Today in the Bloggernacle: New Joseph Smith documents available, and a twist in the Mormon.org profiles

Papers project: A huge cache of important Joseph Smith documents was just released at JosephSmithPapers.org including

• Joseph Smith’s "Letterbook 1," a compilation of copied outgoing letters dated June 14, 1829, through Aug. 4, 1835. The letterbook also includes Joseph Smith’s first written account of his early visions.
• Source texts and supplements to the histories to be published in "Histories, Volume 2," including John Corrill, “Brief History,” manuscript, ca. 1838–1839; Edward Partridge, History, Manuscript, ca. 1839; Sidney Rigdon, JS, et al., Petition Draft (“To the Publick”), ca. 1838–1839; Parley P. Pratt et al., “‘The Mormons’ So Called,” 12 December 1833; and Parley P. Pratt, "History of the Late Persecution," 1839.
• One of the Book of Abraham manuscripts and the “Egyptian Alphabet” from the Kirtland Egyptian Papers. In the future, the website will include all of the Abraham manuscripts and the other Egyptian Papers.

Click in to discover more about our founding Prophet and to virtually explore his writings.

French profile: OK, I think something new occurred with the Mormon.org videos. If you click in to watch “Fabrice: Mormon, French Pilot, Fan of the Pyrenees, " you’ll find it to be completely in French, with no subtitles. I love this as it not only showcases international profiles, it also causes me to want to learn more. Here’s hoping for many more similar profiles in languages from around the world without subtitles — highlighting the reality of the church’s ever-increasing international reach.

Ray Bradbury: Did you know that Ray Bradbury used to write Mormon roadshows? In honor of the celebrated author who died recently, I found this cool connection in the Mormon Artist: “There’s even an unlikely connection between Mormonism and Ray Bradbury, one of the most honored and influential writers of science fiction and fantasy in the 20th and 21st centuries. According to BYU professor Linda Hunter Adams, Ray Bradbury once told her in a phone interview that he was good friends with Reid Nibley (Hugh Nibley’s brother) when he was a boy, that he sometimes attended MIA activities with Reid, and that they even wrote Mormon roadshows together — Ray writing the scripts and Reid composing the music." Cool!

LDS Maps: I mentioned that “LDS Maps” just got an important upgrade, but the Mormon Life Hacker takes it a step further to teach “How to Print a Ward Map and Organize Emergency Prep” using the tools installed in this latest upgrade. Click in to learn more!

Emily W. Jensen updates "Today in the Bloggernacle" on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, presenting the best from the world of LDS-oriented blog sites. She is married to Robin Jensen, a project archivist for the Joseph Smith Papers project team.