Why I Can’t Write my Joseph Smith Play In April of this year, I directed ten college students in a workshop production of what I called ‘The Joseph Smith Project.” It consisted of a draft of some fifteen scenes from Joseph Smith’s early life. While I think there were a few effective moments, it became clear to me that I hadn’t the chops to finish the project. I’m not Shakespeare or Sophocles or even Samuel Beckett. My focus in this session will be on my wrestlings with the three characters I’m most fascinated with: Joseph himself, of course, and the people who shaped him the most, his storytelling mother and his enigmatic father. I will also offer a few readings from the play.

Gary Stewart, Tim Slover