Emma Lou Thayne

Emma Lou Warner Thayne (October 22, 1924 – December 6, 2014) was a poet and novelist. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and counted as one of the 75 most significant Mormon poets.[1]

Thayne graduated from the University of Utah in 1945. She would later return there to coach tennis and teach English. In the late 1960s, she completed a master's degree at the University of Utah. She was on the faculty over 30 years.[2] In 1949, she married Mel Thayne; they became the parents of five daughters.

Although Thayne worked primarily as a poet, she also wrote novels. Her first novel was Never Past the Gate, which was inspired by her summers growing up in Mount Aire Canyon.[3] Thayne also served on the board of directors for Deseret News.[3] She was also a contributor to such magazines as Network, a woman's magazine based in Salt Lake City, Exponent II and Utah Holiday. At age 90, she died in Salt Lake City on December 6, 2014.[4][5]

Thayne wrote the words to the hymn "Where Can I Turn for Peace?".[6]

  1. ^ 75 Significant Mormon Poets (archived) by Sarah Jenkins and Gideon Burton, BYU Literature & Creative Arts
  2. ^ "Poet Emma Lou Thayne handles success with grace and adversity with calm determination" Archived July 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine by Nettie Pendley, A Woman of Gentle Strength. Continuum Magazine, Vol. 12. No. 3, Winter 2002
  3. ^ a b Kimball, James; Miles, Kent (2009). Mormon Women. Salt Lake City, Utah: Handcart Books. pp. 213–225. ISBN 978-0-9801406-1-3.
  4. ^ Jacobsen, Morgan (December 7, 2014). "Noted LDS poet, author Emma Lou Thayne dies at 90". Deseret News. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014.
  5. ^ Stack, Peggy Fletcher (December 6, 2014). "Emma Lou Thayne, renowned Mormon poet, dies at 90". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014.
  6. ^ "Emma Lou Thayne". www.huffingtonpost.com. Huffington Post. Retrieved October 14, 2016.