James Larkin Pearson: A Biography of North Carolina’s Longest Serving Poet Laureate

This work is the first academic biography of North Carolina poet laureate James Larkin Pearson (1879-1981). Using material from Pearson’s personal archive in Wilkes County, from the North Carolina Collection and the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and from contemporary examinations of his life and work, this study offers deeply personal insights into his life and provides extensive examinations of his hopes, joys, fears, pains, and sorrows. The work also includes lengthy studies of his poetry and his journalistic efforts and examines their place within the larger cultural milieu. In the process, the book addresses two themes that become apparent in Pearson’s life and work: his Tar Heel spirit and his individualism. He was a fighter who overcame poverty, a poor education, personal tragedies, and professional neglect to achieve great success. He also abided by his own set of religious, artistic, and political values regardless of the consequences. This work thus offers the first personal and professional examination of James Larkin Pearson, provides insights on North Carolina and its people, and examines the benefits and drawbacks of following one’s own path.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: The Mark Chapter 2: “Over the Range” Chapter 3: C-o-r-a Chapter 4: The Fool Killer Part One: “A Paper of Comment” Chapter 5: The Fool Killer Part Two: The Paper Evolves Chapter 6: The Will to Get Well Chapter 7: The Pleasure and the Pain Chapter 8: “The Soul of Poetry” Chapter 9: Poet Laureate Chapter 10: Immortality, Poetry, and Politics Chapter 11: “My Fingers and My Toes”

About the Author :
Gregory S. Taylor is associate professor of history at Chowan University.

Review :
Taylor makes good use of the many autobiographical materials Pearson produced during his long life. . . .Taylor’s biography effectively captures details of rural life and places Pearson and his work into the trajectory of one hundred years of history. The book is a valuable historical account of a 'printer and poet' during a century of change. While remaining true to Pearson's intent to be intimate and personal, Taylor's work presents the story objectively, chronologically, and fully.... Personal struggles plus his ability to overcome hardship characterize this notable Tar Heel's life, and Taylor's retelling of that life makes the book a compelling read. This is a beautifully crafted work that frames Larkin as a true “Tar Heel.” Born in log cabin on a farm in the Brushy Mountains of Wilkes County, North Carolina, Larkin’s early love for poetry lit a flame that burned brightly until his death at the age of 102. A self-described “poor uneducated mountaineer clodhopper,” Larkin struggled as an outspoken journalist who endured a long, unhappy marriage. Gregory Taylor does a masterful job of capturing this complex writer who admired Franklin Roosevelt, embraced socialism, and served as North Carolina’s poet laureate for 28 years. This biography of James Larkin Pearson is a love letter to North Carolina and a lively, revealing life story of one of its native sons, told with insight and intimacy. Gregory S. Taylor gives us both wide-angle views and fascinating close-ups from the life of an NC Poet Laureate who was also an Appalachian farmer, printer, journalist, and an ingenious, creative entrepreneur. With remarkable detail and empathy, Taylor shows us the insecurities and complexities of Pearson’s personal and professional life.