Carol Lynn Pearson

Last updated

Carol Lynn Pearson
Born (1939-12-01) December 1, 1939 (age 84)
Rexburg, Madison County, Idaho
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Brigham Young University (MA, theatre)
Occupation(s)Poet, playwright, novelist, social critic
Website CarolLynnPearson.com

Carol Lynn Wright Pearson (born December 1, 1939) is an American poet, author, screenwriter, and playwright. She frequently addresses the topics of LGBT acceptance and the role of Latter-day Saint women.

Contents

Personal life

A fourth-generation Latter-day Saint, Pearson was born in Salt Lake City to Lelland Rider Wright and Emeline Sirrine Wright. They would settle in Provo, where Pearson attended Brigham Young High School. [1] Her mother died of breast cancer when Carol Lynn was fifteen. Carol Lynn studied music and theater at Brigham Young University (BYU), where she won the award for Best Actress two years in a row.

Pearson married actor, musician, and songwriter Gerald Neils Pearson (1942–1984), whom she had met in a college production of The Skin of Our Teeth , on September 9, 1966 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The two were devout Latter-day Saints who both descended from several generations of church members. They were married for 12 years and had four children together, settling in Provo, Utah.

Gerald had told Pearson while they were engaged that he had participated in sexual relationships with men, but had left that phase of his life behind. Church authorities also assured the couple that marriage would turn Gerald into a heterosexual. [2] However, he eventually confronted his homosexuality and after a move to California prompted by his desire to explore this side of himself, they separated and were divorced in 1978. He returned to live with her and their children after being diagnosed with AIDS in 1984, and she cared for him until his death. Her book Goodbye, I Love You is about their life together.

Since then, Pearson has become an unofficial spokesperson for acceptance of gay people by their Latter-day Saint families, as well as a stronger leadership role for women in the broader church community. Many of her works address these issues, and she speaks on these and related subjects around the country. She notes, "I love the Mormon community ... and I have a unique opportunity to build bridges."

Pearson's daughter Emily (b. 1968) is an actress [3] and writer who is the author of Dancing With Crazy (2011), a memoir of her life and family. Pearson's elder son John (b. 1969) is a professional caricaturist [4] and one of the original animators of The Simpsons ; younger son Aaron Pearson (b. 1971) is a rock musician. [5] Her youngest child, Katharine Sirrine "Katy" Pearson Adams (1975–1999), died of a brain tumor at the age of 23. Pearson has four grandchildren. Pearson's former son-in-law, Steven Fales (b. 1970) is an internationally acclaimed solo performance artist most noted for his Mormon Boy Trilogy (2018) [6] that tells his coming-out story. He is the father of two of Pearson's four grandchildren. [7]

Works

Pearson is best known for her memoir Goodbye, I Love You and the LDS musical My Turn On Earth . Her play Facing East, about a Latter-day Saint family dealing with the suicide of a gay son, opened Off Broadway on May 29, 2007. [8] She also wrote One On The Seesaw, a lighthearted book about raising a family as a single parent.

Early in her career she published poetry and essays in various venues. Her plays Pegora the Witch and Think Your Way to a Million won statewide contests in Utah; a third, Martyr-in-Waiting, was published by the LDS Church's Mutual Improvement Association. She was employed at this time by BYU's motion-picture department. [9] Her first book was the poetry collection, Beginnings, published in 1969. Her other works include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heavenly Mother (Mormonism)</span> Mormon deity

In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Heavenly Mother, also known as the Mother in Heaven, is the mother of human spirits and the wife of God the Father. Collectively Heavenly Mother and Father are called Heavenly Parents. Those who accept the Mother in Heaven doctrine trace its origins to Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. The doctrine became more widely known after Smith's death in 1844.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliza R. Snow</span> American religious leader and poet

Eliza Roxcy Snow was one of the most celebrated Latter Day Saint women of the nineteenth century. A renowned poet, she chronicled history, celebrated nature and relationships, and expounded scripture and doctrine. Snow was married to Joseph Smith as a plural wife and was openly a plural wife of Brigham Young after Smith's death. Snow was the second general president of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which she reestablished in Utah Territory in 1866. She was also the sister of Lorenzo Snow, the church's fifth president.

The September Six were six members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were excommunicated or disfellowshipped by the church in September 1993, allegedly for publishing scholarly work against or criticizing church doctrine or leadership. The term "September Six" was coined by The Salt Lake Tribune and was used in the media and subsequent discussion. The church's action was referred to by some as evidence of an anti-intellectual posture on the part of church leadership.

The status of women in Mormonism has been a source of public debate since before the death of Joseph Smith in 1844. Various denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement have taken different paths on the subject of women and their role in the church and in society. Views range from the full equal status and ordination of women to the priesthood, as practiced by the Community of Christ, to a patriarchal system practiced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to the ultra-patriarchal plural marriage system practiced by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and other Mormon fundamentalist groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella Stewart Udall</span> American Latter-day Saint telegraphist and entrepreneur (1855–1937)

Eliza Luella "Ella" Stewart Udall was an American telegraphist and entrepreneur. Recruited by Brigham Young in 1870 and stationed at the Deseret Telegraph Company office in Pipe Spring in 1871, Udall was the first telegraph operator in Arizona Territory.

