Lavina Fielding Anderson

Lavina Fielding Anderson is a Latter-day Saint scholar, writer, editor, and feminist. Anderson holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington. Her editing credits include Sisters in Spirit: Mormon Women in Historical and Cultural Perspective (1987) and Tending the Garden: Essays on Mormon Literature (1996), as well as the Ensign, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Journal of Mormon History, Mormon Women's Forum Quarterly, and Case Reports of the Mormon Alliance. In 2001, Anderson published a critical edition of Lucy Mack Smith's memoir:Lucy's Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith's Family Memoir. In 1995, Anderson co-edited with Eugene England "Tending the Garden: Essays on Mormon Literature" .This first book-length collection of 15 essays on Mormon literature discusses such classic narratives as Joseph Smith's first vision and Parley P. Pratt's Autobiography, more recent experiments such as Levi Peterson's The Backslider and Terry Tempest Williams's Refuge, and addresses the question of what constitutes Mormon aesthetics. In May of 2020, her collection of essays "Mercy Without End:Toward a More Inclusive Church" Signature Books, 2020) was published, highlighting her concerns and reflections on issues of inclusiveness in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.