Carol Lynn Pearson

Carol Lynn Wright Pearson (b. September 27, 1939 in Salt Lake City, Utah) [Winn, Steven. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/18/DDNBRJU91.DTL "Mormon author Carol Lynn Pearson tries to separate church and hate."] "San Francisco Chronicle", August 18, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2008.] is an American poet, author, screenwriter, and playwright. She is the daughter of the late Lelland Rider Wright and Emeline Sirrine Wright. Her mother died of breast cancer when she was fifteen. She studied music and theater at Brigham Young University, where she won the award for Best Actress two years in a row.

Works

She is probably best known for her book "Goodbye, I Love You" and the LDS musical "My Turn On Earth". Her play "Facing East", about a Mormon family dealing with the suicide of a gay son, opened Off Broadway on May 29, 2007. [ [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/108412.html Playbill News: Facing East, Drama of a Shaken Mormon Family, Continues to June 17 in NYC ] ] 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

* "The Search" (1970)
* "The Order is Love" (1971)
* "Daughters of Light" (1973)
* "Cipher in the Snow" (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)
* "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)
* "The Modern Magi" (2003)
* "The Christmas Moment" (2005)
* "Beginnings and Beyond" (2005)
* "The Runaway Mother" (2006)
* "A Stranger For Christmas" (2007)
* "In Love Again and Always" (2007)
* "The Dance" (2007)
* "Summer of Truth" (2007)
* "No More Goodbyes: Circling the Wagons Around Our Gay Loved Ones" (2007)

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 Teeth", on September 9, 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 assured her that he had left that phase of his life behind. 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 [imdb.com "Emily Pearson"] and writer who is currently writing a memoir on her life and family. Pearson's elder son John (b. 1969) is a professional caricaturist [www.familiarimage.com] and one of the original animators of the Simpsons; younger son Aaron Pearson (b. 1971) is a rock musician [www.aaronpearson.net] . 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.

References

External links

* [http://www.clpearson.com/ Official Website]
* [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/108412.html A 30 May 2007 article in Playbill] : "Facing East, Drama of a Shaken Mormon Family"