funny) but I can see how one might read it differently. After misinterpreting Nine Moons so spectacularly the other day, I am not one to talk.
I hope that you don’t mind that I address you by your first name. The familiarity may be misplaced but it beats Brother Benson any day.
Hey, Steve … so what? Here’s what: I left notes over at RfM asking why more of your fans weren’t showing up for the poll, and those notes got deleted.
And for sure, at the time, it was always *all* in good fun.
I’d suggest you aim your barbs at your own humorless moderators over at RfM.
And, give me a break, like I’m gonna start admitting anything. You first.
Come to think of it, “why can’t you just leave me alone” ??? MSP is my hangout. What’s your story?
I can also see how one might read the Book of Mormon differently. I happen to think it is a very funny book but I just bet Mormons will say I’m misinterpreting it.
You can call me Ezekiel. That’s my first name temple name.
Yo, Chino:
Roll with it (or as you would say, “chill”). You are not being tarred and feathered. You just didn’t get it, OK? This is a teaching moment.
Thank you for your support. I hereby nominate you for Humor Underclassman of the Year.
lol. And, personally, after secretly chuckling at the Bloggernacle implosion, I hate to see the same thing happen over here. But I guess we’re all human.
g’night, I’ll check in in the morning to see how this ends.
Steve, thanks, but the votes have already been cast, your late nomination has been noted, I’m honored, but we’re moving on. Better luck next time.
Chino, thanks, but I came here to give my congrats to Walter, for whom the votes have already been cast.
His victory has been noted.
I know you’re honored, but now you’re bordering on being boorish.
Better luck in recognizing humor next time.
And good luck moving on. 🙂
Stick to drawing cartoons, Steve. Or go make something happen over at RfM. But for Pete’s sake, please don’t parrot my lines here and somehow expect the sort of adulation you’re accustomed to in the controlled environment you call home.
Chino, allow me to honor you again.
You were great in concert!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z784ETkZ6k
Bad company? I guess we’ll leave it to the audience here at MSP to decide who’s being a rude guest a.k.a “bad company” …
I live here. What are you up to?
Whatever it is, it’s beginning to grate.
Beginning to grate? You were being grated when you initially missed the humor flyover (as noted by another poster, who BTW wasn’t me).
That said, I loved you in concert with this one, too (although I didn’t see a trailer and hitch for that elusive humor gene):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zRZ8na3O9g
Let it go, Steve. At this point, I’m humming a Guess Who tune while I type … She’s Come Undone.
Let it go, indeed.
First you won’t move on down the road.
Now you won’t rock on down the highway.
And to think that that was the theme of both of your hits.
By the way, since you say you “live here,” this here is public housing until the landlord of the site says otherwise.
Until then, howdy, neighbor. 🙂
Good heavens, it would’ve been so much fun if you’d demonstrated half this much enthusiasm while the contest was, you know, still ongoing.
It’s over. You said you took pride in losing. Take some pride in walking away now that you’ve delivered your congratulations.
**Ding-dong**
Hello, there. Here’s some homemade bread from the Relief Society.
Take some pride in accepting it. 🙂
Nice to make your acquaintance.
Likewise. And here’s to hoping you take chanson up on her offer to set up an author account for you here at MSP. And I promise to stop munching my fresh loaf of whole wheat long enough to join in a hero’s welcome for your first post.
Either way, I’m totally renominating you for the X-MOTY award next year. Deal.
Step away from the homemade bread.
Do it now.
Steve — Why not try out a new audience and a new format? You have plenty of friends and fans here. And we have loads of fun here, as you can tell from this playful banter that you’ve exchanged with Chino. 😉
Nice of you to give a shout out to the SLC punk scene Mr. Kirn. (you can see what I care about)
This thread should be nominated for most RFM-like thread outside of RFM.
lol. 😉
The Most RFM-like thread, only sans the cussing.
Walter Kirn thinks Chris Buttars got it right about the 12th grade. Go figure.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/magazine/28FOB-wwln-t.htm
He was duped by that fraud who called himself “Clark Rockefeller.” Couldn’t you have picked someone a tad more skeptical as ex-Mormon of the year?
ChinoXL you’re a typical vitriolic mormon attempting to put down Benson, a heavyweight who will always garner HUGE respect . . . & who are you?? & chanson, I didn’t think it was “playful” at all, rather jealous & bitter envy of successful & accomplished Benson. Typical tho, not surprising, most ex’s are more like mormons than the rest of the world as they hold on to their egotism & rightness.
@73 Thanks for the reminder of conversations past (naturally I had to reread the 4-year-old thread to see what you’re talking about).
I had forgotten that Steve Benson had ever stopped by to comment here at all. The sad part, I think, is that we’ve had four X-Mormon of the Year awards since this first one, and it would be great if he would participate (campaign for himself, etc.)