Steven L. Peck

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Steven L. Peck
Steven Peck (29891153087).jpg
Steven Peck in 2018
BornJuly 25, 1957
NationalityUnited States
OccupationAuthor, biology professor
WebsiteScienceBySteve.net
"The Mormon Organon: A Biology Professor Looks at Science and Faith"

Steven L. Peck (born July 25, 1957) is an evolutionary biologist, blogger, poet, and novelist. His literary work is influential in Mormon literature circles. He is a professor of biology at Brigham Young University (BYU)[1] He grew up in Moab, Utah and lives in Pleasant Grove, Utah.

Schooling[]

After failing high school history, Peck studied to receive his GED.[2] Peck received a bachelor's degree in 1986 from Brigham Young University in statistics and computer science with a minor in zoology. His master's is from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (environmental biostatistics), and his 1997 PhD from North Carolina State University (biomathematics and entomology). His dissertation was titled "Spatial Patterns and Processes in the Evolution of Insecticide Resistance."

Personal life[]

During their honeymoon, Steven and his wife, Lori, were hit by a drunk driver in Oregon. They were badly injured, but survived.[2] Steven and Lori have five children.[3]

Views[]

Peck believes that God "only enters the universe through our consciousness."[4] He compares scriptural interpretation to scientific interpretation, in that both nature and scriptures are unchanging, but our understanding of them changes over the course of generations.[4] While the LDS church currently has no official position on evolution, Peck teaches evolution in the courses he teaches at BYU.[5]

On the subject of writing, Peck says that it is a way for him to explore the complexities in his life.[6] He stated that anything we do to build our knowledge of the universe helps to build the kingdom of God.[7]

Other work[]

In 2008, Peck worked with the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria making models of tsetse fly ecology and population genetics.

Critical reception[]

See also: The Scholar of Moab

Michael Austin at Dialogue's website wrote that Peck is "one of Mormonism's best living writers." Summarizing Peck's book Evolving Faith, he wrote: "Because all knowledge incorporates subjective assumptions, both religion and science require an element of faith." Literal interpretations of scripture cheat "both religion, by ignoring what the author of the text was really trying to tell us, and science, by setting up unnecessary oppositions between important religious principles and easily testable facts."[8] At the Association for Mormon Letters, Heather Young wrote that Evolving Faith had "enlarged my appreciation for my time on earth and the part I can play in protecting its immeasurable gifts."[9] At Common Consent, Steve Evans said the book was "not for beginners" and uses terminology that is difficult to understand, and that the two parts of the book were not well-connected.[10] Of Wandering Realities, Evans said the stories were "wondrous and rich."[11]

In A Short Stay in Hell, a man must find the book of his life's story among every possible book. David Spaltro described the novella as "one of the most original and powerfully moving things I’ve ever read" and has acquired the rights to adapt it into a film.[12] Doug Gibson at the Standard Examiner wrote that a hell that contains an "eternity of the mundane" was a "pretty effective hell."[13] Derek Lee at Rational Faiths wrote that the novella encouraged reflection on the nature of the afterlife and what living forever would mean.[14]

BHoges at By Common Consent praised Rifts of Rime's narrative and setting, and said that its discussion of religious topics, while plentiful, were a bit overt.[15]

Peck is a 2016 finalist for best short fiction, Association for Mormon Letters.[16]

Bibliography[]

Non-fiction[]

Books

Latter-day Saint speculative lay theology

  • Preliminaries. Science the Key to Theology. 1. By Common Consent Press. 2017. ISBN 978-0998605203 (initial volume in projected two-book series)CS1 maint: postscript (link)
Article and essays

Fiction[]

Novels
  • The Gift of the King's Jeweler. Covenant Communications. 2003. ISBN 9781591562771.
  • The Scholar of Moab. Torey House Press. 2011. ISBN 9781937226022.
  • The Rifts of Rime. Sweetwater Books. 2012. ISBN 9781599559674.
  • A Short Stay in Hell. Strange Violin Editions. 2012. ISBN 9780983748427.
  • Gilda Trillim: Shepherdess of Rats. Roundfire Books. 2017. ISBN 9781782798644.
  • The Tragedy of King Leere, Goatherd of the La Sals. BCC Press. 2019. ISBN 978-1948218016.
Short stories

Some of these stories are collected in the 2015 Wandering Realities: Mormonish Short Fiction ISBN 978-0988323346.

