Boyd Petersen

Boyd Jay Petersen (born February 23, 1962) is program coordinator for Mormon Studies at Utah Valley University (UVU) and teaches English and literature at UVU and Brigham Young University (BYU). He has also been a biographer of Hugh Nibley, a candidate for the Utah House of Representatives, and president of the Association for Mormon Letters. He was named editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought for the term 2016-2020.[1]

Boyd Petersen
Born (1962-02-23) February 23, 1962
Provo, Utah
NationalityAmerican
EducationFrench, international relations (B.A.)
Comparative literature (M. A., Ph.D.)
Alma materBrigham Young University
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Utah
Occupation(s)University professor, author
Known forMormon scholar
Editor of Dialogue
Candidate for the Utah House of Representatives
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseElizabeth Davies Petersen Zina Nibley Petersen
Children4
Websiteboydpetersen.com

Biography

Petersen was born in Provo, Utah, and raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). From 1980-1981, he was a proselyting missionary in Paris, France.

After his mission, Petersen attended Brigham Young University (BYU), receiving his bachelor's degree in French and international relations in 1988. In 1995, he received an M.A. in comparative literature from the University of Maryland at College Park.[2] In 2007, he completed his Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of Utah's Department of Languages and Literature.[3]

Petersen has been an intern for the U.S. House of Representatives, in the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and a Senior Information Specialist for the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress.[4]

In 1984, Petersen married Zina Nibley, a daughter of Hugh Nibley.[5] They have four children and reside in Provo, Utah.[2] In 2017, they were divorced.

Petersen has been a lecturer in the honors program at BYU, and for the English and Humanities Departments at Utah Valley University, where he received a Faculty Excellence Award in 2006.[6] Through his familial relationship to Hugh Nibley, Petersen authored the 2002 biography Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life. Petersen has also published articles in several journals, including BYU Studies, Sunstone, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, and the Journal of Mormon History.[2]

Petersen is the program coordinator for Mormon Studies at Utah Valley University.[7] He has also been on the board of directors for the Association for Mormon Letters (AML), Mormon Scholars in the Humanities, and Segullah, a Mormon-themed literary journal.[6] He served as AML's president from 2009-2010. He is book review editor for the Journal of Mormon History, and was named editor for Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought for the 2016-2020 term.[8]

Political campaigns

In March 2008, Petersen announced his candidacy for District 64 of the Utah State House of Representatives, running as a socially conservative Democrat in a heavily conservative region. He opposed Republican Rebecca Lockhart on a platform of ethics and health care reform, as well as improved public education.[9] On the November 4 election, Petersen received 30 percent of the vote, losing to Lockhart's 66 percent.[10]

In 2012, Petersen ran again against Lockhart, who had since become the Speaker of the House.[11] On November 6, Petersen lost with 24 percent to Lockhart's 76 percent.[12]

Published works

Books
  • Petersen, Boyd Jay (2002). Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books. ISBN 978-1-58958-020-6.
  • Myths of Male Mothers: Allegorical Renderings of the Birth Topos in Nineteenth-Century Poetic Production. Saarbrucken, Germany: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller. 2008. ISBN 9783836461900.
  • Dead Wood and Rushing Water: Essays on Mormon Faith, Family and Culture. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books. 2013. ISBN 9781589586581.

Articles

Other

Notes
  1. Kellene Ricks Adams (February 3, 2015). "UVU Professor to Serve Five-Year Term as Editor of Prestigious Journal". Press Releases. Utah Valley University Marketing & Communications. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  2. "Boyd Jay Petersen". Mormon Literature & Creative Arts Database. Brigham Young University. April 2, 2003. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  3. "Allegorical renderings of the birth topos : myth, technology, gender and selfhood in nineteenth-century poetic production / by Boyd Jay Petersen". J. Willard Marriott Library Catalog. University of Utah. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  4. "Candidate information". Deseret News. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  5. Petersen, Boyd (2002). "Preface". Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life (PDF). Salt Lake City, Utah: Greg Kofford Books. pp. xi. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  6. "House 64: Boyd Petersen". Utah County Democrats. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  7. "Petersen, Boyd". Professional Home Page. Utah Valley University. September 30, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  8. Peggy Fletcher Stack (February 13, 2015). "Longtime scholarly Mormon publication names a new editor". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  9. "Candidate promises to restore sanity". Deseret News. March 7, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  10. "2008 Results". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. Archived from the original on 2012-12-17. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  11. Billy Hesterman (September 27, 2012). "Lockhart leads opponent in fundraising by $40K". Daily Herald. Provo, Utah. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  12. "Utah House of Representatives District 64". Ballotpedia. February 25, 2015. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
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