2.6 Poetry and Media

Dr. Susan Keefe occasionally wrote poetry to entertain or honor her family and close friends; she also occasionally wrote with her faith in mind, producing lines evocative of the mystical theologians she taught and researched. Dr. Keefe's poetry is preserved in the Keefe Collection, Box 2, Folder 33.

Dr. Keefe also very occasionally felt compelled to be an ornery Catholic in the public square. Two letters to the editors of The Chronicle and America Magazine respectively are housed in the Keefe Collection Box 1, Folder 33.

Keefe, Susan A. "Letter to the Editor." The Chronicle. 27 October 2003. Dr. Keefe responds to a Depo-Provera ad that had previously run in Duke's campus newspaper.

Keefe, Susan A. "Letter to the Editor." America Magazine. 8 June 2004. Dr. Keefe responds to news of a meeting between Cardinal McCarrick and Catholic Democrats concerned about denying the Eucharist to politicians who support abortion rights. Dr. Keefe includes an extended quotation of St. Augustine touching on the issue––not the issue of abortion rights but rather the issue of denying the Eucharist to certain members of the Church. "Let him not be forbidden by the distributor to eat, but let him be admonished to fear him who doth require his account."

In addition, Dr. Keefe collaborated with writers for news publications highlighting her work and explaining its relevance to Christians today. A draft of such an article for Duke News and a print-out of an article for Fayetteville Online are housed in the Keefe Collection, Box 2, Folder 33.

Selinsky, Debbie. "Duke Divinity Professor Uses NEH Grant to Uncover Origins of 'One God' Belief in Medieval Europe." Duke News, June 1995.

Williams, Allison. "Birth by baptism." Fayetteville Online, 2003.