Hello everyone. My name is Angela Hallstrom and I'm a 35-year-old mother of four, a resident of South Jordan, Utah, and a big fan of the AML. I joined the AML back when I lived in Minnesota (1998-2005) and I was hungry for some Mormon connections. When I found a group of LDS readers and writers, I felt like I'd hit the jackpot. I owe a lot to the AML: Irreantum published the first short story I ever wrote that I was proud to claim as my own (I had a previous publication credit in the New Era . . . but I wrote the story when I was 19, so, you know . . . ); a few years later, Laraine Wilkins gave me the opportunity to work on Irreantum and sharpen my editing skills; and many AML members have served as sounding boards and solid sources of inspiration over the years.

I love to read, and I'm very interested in anything that promotes quality literature written by, for, or about Mormons. I have an MFA in creative writing with an emphasis in fiction from Hamline University in Minnesota, and I teach a little here and there--I'm a former high school English teacher, and right now I'm teaching Freshman Comp online for Salt Lake Community College. I'm also excited about the upcoming publication of my first novel, Bound on Earth. I've truly enjoyed working with Elizabeth Petty Bentley at Parables, and hope that AML members will support the efforts of fledging publishing companies like Parables and Chris Bigelow's Zarahemla. My book should come out at the beginning of 2008, so I'll keep you all posted.

It's fun to see the names of so many great people listed under "members"--so I'm looking forward to hearing what all of you have to say!!