Poetry, Prayer, and Public Healing

The Irish poet and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama is the featured speaker for this public conversation and poetry reading. The host of the popular podcast "Poetry Unbound," Ó Tuama will discuss "Poetry, Prayer, and Public Healing" for Duke Chapel's 2024 William Preston Few Lecture.

To attend the event, which is open to the public, register for a free ticket through the Duke Box Office.

Working at the intersection of poetry, theology, and conflict resolution, Ó Tuama is the author of eight books that range from memoir to poetry to devotional guide—often blending all three genres. His most recent book, "Being Here: Prayers for Curiosity, Justice, and Love," is a collection of scripture passages, wisdom readings, and prayers presented in the form of poems. A Chicago Tribune summary of his memoir In the Shelter said: “Putting to work poetry and gospel, side by side with story and Celtic spirituality, Ó Tuama explores ideas of shelter along life’s journey, opening up gentle ways of living well in a troubled world.”

“In Pádraig’s work, I see someone who has a restless heart for God and other people, combined with a savvy, playful linguistic craftsmanship,” said the Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery, dean of Duke Chapel. “Sometimes healing in communities, and even countries, has to be fostered obliquely—like through the mystery of prayer and poetry—and that’s where Pádraig is an expert guide.”

Produced by the nonprofit On Being Project, Ó Tuama’s "Poetry Unbound" podcast celebrates poets, poems, and language from across the centuries and around the world, amassing more than ten million downloads since it began in 2020. In each episode, he takes up a single poem, reading it, analyzing it, adding anecdotes from his own life, and reading it again. “Poetry for me is public voice—it isn’t the only thing needed to change the world, but it’s certainly necessary,” Ó Tuama said in a New Yorker profile of his work.

In his role as a mediator, Ó Tuama has worked with groups to explore story, conflict, religion, and violence. Using poetry, group discussion, and lectures, his work is marked both by lyricism and pragmatism, and includes a practice of evoking stories and participation from attendees.

Ó Tuama’s poems have been published in Poetry Ireland Review, Academy of American Poets, Post Road, cream city review, Holden Village Voice, Proximity Magazine, On Being, Gutter, America, and Seminary Ridge Review. He holds a bachelor of arts in divinity validated by the Pontifical College of Maynooth, a master of theology from Queen’s University Belfast, and recently received a doctorate in Theology through Creative Practice at the University of Glasgow exploring poetry, Irishness, and religion. He splits his time between Belfast, Ireland, and New York City.

The Chapel’s annual Few Lecture takes its name from Duke’s first president who articulated a vision of education promoting the courage to seek the truth and the conviction to live it. The series is funded by the William Preston Few Endowment for Duke Chapel, which was established in 1986 by Kendrick S. Few '39 as a memorial to his father, William Preston Few, the first president of Duke University.

Campus cosponsors of the event include the Department of English, the Thompson Writing Program, and the Divinity School’s Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts.