Rate My Professor Winona Howe

Dr. Winona Howe is an Emerita Professor of English at La Sierra University, where she taught literature and writing classes for twenty-five years. She served as Chair of the Department of English and Communication and as long-time chair of the university library committee. In 2013, Howe received the Distinguished Faculty Award for her student mentorship, support of colleagues, and consistent high rate of work, including an average of three conference presentations per year over a twenty-year period. Early in her career, she received a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship, which shaped her future research. She contributed to establishing the Library Undergraduate Research Prize at La Sierra University and provided writing guidance for faculty publications, such as Associate Professor Tim Musso's book on Alaska's Arctic tern.

Howe's teaching specializations, as listed in La Sierra University's M.A. in English program, include children’s literature, Victorian English literature, and literature in English from outside England and the United States. Her scholarly record features published articles, conference papers—including presentations at the Western Literature Association—and a chapter on women in the film The Professionals (1966) in the volume Hollywood's West: The American Frontier in Film, Television, and History (2005). She has also contributed book reviews, such as on Giants in the Earth by Ole Rölvaag, to the university's Roadrunner Review. Extending her literary expertise, Howe authored children's books Sita and the Prince of Tigers (2022), The Palace in the Jungle (2024), and Welcome to the Penniman Menagerie (2025), with launch readings held at the La Sierra University Library. As professor emeritus, she continues to engage through university events, including centennial celebrations and endowment fundraisers.