Has LL Cool J been keeping his faith in Mormonism secret?

In the Mormon Studies Weekly Round-Up, we try to present some of the most interesting and fun news items concerning Mormonism from the past week.  We also link to any relevant conferences, book announcements, and calls for papers.  This week, a New York rapper and former TV and movie star tweets a quote from Gordon B. Hinckley while a former NFL quarterback comes out publicly in support of gay rights.  Matt Bowman also chronicles the strange world of the Mormon supernatural and Blair Hodges provides a helpful guide to debates about the viability of Mormon studies as discipline.

General Mormon History

LL Cool J, accidental Mormon? Chris Jones and the Deseret News investigate.

Steve Young: Hall of Fame Quarterback, BYU Graduate, and Supporter of LGTBQ rights

In which Blair Hodges invents a new word and maps out the debate over the importance and status of Mormon Studies at the same time

Matt Bowman, believer in Bigfoot and ghosts?

Handcarts and the Mormon Migration

Sunday School Without Leaving Your Home

The Book of Mormon, Classroom Edition

The DI turns 75!!

Not Mormon History per se, but still a good read and interesting for anyone fascinated with the process of writing history:

Peregrine Foster and Me: Historians who Love Too Much

And for those of you looking for conferences to present at:

Western History Conference 2014 CFP

Mormon History Association 2014 CFP