Episode 2: Cultivating Attention with Christie Purifoy

Worlds Within is a podcast about the art of place-based storytelling—conversations about the real and imagined settings that shape a story. In each episode, we explore how landscapes shape stories, and how attention to place can open up deeper ways of seeing and being in the world.In this episode, we’re joined by author and gardener Christie Purifoy. Our conversation centers on writing and placemaking, and on cultivating habits of attention in our everyday life. Christie shares how themes of home and place have shaped her writing over time, and how seasonal rhythms have influenced her work. We also discuss some of the writers whose worlds she loves stepping into, including her fondness for stories where houses are a character. Christie shares a short section from A Private History of Awe by Scott Russell Sanders that illustrates the art of paying attention to the smallest detail. We also loved hearing Christie talk about her garden and gardening practice, and how it connects to the writing life. We hope you experience this conversation as an invitation to cultivate attention to place, language, and the quiet work of caring for stories.Bio: Christie Purifoy is a writer and gardener who loves to grow flowers and community. She is the author of two memoirs, Roots and Sky: A Journey Home in Four Seasons and Placemaker: Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty, and Peace. She has also published a trilogy of books celebrating the garden: Garden Maker (2022), A Home in Bloom (2023), and Seedtime and Harvest: How Gardens Grow Roots, Connection, Wholeness and Hope (2024). Her latest book, A House to Call Home: Creating Places That Will Comfort and Care For Us released on February 3rd.Christie holds a PhD in English Literature but eventually traded the classroom for an old Pennsylvania farmhouse called Maplehurst where she lives with her husband and four children. She teaches workshops and cultivates conversations at the Maplehurst Black Barn.Follow Christie on Substack to enjoy more of her writing.Keep the conversation going in the comments section below!Christie talks about gardening as a way of paying attention and cultivating care. How do you think tending to a garden (or any creative practice) shapes the way you notice the world?What does “placemaking” mean to you in your own life? How do you create spaces—physical or mental—that feel comforting, beautiful, or full of possibility?//Worlds Within: The Art of Place-Based Storytelling is a podcast miniseries exploring how writers bring landscapes to life on the page—and how attention to place helps us feel more at home in the world.Hosted by Jenna Brack and Adrienne Garrison, two writers drawn to art with a strong sense of place.Jenna Brack is the author of Pass-Through Place (Meadowlark Press, 2026), a collection of essays shaped by growing up in central Kansas. Her essays and poetry have been featured in Every Day Poems, Coffee + Crumbs, Fathom, The Sunlight Press, and others. A former educator and college instructor, Jenna now encourages other writers through editing and coaching. She holds an MA in English from Kansas State University and currently lives with her family in Germany.Pre-order Pass-Through Place. Follow Jenna on Substack: https://jennabrack.substack.com/Adrienne Garrison is a writer, educator, and podcaster based in Bloomington, Indiana. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific University and has published work in Coffee + Crumbs, Literary Mama, and LETTERS Journal. Adrienne co-hosts the Exhale Creativity podcast, mentors young writers, and is currently seeking representation for her first novel. Follow Adrienne: https://adriennegarrison.substack.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adriennegarrison.substack.com