Carol Lynn Pearson
Encyclopedia
Carol Lynn Wright Pearson (b. 27 September 1939 in Salt Lake City, Utah
) is an American poet, author, screenwriter, and playwright. Her parents were Lelland Rider Wright and Emeline Sirrine Wright. Her mother died of breast cancer
when Carol Lynn was fifteen. Carol Lynn studied music and theater at Brigham Young University
, where she won the award for Best Actress two years in a row.
. Her play Facing East, about a Mormon family dealing with the suicide of a gay son, opened Off Broadway on 29 May 2007. She also wrote One On The Seesaw, a lighthearted book about raising a family as a single parent
.
Pearson's first book was the poetry collection, Beginnings, published in 1969. Her other works include
, on 9 September 1966 in Salt Lake City, Utah
. The two were devout Mormons who both descended from several generations of Latter-day Saints. They were married for 12 years and had four children together, settling in Provo, Utah
.
Gerald had told Carol Lynn while they were engaged that he had had sexual relationships with men, but had left that phase of his life behind. Mormon authorities also assured the couple that marriage would turn Gerald into a heterosexual. 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 Mormon families, as well as a stronger leadership role for women in the Mormon 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 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 and one of the original animators of the Simpsons
; younger son Aaron Pearson (b. 1971) is a rock musician. Her youngest child, Katharine Sirrine "Katy" Pearson Adams (1975–1999), died of a brain tumor at the age of 23. Actor and playwright Steven Fales
is her former son-in-law. She has four grandchildren.
Pearson is a longtime resident of Walnut Creek, California
.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
) is an American poet, author, screenwriter, and playwright. Her parents were Lelland Rider Wright and Emeline Sirrine Wright. Her mother died of breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
when Carol Lynn was fifteen. Carol Lynn studied music and theater at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, where she won the award for Best Actress two years in a row.
Works
Pearson is probably best known for her memoir Goodbye, I Love You and the LDS musical My Turn On EarthMy Turn on Earth
My Turn on Earth is a Latter Day Saints musical written by Carol Lynn Pearson with music by Lex de Azevedo. The show premiered in 1977 and became widely popular, ranking with the other popular musical Saturday's Warrior, . A VHS version of a recorded stage production was released in 1986...
. Her play Facing East, about a Mormon family dealing with the suicide of a gay son, opened Off Broadway on 29 May 2007. She also wrote One On The Seesaw, a lighthearted book about raising a family as a single parent
Single parent
Single parent is a term that is mostly used to suggest that one parent has most of the day to day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children, which would categorize them as the dominant caregiver...
.
Pearson's first book was the poetry collection, Beginnings, published in 1969. Her other works include
- The Search (1970)
- The Order is Love (1971)
- Daughters of Light (1973)
- Cipher in the SnowCipher in the SnowCipher in the Snow is a short story written by Jean Mizer about the death of an ostracized teenager. It was later made into a short film by Brigham Young University in 1973.-Background:...
(screenplay) 1973 - The Growing Season (1976)
- The Flight and the Nest (1977)
- A Widening View (1983)
- Blow Out the Wishbone (1985)
- Goodbye, I Love You: The Story of a Wife, Her Homosexual Husband, and a Love Honored For Time And All Eternity (1987) ISBN 1-55517-984-3
- Lasting Peace (1990)
- Mother Wove the Morning (1992)
- Women I Have Known and Been (1993)
- Picture Windows: A Carol Lynn Pearson Collection (1996)
- Morning Glory Mother (1997)
- The Lesson: A Fable For Our Times (1998)
- What Love Is (1999)
- Fuzzy Red Bathrobe: Questions From the Heart For Mothers and Daughters (2000)
- Girlfriend, You Are the Best! (2001)
- Day-Old Child And Other Celebrations of Motherhood (2001)
- Will You Still Be My Daughter? A Fable For Our Times (2001)
- A Strong Man: A Fable For Our Times (2001)
- The Gift: A Fable For Our Times (2001)
- Consider the Butterfly: Transforming Your Life Through Meaningful Coincidence (2002)
- A Christmas Thief (2003) ISBN 978-1-59955-184-5
- The Modern Magi (2003)
- The Christmas Moment (2005) ISBN 1-55517-869-3
- Beginnings and Beyond (2005) ISBN 1-55517-870-7
- The Model Mormon Mother's Notebook (2005) ISBN 1-55517-858-8
- The Runaway Mother (2006) ISBN 1-55517-927-4
- A Stranger For Christmas (2007) ISBN 978-1-59955-088-6
- In Love Again and Always: Love Poems by Carol Lynn Pearson (2007) ISBN: 978-1-59955-042-8
- The Dance (2007) ISBN 978-1-59955-097-8
- Summer of Truth (2007) ISBN 978-1-59955-046-6
- No More Goodbyes: Circling the Wagons Around Our Gay Loved Ones (2007)
- Priceless Moments: Snapshots of Motherhood (2008) ISBN 978-59955-145-2
- The Sweet, Still Waters of Home: Inspiration for Mothers from the twenty-third Psalm (2011) ISBN 978-1-59955802-8
Personal life
Pearson married actor, musician, and songwriter Gerald Neils Pearson (1942–1984), whom she had met in a college production of The Skin of Our TeethThe Skin of Our Teeth
The Skin of Our Teeth is a play by Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It opened on October 15, 1942 at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, before moving to the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway on November 18, 1942...
, on 9 September 1966 in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. The two were devout Mormons who both descended from several generations of Latter-day Saints. They were married for 12 years and had four children together, settling in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
.
Gerald had told Carol Lynn while they were engaged that he had had sexual relationships with men, but had left that phase of his life behind. Mormon authorities also assured the couple that marriage would turn Gerald into a heterosexual. However, he eventually confronted his homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
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
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
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 Mormon families, as well as a stronger leadership role for women in the Mormon 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 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 and one of the original animators of the Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
; younger son Aaron Pearson (b. 1971) is a rock musician. Her youngest child, Katharine Sirrine "Katy" Pearson Adams (1975–1999), died of a brain tumor at the age of 23. Actor and playwright Steven Fales
Steven Fales
Steven Heard Fales was born March 17, 1970 in Provo, Utah and raised in California and later Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a classically trained playwright and actor who has gained broad recognition in both the theatre world gay community and the LDS community for his award-winning one-man play, . Its...
is her former son-in-law. She has four grandchildren.
Pearson is a longtime resident of Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek is an incorporated city located east of the city of Oakland. It lies in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. While not as large as neighboring Concord, Walnut Creek serves as the business and entertainment hub for the neighboring cities within central Contra Costa...
.
External links
- Carol Lynn Pearson – Mormon Author, Poet, Playwright, Feminist, and Philosopher Interview on Mormon Stories
- Official Website
- A 30 May 2007 article in Playbill: "Facing East, Drama of a Shaken Mormon Family"
- Mormon Stories Podcast Interview: 173-177: Carol Lynn Pearson – Mormon Author, Poet, Playwright, Feminist, and Philosopher