"[4] The broadness of this definition of LDS literature has led the AML to focus on a wide variety of work that has sometimes been neglected in the Mormon community.
Its genesis lay in a meeting which Maureen Ursenbach Beecher called among a group of friends in the fall of 1976 to discuss the quality and availability of Mormon personal narratives .
'"[8]A "steering committee" consisting of Beecher, Fielding, Neal E. Lambert, Clifton Jolley, and Steven Sondrup finalized the plans for the organization on April 27.
They also planned for the first symposium of the AML to be held that October, with printed invitations and a call for papers carrying the message through the mail.
The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - then consisting of Spencer W. Kimball, N. Eldon Tanner, and Marion G. Romney - met with Leonard J. Arrington to discuss the creation of the AML.
Its constitution instituted an annual meeting of the association and focused its efforts on "encouraging and recognizing good writing and informative scholarship as well as fostering a better appreciation for what has already been written by and about Mormons.
[14] Since its third annual conference,[11] the AML has given awards to LDS literature in various categories,[15] often in "fiction, poetry, essay, and criticism.
[15] For example, in 1989 Signature Books was awarded Special Recognition for "providing a much-needed venue for more literary sorts of LDS publishing.
[19] According to Chris Bigelow, AML-List possessed "the right balance of academics with more popular, commercial, and down-to-earth concerns"[31] and received an average of 30 posts per day.
[33] According to Irreantum's current website, "the name comes from a Book of Mormon term meaning 'many waters'" and was meant to inspire a feeling of inclusivity pertaining to the wide variety of works the journal would publish.
"[32] It featured selections of LDS literature and reviews[33] and sought to publish "the best in contemporary Mormon poetry, essays, stories, and criticism.
The association held an annual Irreantum Fiction Contest; three winners were chosen, and their works were published in the journal.
[36] Submissions "were judged blind"[37] and were required to somehow convey the experience of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Though it published works "by, for, and about Mormons," Irreantum sought to be considered a literary, humanities-based journal, rather than a religious publication.
The title was inspired by an article written by Eugene England in 1983: "The Dawning of a Brighter Day: Mormon Literature after 150 Years."
The blog seeks to facilitate the online presence of the discussion of LDS literature and, according to Michael Austin, is "a high-traffic website with hundreds of participants.