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Lavina Fielding Anderson was born on 13 April 1944 in Shelley, Idaho. In 1955, her family moved to Othello, Washington where Anderson graduated from high school in 1962. Following graduation, Anderson enrolled in Brigham Young University in 1963 and completed her studies five years later, earning a B.A. degree with a major in English and graduating magna cum laude. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Anderson served as a missionary in France from 1965 until 1967. Anderson began her post-graduate education at B.Y.U. in 1968 and received a master's degree in English literature in 1971. In 1975, Anderson received a Ph.D. degree in American literature from the University of Washington. Two years later she married Paul L. Anderson, an architect and museum designer, who designed exhibits for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Brigham Young University until his death in 2018; together, they had one child.

In 1973, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hired Anderson to work on the editorial board of Ensign, a post which she held for eight years. In 1981, Anderson began working as a freelance editor. She was the president of two professional organizations and appointed to several councils and committees. The Mormon History Association recognized her achievements for her editorial labors, her professional service, and her book on Lucy Mack Smith. A frequent participant in scholarly and church affiliated conferences, Anderson presented several papers which were of a spiritual and secular nature. She also co-edited five books, wrote eleven book chapters, and wrote many articles and book reviews. Anderson retired in 2017.

While working at Ensign, Anderson began to disagree with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' hierarchy. In 1992, she became an original trustee of the Mormon Alliance, an organization formed to document and publicize abuse within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1993, Anderson published a list of over 100 cases of alleged abuse by Church leaders between 1970 and the early 1990s. In response to the article, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints brought charges of apostasy to Anderson in September, 1993. Anderson remained as active in the Church and its communities as possible following excommunication, affirming her faith even as she continued to document and publicize religious abuses. In 2019, a recommendation from her stake holders to rebaptise Anderson in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was rejected.

Lavina Fielding Anderson died on October 23, 2023