Amy Lee Persichetti, EdD has taught at Cabrini for 16 years. The majority of her courses focus on English
and writing. Her course The Creative Eye—ENG/WRT 207 Writing, Publishing, and Editing—produces Cabrini’s award-winning online literary magazine, Woodcrest. With some creative course restructuring, imaginative classes, and a vibrant co-curriculum Persichetti continues to help make the Writing major a vibrant part of the English department. In her professional writing, she has started to develop more creative pieces so she can begin to immerse herself in the world of publishing as a practicing writer.
What is your go-to advice for Cabrini students?
Most things are a process. Be patient, be persistent, and most of all, be resilient.
What is your favorite item in your office and why?
My brother and his girlfriend got me a squirrel tape dispenser for my office.
What is your favorite quote and why?
My favorite Emerson quote is, “The years teach us much what the days do not know.” I’m at a point in my life, at 46, that I am beginning to see how many of the most beautiful things--raising a child into an adult, building a garden, teaching, writing, spending a decade in love with the same person, having colleagues who have been dear friends for years—develop meaning over time. I love the Transcendentalist’s faith in intuition and self-reliance. It’s been a solid guide for me.
Do you have any hidden talents or interests? If so, what are they?
I mean, it’s not very well-hidden, but I am a mad gardener and chicken-tender (this is a prime example of when the hyphen becomes important, incidentally). This spring, I plan to plant a hundred dahlias. It’s decadent
What are the top three songs on your current playlist?
See, I’m too much of a music lover to answer this question. My current playlist is eclectic and played to death. I’m heading out for a winter retreat with the ladies, so I’m sure I’ll come back with new music. I go from David Bowie to Calle 13 to Wilco to whatever my daughter is listening to, which is usually pretty great. We have a music house.
Which do you do more often - binge watch a TV series or have a movie marathon?
I am a total binge-watcher, but only in the winter months. I’m completely into Broadchurch at the moment.
Where is your favorite place in the world?
In my back yard on a late Spring day with the sun shining, near my husband who is building something or fixing something with Bob Dylan playing on the outdoor speakers, my hands in the dirt, my daughter happy and healthy and standing by the garden gate.