Flora Jessop is an American social activist, author, and advocate for abused children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmeline B. Wells</span> American journalist, editor, poet, womens rights advocate, and diarist

Emmeline Blanche Woodward Harris Whitney Wells was an American journalist, editor, poet, women's rights advocate, and diarist. She served as the fifth Relief Society General President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1910 until her death. She represented the state of Utah at both the National and American Women's Suffrage conventions and was president of the Utah Woman's Suffrage Association. She was the editor of the Woman's Exponent for 37 years. She was a plural wife to Newel K. Whitney, then Daniel H. Wells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louie B. Felt</span>

Sarah Louise "Louie"Bouton Felt was the first general president of the children's Primary organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1880 and 1925. She was the General Primary president for longer than any other president.

Ardeth Greene Kapp was the ninth Young Women general president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1984 to 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. Dean Byrd</span>

Albert Dean Byrd was a former president of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), a research organization that advocates sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE). He was a psychologist who focused on SOCE, and wrote on the topic. Although raised by a Buddhist mother and a Baptist father, Byrd converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was very active in the debate within the church on issues involving homosexuality.

George Donald Durrant is a prominent member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has written or co-authored more than 50 books, been a university professor, worked in several positions in the LDS Church Educational System, a motivational speaker, and an LDS Church employee. He has taught Religion at Brigham Young University (BYU), and his published books include "Love at Home, Starring Father" (1976).

Phoebe Ann Babcock Patten Bentley was an early member and missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as well as a caretaker during the 1838 Mormon War and wife of early church leader and apostle David W. Patten. Little is known about her childhood except that she was born "Ann Babcock" sometime around 1807. At age 21, Babcock met David W. Patten. The two married in 1828, and Babcock adopted Patten's surname.

Scot Facer Proctor and Maurine Jensen Proctor are the founders of the Latter-day Saint oriented website Meridian Magazine. They have also issued a revised edition of Lucy Mack Smith's history of Joseph Smith which reintroduces material from Lucy's 1845 manuscript that was removed before Lucy's history was originally published. This version of Lucy's history is cited by such scholars such as Susan Easton Black and Craig J. Ostler. The Proctors' work is also among those cited in the bibliography to Scott R. Petersen's 2005 book Where Have All The Prophets Gone. The Proctors have also published a new edition of the Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt.

Karen Lynn Davidson (1943–2019) was a Latter-day Saint hymn writer, author, and literary critic. Davidson wrote widely on the hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and of the Community of Christ.

Jill Mulvay Derr was a senior research historian in the Church History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2005 to 2011. She previously served as Managing Director of the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History at Brigham Young University (2003-2005), where she was also Associate Professor of Church History (1998-2005). Her research and publications have focused on the history of Mormon and Utah women, and she is past president of the Mormon History Association (1998-1999).

Lynn K. Wilder is a Christian author and former Brigham Young University (BYU) professor. She became well known for discussing how she left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 2011 video-documentary Unveiling Grace.

Mormon feminism is a feminist religious social movement concerned with the role of women within Mormonism. Mormon feminists commonly advocate for a more significant recognition of Heavenly Mother, the ordination of women, gender equality, and social justice grounded in Mormon theology and history. Mormon feminism advocates for more representation and presence of women as well as more leadership roles for women within the hierarchical structure of the church. It also promotes fostering healthy cultural attitudes concerning women and girls.

This is a bibliography of works on the Latter Day Saint movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Holbrook</span> American historian and writer (1972–2022)

Kate Holbrook was an American historian and writer. She worked as the managing historian of women's history in the Church History Department (CHD) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Heavenly Parents is the term used in Mormonism to refer collectively to the divine partnership of God the Father and the Heavenly Mother who are believed to be parents of human spirits. The concept traces its origins to Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement.

References

  1. ↑ Winn, Steven. "Mormon author Carol Lynn Pearson tries to separate church and hate." San Francisco Chronicle, August 18, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2008.
  2. ↑ "173-177: Carol Lynn Pearson - Mormon Author, Poet, Playwright, Feminist, and Philosopher - Mormon Stories". Mormon Stories. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  3. ↑ imdb.com "Emily Pearson"
  4. ↑ "FamiliarImage.com". Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Aaronpearson.net is Expired or Suspended". Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Fallen Angel: Steve Fales Bares His Soul in "Confessions of a Mormon Boy"". The Sag Harbor Express. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  7. ↑ Fletcher, Peggy (August 4, 2006). "A daughter steps into the light - The Salt Lake Tribune". Archive.sltrib.com. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Playbill News: Facing East, Drama of a Shaken Mormon Family, Continues to 17 June in NYC".
  9. ↑ "Discussion of Five Poems by Carol Lynn Pearson" by Bruce B. Clark. Out of the Best Books volume five. Deseret Book Company. 1968.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.