Faculty Feature: Windy Petrie, PhD, Finds Joy and Fulfillment Through Literature and Hospitality
Book-lovers often enjoy reading for the sense of escapism stories provide; the ability to travel the world through ink on a page, embark on a journey with a character, and turn the final page with the feeling that they’ve experienced something life-changing. For Windy Counsell Petrie, PhD, chair of Azusa Pacific University’s Department of English, books have not only taken her on imaginary journeys, but her lifelong vocation to the literary world has provided her with multiple opportunities to travel and experience immersion in various cultures. She offers students the same comfort and joy that comes through literature by sharing her warm spirit and kindness that blooms like the roses outside her office.
Born and raised in San Diego, Petrie often stayed close to home. Her family’s only travel was to family reunions in the pacific northwest, and while she enjoyed roaming her relatives’ farms and ranches, books were where she truly explored different places. After high school, Petrie was drawn to Pepperdine primarily because of their great books curriculum. The stories she read came to life when she went on her first plane ride to study abroad in England and Russia. “I was fascinated immediately when I got to stay in Moscow. Russian authors wrote some of the greatest novels of the 19th century, and it was compelling to see the way their culture values literature,” she said.
After graduating from Pepperdine, Petrie’s desire to continue witnessing a plethora of perspectives on literature led her to pursue graduate school at the University of Delaware. “As a naive 20-year-old I only applied to schools on the east coast, and I discovered a completely different culture within America through that experience,” she said. For six years, she lived in Delaware with her husband Kyle–her high school sweetheart. Petrie continued to hone her understanding of written works, especially when analyzing authors for who they are as people. Her dissertation focused on women’s autobiographies. “My primary interest is in the humans who create the literature we appreciate. I love pairing what is already acclaimed with works that are lesser known.” She added how many in academia have parents who come from professional backgrounds, and as a working class Cal grant recipient, she hopes to uplift the untold stories that are just as impactful, influential, and captivating as the broadly canonized ones. Her first published book, Templates for Authorship: American Women's Literary Autobiography of the 1930s, drew from her dissertation as she analyzed how a generation of women pursued writing as a path to personal and economic freedom.
After completing her PhD, Petrie and her husband decided to move back west. They agreed that their eastern limit was Denver, so when a job opened at Colorado Christian University (CCU), Petrie’s dream of teaching in higher education came true. “As a child I always wanted to play school with my friends, and before high school I thought to myself, ‘I would love to teach at the highest level possible.’ At the time I had no clue that meant being a professor, but I just continued down that route,” she said. Petrie taught at CCU for 15 years. She started her professorship a year after having her first son, Cade and she had her second son Heath after one year of teaching.
During Petrie’s time at CCU, she helped build up a thriving English department. She also earned a Fulbright award in 2006, which allowed her to spend a semester teaching in Lithuania. “That was the best experience for my whole family. I used to say that being a professor was the perfect counterbalance to raising children, and vice versa, but I didn’t have the time or energy to research and write on my own at the time,” she said. “So, I figured that teaching cross-culturally would give me the opportunity to learn intensely while staying committed as a mother.” Petrie’s family remembers their time in Lithuania together fondly. Her colleagues were inspired by her ability to further her growth as a scholar while creating enriching memories for her children.
Petrie discovered APU in 2016, when she and her husband wanted to return to the West Coast. “I’m a Californian at heart. In addition to my love for books, I love gardening and the ocean. Everyday I’m grateful that I can garden year-round here,” she said. When a position for the Department of English chair opened, God led Petrie and her family back to Southern California.
“Two huge aspects about APU drew me in: the wonderfully diverse community, and the fact that we offer faith integration while keeping open enrollment to students of all religious backgrounds.”
Petrie’s approach to teaching literature is to create a space where joy and meaningfulness coexist. “APU students bring a happy-seriousness to the table, and I love that because my goal as a professor is to show that we can have fun while studying a subject that has profound depth,” she said. Opening discussion to hear diverse perspectives and diminish preconceived notions about life and literature is something Petrie values. While she covers a broad range of literary topics, Russian literature is one of her favorites. “I love how frequently Russian writing touches on the spirituality of humans and often asks big, seemingly unanswerable questions.” Throughout her life, Petrie has engaged in multiple discussions about authors Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky with people inside and outside of academic contexts. She considers their work timeless.
As a leader, hospitality is the most important quality to Petrie. She strives to spend as much time with students as possible. She loves bonding with them in APU’s beautiful rose garden, where English faculty reside, for alfresco events. “I really enjoy when we can just be people together and celebrate each other’s gifts,” she said. When asked what she hopes students take away from her classes, Petrie said, “Never stop enjoying the gift of words. Beauty and understanding in literature don’t just comfort us; rather they enhance the lives of every individual who participates in creating or reading it. You’ll always keep learning if you keep reading.”
APU’s Honors College is also blessed to have Petrie’s involvement in their curriculum. She has written and delivered four plenary lectures, and looks forward to starting each fall semester by sharing about Dostoyevsky’s renowned novel The Brothers Karamazov to the junior class. Petrie has taught a colloquy before, which was impactful for both her and the students as they experienced deep conversations about literature and philosophy. Petrie teaches in the MA in English program as well. “I always have an eye open for where students can take their interests and gifts within the current academic conversation, but with graduate students that intensifies because I do my best to open doors for them,” she said.
Faith plays a significant and integrative role in teaching literature. To Petrie, pondering its immersion in her field is paramount. “Humans are the only created beings to have written language and think figuratively. Recognizing this special privilege means we must steward literature,” she said. When she was in graduate school, Petrie faced many challenges in secular literary spaces, as a number of people she met believed that it was impossible to be both an intellectual and Christian. Because of these challenges, she decided to teach in Christian higher education, which would allow her to prepare students for the big questions they might receive. She encourages them to hold on to their faith, sharing how scholars can embrace their Christianity and produce great work in the literary world. Petrie went on sabbatical in 2023 and is continuing to write a book about literature that highlights spiritual voices during an era that many deem to be secular. She recently presented “Watering the Wasteland: Spiritual Responses to American Literary Modernism” at the 2024 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Scholarship Jubilee to share her ideas and findings.
While Petrie has only published scholarly writing so far, she is excited to be working on a new creative project. “I have always struggled with being in the spotlight, and have felt shy my whole life,” she shared. Petrie has noticed others who carry the same hesitancy toward public speaking and leadership, which led her to start writing an autobiographical, creative nonfiction book full of research and anecdotes to help those who fear putting themselves out there.
“If you don’t show up for your life, your life won’t show up for you.”
When asked what genre her life would be if it were a book, she paused, reflecting on her journey, her various travels across the globe, raising two sons, and pursuing a rewarding career. “My life would be a gentle kind of comedy that always points readers toward understanding humility but feeling confident in their worth,” she said. “It would be satiric, but hopeful. In literary comedies, chaos turns to order, and I would want people to know that they’re okay even when they don’t feel like it.” Most importantly, there would be an element of gratitude, as Petrie gives thanks for the opportunities that have led her where she is today.
Petrie doesn’t just come to work to complete her tasks as a department chair and professor– she does everything with the same intentionality of a poet and thoughtfulness of an author. She is a reminder that one’s career can offer them joy, but it all comes down to the people she interacts and connects with who make her story as adventurous and fulfilling as it’s been. Like any great book, when students complete one of Petrie’s classes they exit transformed, happy for the knowledge they’ve gained but sad to turn the last page. Her optimism, wisdom, and compassion make her an educator who impacts students far beyond the textbook knowledge, inspiring them to write the story God has outlined for them.
Posted: April 12, 2024