Poetry[]

Many of these poems appear in the collection Incorrect Astronomy.

Blogs[]

Anthologies containing Peck's work[]

  • Windows into Hell (Curiosity Quills Press)
  • Fire in the Pasture: 21st Century Mormon Poets (Peculiar Pages) ISBN 978-0981769660
  • Monsters & Mormons (Peculiar Pages, 2011)
  • As Iron Sharpens Iron: Listening to the Various Voices of Scripture ISBN 978-1589585010
  • Editor of a special issue of Dialogue (Vol 44 No. 2 - Summer 2011) focusing on Mormonism and the Environment

Awards[]

  • 2011
    • Warp and Weave science fiction competition: 1st place for "Stratton Yellows"[19]
    • Brookie and D.K. Brown Fiction Contest: Honorable Mention for "The Problem"[19]
    • Association for Mormon Letters: Award for novel for The Scholar of Moab[20]
  • 2012
    • Irreantum Fiction Contest: 2nd place for "A Strange Report from the Church Archives"[21]
    • Montaigne Medal Finalist for The Scholar of Moab[22]
  • 2014
  • 2015
    • 2015 Analytical Laboratory Reader's Awards: 2nd place for "Five Wagers on What Intelligent Life Elsewhere in the Universe Will Be Like"[24]
  • 2017

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ BYU faculty page Archived 2015-12-09 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Peck, Steve (12 April 2008). "A BYU Bio-Professor Explores Science and Faith". The Mormon Organon. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Contributors" (PDF). Dialogue. 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Riess, Jana. "Mormon views on evolution are evolving, says biologist". Religion News Service. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  5. ^ Stiles, Emilie (2 November 2015). "BYU professor writes book examining evolution and faith – The Daily Universe". The Daily Universe. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  6. ^ Tribune, The Salt Lake (27 December 2015). "Utah books that (almost) slipped past us in 2015". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  7. ^ Jepson, Eric W. (November 2013). "Steven L. Peck — Mormon Artist". mormonartist.net. Archived from the original on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  8. ^ Austin, Michael. "Book Review: Peck's Peak. Wandering Realities and Evolving Faith, by Steven L. Peck". www.dialoguejournal.com. Dialogue. Archived from the original on 12 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  9. ^ Young, Heather. "Peck, "Evolving Faith – Wanderings of a Mormon Biologist" (reviewed by Heather Young) | Dawning of a Brighter Day". associationmormonletters.org. Association for Mormon Letters. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  10. ^ Evans, Steve (19 October 2015). "Book Review: Evolving Faith: Wanderings of a Mormon Biologist by Steven Peck". By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  11. ^ Evans, Steve (27 July 2015). "Review: Wandering Realities by Steven Peck". By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  12. ^ Desowitz, Bill. "A Short Stay in Hell Feature Planned". billdesowitz.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  13. ^ Gibson, Doug (28 February 2014). "'A Short Stay in Hell' is an odd, compelling novella about an eternity of the mundane". Standard-Examiner. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  14. ^ Lee, Derek (23 March 2013). "A Short Stay in Hell - A Book Review - Rational Faiths | Mormon Blog". Rational Faiths. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  15. ^ Hoges, B (14 June 2012). "Review: Steven L. Peck, "The Quickend Chronicles: The Rifts of Rime"". By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  16. ^ "Association for Mormon Letters 2016 award finalists announced". 2017-04-19. Archived from the original on 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  17. ^ Peck, Steven L. (2 June 2017). "Short Stories". Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  18. ^ Contributor page Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Peck, Steven. "Bio". stevenlpeck. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  20. ^ "AML Awards 2011". associationmormonletters.org. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  21. ^ "Irreantum". associationmormonletters.org. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  22. ^ "Montaigne Medal Finalists". www.hofferaward.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  23. ^ "AML Awards 2014". associationmormonletters.org. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  24. ^ "The 2015 Analytical Laboratory Readers' Awards - News | Analog Science Fiction". www.analogsf.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.

External links[]

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