Louise Plummer (1942-2025) was an American author of

young adult fiction Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...

, essayist, artist, and retired associate professor of English at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

. Known for her wit, candor, and encouraging mentorship, she influenced generations of students and writers. Born in

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, Plummer immigrated to the United States with her family in 1948. She grew up in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

, as the oldest of nine children. She began college at

and the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

but later completed both her bachelor's and master's degrees in English with a creative writing emphasis at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. In 1985, she and her husband,

Tom Plummer Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name. Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tom'' (1973 film), or ''The Bad Bunch'', a blaxploitation film * ''Tom'' (2002 film) ...

, moved to

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of Orem, Utah, Orem to the north and Springville, Utah, Springville to the south ...

, where they both joined the faculty at BYU. That same year, Plummer won the Delacorte Press First Young Adult Novel Contest with her debut manuscript, ''The Romantic Obsessions and Humiliations of Annie Sehlmeier''. The book later became a children's choice book with both the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

and the

International Reading Association The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dial ...

. Her follow-up novels received multiple accolades, including ALA Best Book for Young Adults,

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

Best Book,

Utah Arts Council The Utah Division of Arts & Museums is a state government agency responsible for the promotion of arts and museums in Utah. It is a division of the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts. It includes the Utah Office of Museum Services and the Utah ...

awards, and honors from the

Association for Mormon Letters Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

. Plummer also published nonfiction books, essays, and a children's book. She was a popular speaker in academic and Latter-day Saint settings and taught workshops and memoir courses, often volunteering her time. Plummer was a member of

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

. She died on March 20, 2025, at the age of 82.

Books

Young Adult Novels: * ''The Romantic Obsessions and Humiliations of Annie Sehlmeier'' (1987) * ''My Name Is Sus5an Smith, the 5 Is Silent'' (1991) * ''The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman'' (1995) * ''A Dance for Three'' (2000) * ''Finding Daddy'' (2007) Nonfiction Works: * ''Thoughts of a Grasshopper: Essays and Oddities'' (1992) * ''Eating Chocolates and Dancing in the Kitchen: sketches of marriage and family'' (Introduction) (1998) * ''You Are Boring, But You Are Uniquely Boring: 25 Models for Writing Your Memoir'' (2017) Children's Books: * ''A Walk to Grow On (Care Bear Cousins)'' (1985) Anthologies and Contributions: * ''To Rejoice as Women: Talks from the 1994 BYU Women's Conference'' (Contributor) (1995)

References

External links

"Very Easy, Very Vogue," speech given by Louise Plummer

"The Tom and Louise Show," BYU Magazine about Louise and her husband, Tom
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plummer, Louise 1942 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American women novelists Latter Day Saints from New York (state) Brigham Young University faculty Novelists from Utah American academics of English literature Living people 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers Latter Day Saints from Minnesota Latter Day Saints from Utah