T(homas) R(eid) Pearson - 1956
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I. Biography Thomas Reid Pearson was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on March 27, 1956. He lived there until 1974 when he attended North Carolina State University.
While there, he completed a B.A. in 1977 and an M.A. in 1980 both in English. After graduation, he taught at Peace College in Raleigh for a year. In the fall of 1981, he began the Ph.D. program at
Pennsylvania State University but stayed only one quarter before returning to North Carolina. Pearson spent the next several years as a housepainter and a carpenter in Raleigh. During
that time, he began to write intensely. In 1982, he finished his first novel, A Short History of a Small Place. He was unable to get it published so he began work on his second novel,
Off for the Sweet Hereafter. In 1985, Pearson moved to New York where he lived for two years. While there, Linden Press published his first two novels. He continued writing four
more novels. He has also had two uncredited screenplays. Pearson's first four novels take place in a fictional small town in piedmont North Carolina
near his hometown of Winston-Salem. His last two novels are set in Virginia's Appalachian Mountains. Pearson is married to Marion Young and lives in Carroll County, Virginia most of the year.
II. Literary Works Novels
Screenplays (Uncredited) III. Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is the fourth-largest city in North Carolina, known for its diversity of
business and high-tech industries, fine universities, and medical facilities. In addition, Winston-Salem has long held the reputation as a "city of the arts," with per capita
contributions to the arts historically ranking number one in the nation. The National Business Employment Weekly has ranked the Winston-Salem area fifth among the top ten
big cities for starting a career. Winston-Salem's small town feel and metropolitan convenience have caused retirees to embrace Winston-Salem as well. With low
unemployment, a pleasant year-round climate, an excellent transportation infrastructure, and a strong commitment to arts and culture, it is easy to see why Business Development
Outlook magazine ranked Winston-Salem among the top 20 cities in the nation for high quality of life in 1999. IV. Sources
Flora, Joseph M. and Bain, Robert, ed. Contemporary Fiction Writers of the South. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1993, 342-347. Matuz, Roger, ed. Contemporary Southern Writers.
Detroit: St. James Press, 1999, 285-286. This essay was submitted by students of Leslie Andres, a teacher at Lake Norman Charter School in Huntersville, North Carolina.
A Short History of a Small Place. New York, Linden Press, 1985
Off for the Sweet Hereafter. New York, Linden Press, 1986
The Last of How It Was. New York, Linden Press, 1987
Call and Response. New York Linden Press, 1989
Gospel Hour. New York, William Morrow, 1991
Cry Me a River. New York, Henry Holt, 1993
The Rainmaker. 1997
The Runaway Jury. 1998.