Christie Purifoy

Meet Christie Purifoy: Local Author, Writer, Gardener, and Placemaker

Christie Purifoy is a beloved local author and creative whose work celebrates the beauty of ordinary life. A writer, gardener, and self-described placemaker, Christie has published more than five books and built a devoted community around her love for words, flowers, and home.

Her published works include two moving memoirs, Roots and Sky: A Journey Home in Four Seasons (Revell, 2016) and Placemaker: Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty, and Peace (Zondervan, 2019). Her trilogy of gardening gift books—Garden Maker (2022), A Home in Bloom (2023), and the newest release Seedtime and Harvest: How Gardens Grow Roots, Connection, Wholeness and Hope (Harvest House, 2024)—blends lyrical essays and stunning photography to inspire a deeper connection to the natural world.

Christie earned a PhD in English Literature from the University of Chicago, but eventually traded academic life for Maplehurst, a historic farmhouse in Pennsylvania. There, she cultivates both gardens and community. While her classroom has changed, she still teaches—now through intimate virtual workshops and in-person gatherings at the Maplehurst Black Barn.

Through her long-running blog and her presence on Substack, Christie shares reflections on home, garden, and faith. She is also the co-host of Out of the Ordinary, a weekly podcast with fellow writer and friend Lisa-Jo Baker. Together, they tell stories that grow from the rich soil of everyday life.

Christie and Lisa-Jo are also the hearts behind Black Barn Online, a digital space that offers a gentler, more meaningful alternative to traditional social media. Through weekly rhythms of storytelling, celebration, and stillness, they invite others to build a place where art and faith in community can take root and flourish.

To explore more of Christie’s writing or connect with her creative world, visit her books, blog, podcast, or join her on Substack.