PUZZLES OF FAITH AND PATTERNS OF DOUBT

Latest Anthology of Short Stories & Poems Edited by SFC Professor

Puzzles of Faith and Patterns of Doubt (Editions Bibliotekos), a new anthology edited by St. Francis College English Professor Gregory F. Tague, offers a collection of 15 poems and short stories that explore the role of faith in personal challenges, triumphs and failures.

In addition to Professor Tague, three St. Francis College students, Evan Czmola ‘14, Tyler Perkins ‘14, and Kimberly Resnick ‘14 played an important part as editorial interns in bringing this book to publication.

In the Preface to Anthology, Professor Tague and Publisher Fredericka A. Jacks write, “Much of the work in this volume is not religious – the doubts that strain one’s faith are questions of character, difficulties in personal relationships, or problems in the family. The puzzle of faith is not really about God, it’s about the human predicament: our sins, our mistakes, our failures (and at times our glories) with ourselves and others.”

In writing about the stories, author Anne Whitehouse says: “Access Closed” by Joey Dean Hale, is a poignant portrait of a man “without an original idea” who, in his estrangement from his family and his faith, retains a stubborn nobility. “Padre Raimundo’s Army” by Arthur Powers is a shining parable about the triumph of faith and goodness over inhumanity. “Since Letitia Williams Saw Jesus,” by Patty Somlo tells us about a woman who sees a vision, passes it on, and in so doing, loses it. But perhaps her deepest faith resides in what she pretends to see in the hopes that it will appear.

Puzzles of Faith is the fifth and final anthology published by Editions Bibliotekos. Previous books dealt with topics like immigration (Common Boundary), writings of war (Battle Runes), Pain and Memory and making sense of the natural world (Being Human). As new projects are being developed, Bibliotekos will focus more on publishing author profiles, interviews, and articles on its website.

Professor Tague has authored and edited numerous books including: as author, Ethos And Behavior: The English Novel from Jane Austen to Henry James (Academica Press, 2008); as co-editor and contributor, Origins of English Dramatic Modernism, 1870-1914 (Academica Press 2010); and as author, Character And Consciousness (Academica Press 2005). He also publishes The Association for the Study of Ethical Behavior in Literature Journal.

Cover photo by Mary Kenefick Keating.

St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City’s five boroughs and beyond.

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www.stfranciscollege.edu