Kathleen Burke
@kgburke
Writer, veteran teacher of literature & journalism, ultramarathon runner, triathlete, 40-year cancer survivor. PhD on Joyce Carol Oates
Remembering the 844 victims, including 22 entire families, lost in the Eastland Disaster 111 years ago this morning
7 July 1946: Mother Francesca X. Cabrini becomes the first U.S. citizen to be canonized by the Catholic Church. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Patron Saint of Immigrants #worldrefugeeday2026 #lincolnparksaint
“Angels Unawares,” commissioned by Pope Francis and created by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz, was at Loyola University Lake Shore Campus in 2021. The 3.5-ton 20-foot sculpture fosters discussions on immigration. #WorldRefugeeDay2025
Paternal Grandmother Teresa Maher Burke was born in Rockford, Illinois on this day in 1879. She is pictured in Freeport, Illinois with sons Raymond (1914) and John (1912).
Today is Bloomsday, the annual celebration of the day in 1904 when Leopold Bloom wandered the streets of Dublin. I’m one of the few living souls who read ULYSSES twice in a calendar year for two different courses in grad school at LOYOLA. James Joyce was still verboten there when I was an undergrad!
Forty years ago tonight, I was dealing with the aftermath of my first chemo. There were no effective anti-nausea drugs, & I was unable to obtain the now legal medicinal THC for six months! Photo is from 2017, when I gave the opening address in Grant Park for the first Lurie Cancer Center run.
In 2017, I still had the stamina for this summer classic. #thanksforthememories #lifewithcancer #lateeffects #femurfracture #40yearsurvivor
Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. This statue at Holy Name Cathedral actually survived the great Chicago Fire! 🔥
Captain Raymond F. Burke (1914-1971) was part of Chicago’s War Effort until he was commissioned 17 March 1942. He was fortunate to serve in the midwest, including Fort Sheridan. #memorialday #thankyouforyourservice
Mrs. Dalloway was first published on this day in 1924. One of Virginia Woolf's most famous works, the stream-of-consciousness novel is largely plotless, examining characters in a dream-like style. While the Pandemic is obliquely referenced, post-war PTSD figures prominently.
Forty years ago, I embarked on the first steps of my cancer journey. Today, more than ever, I hold in my heart those who have reached the finish line #longstrangetrip #gratitude #hope
“And now the end is here And so we face the final curtain…”🎶 Stage 773 has taken its final bow.
Published 99 years ago today “And all the lives we ever lived And all the lives to be, Are full of trees and changing leaves.” ~ Virginia Woolf, ‘To the Lighthouse’.
Published 99 years ago today “And all the lives we ever lived And all the lives to be, Are full of trees and changing leaves.” ~ Virginia Woolf, ‘To the Lighthouse’.
On this day in 1970, my editor sent me to Loyola University to interview students about casualties at Kent State as Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on a group of anti-war protestors. In 2023, demonstrations continued at University of Chicago, DePaul, Loyola, and Northwestern Universities