Friday, October 24, 2014

Dr. Maryellen Keefe’s Lecture on her new biography “Casual Affairs”


On Tuesday October 21st, author and SUNY Maritime Professor Maryellen Keefe gave a presentation and lecture on the life and stories of New Yorker writer Sally Benson, the subject of her new biography Casual Affairs: The Life and Fiction of Sally Benson. Dr. Keefe, a humanities professor at Maritime, told stories about Benson’s private pursuits and her life as a career woman and brought to life the spirit of Benson’s works, whose character-driven stories were retold in the well-known film “Meet Me in St. Louis.” 


Most exciting about the book talk for several of us audience members was a glimpse into Dr. Keefe’s research process for the book, which began as she was researching her dissertation. For Casual Affairs, Dr. Keefe was able to interview several generations of Benson’s family and was provided with access to their family papers.

Casual Affairs is available through SUNY Press at a cost of $29.95.

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