
Bell was a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania. She was a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Arizona and later earned a master’s degree at Brigham Young University.
Professor Bell taught in the English department at Brigham Young University for 31 years from 1963 to 1994. She also served as associate dean of general and honors education.
Bell was the author of several books. Her work, Only When I Laugh (Signature Books, 1990) was a collection of essays she had written for the Salt Lake City-based feminist magazine Network.


