Bonnie Smith Whitehouse

Biography

Dr. Smith Whitehouse (known around campus as “Dr. Bonnie”) was born and raised in East Tennessee and graduated with Honors from Sewanee: The University of the South. As an undergraduate she majored in English and minored in Political Science but did not take nearly enough courses in theology, art, philosophy, education, and the natural sciences! So she’s trying to make up for that now by resolving to be a lifelong student as well as Professor of English and Director of Honors. She earned her Ph.D. in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she has been grateful to teach and learn at Belmont since 2003.

Dr. Bonnie loves to work with students and colleagues who are curious and unafraid of ambiguity. Her newest book, Seasons of Wonder: Making the Ordinary Sacred Through Projects, Prayers, Reflections and Rituals, embraces ways to encounter wonder throughout the calendar and liturgical year. The years she spent leading an interdisciplinary learning community at Belmont encouraged Dr. Bonnie to write a book titled Afoot and Lighthearted: A Journal for Mindful Walking designed to unleash the power of walking for creativity and adventure in the digital age. She is also the author of Kickstart Creativity, a project on inspiration that helps people engender new ideas by using tricks and tools from various cultures, traditions, and practices. She has traveled abroad with Belmont students to South Africa and Botswana. 

Dr. Bonnie served as President of the Faculty Senate at Belmont, which not only gave her insights about leadership in our community but resulted in relationships forged with faculty members across campus. She has taught classes in English and Honors, and she has taught both undergraduates and graduate students. In the Nashville community, she teaches for the Porch Writers’ Collective. An interdisciplinarian at heart, she is interested in writing, well-being, contemplation, painting, literature, nature, and ritual.

She volunteers at St. Bernard Academy and, for two decades, has been an active lay member of St. Augustine’s Episcopal Chapel at Vanderbilt. She has served at Belmont in a variety of roles, including Director of the Writing Center and Chair of the Department of English, and she is absolutely delighted to have found her home in the best of all possible places—Honors!