Oral history interview with Susan Greenfield, 2020

Biographical Note

Susan Greenfield, professor of English at Fordham University, conducted and edited the oral histories for the book Sacred Shelter: Thirteen Journeys of Homelessness and Healing, published by Empire State Editions of Fordham University Press in 2019. Greenfield was born in Washington, D.C in 1961, and she grew up in a Jewish family with upwardly mobile parents. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a librarian. The family moved to New York when she was young, first to Queens and then to Westchester. Reading and storytelling have always been a part of her life. While she was raised with love and generosity, her childhood was marked by mental health challenges and unhappiness. A friend passed away when she was seven years old, and her mother almost died during her brother's birth. She learned later in life she had OCD and was prone to depression. Greenfield became involved in the Life Skills Empowerment Program in 2009 when she was on sabbatical. She was struggling with depression, and her rabbi suggested that service in the program might help. As a mentor, she was paired with Rodney Allen, but she felt that she also learned from and was supported by Allen. After helping Allen record his life story, she realized that the stories of the unhoused were an underdocumented but vital aspect of American history. George Horton of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York mentioned that he wished someone would make a book of the stories. Susan felt compelled to spearhead the project. Greenberg and Horton formed an advisory board with James Addison, Dennis Barton, Michelle Riddle, and Marc Greenberg. They made collaborative decisions about the book and ensured the final product aligned with what the participants wanted.

Scope and Contents

Susan Greenfield, a professor of English at Fordham University, was the principal interviewer and editor of Sacred Shelter: Thirteen Journeys of Homelessness and Healing. She talks about her upbringing, her struggles with mental health, and how the Sacred Shelter project came to be. She discusses interviewing the storytellers, her privilege as the editor of the stories, and the process of developing the book with the contributors.

Subjects

• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.
• Church work with the homeless.
• Greenfield, Susan C.--Interviews.
• Homeless persons--New York (State)--New York.
• Homeless persons--Services for--New York (State)--New York.
• Horton, George, 1945-, interviewer.
• Interviews.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Oral history--Methodology.
• Oral history--Moral and ethical aspects.
• Oral history--Political aspects.
• Storytelling--Psychological aspects.

Access Conditions

Copyright by Susan Greenfield. The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York hold a non-exclusive license to enable library activities