Grammy winning, singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell will present the next installment of the Fall 2012 Raymond Carver Reading Series, 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 28 in Huntington Beard Crouse (HBC) Gifford Auditorium at Syracuse University. The reading will be preceded by a question and answer session from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available in SU’s paid lots.

Crowell’s latest album, Kin: Songs by Mary Karr & Rodney Crowell, features lyrics based on Crowell’s and Karr’s experiences growing up in Texas during the 1950s and includes guest appearances by award-winning country music artists. Karr is a critically acclaimed, bestselling memoirist and professor of creative writing in SU’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Crowell’s memoir, Chinaberry Sidewalks (Knoph, 2011) was released in paperback in March 2012. Writing for the Atlantic Constitution, Gina Webb described the book as “a loving, affectionate tribute … Crowell's parents remain his heroes not in spite of their flaws, but because of them, and because of their son's proud refusal to sugarcoat the truth. Instead, this honest, forgiving, and self-assured memoir brings all the skeletons out of the closet and invites them to dance.”

Crowell has released nearly 20 albums across four decades. His critically acclaimed Diamonds & Dirt produced five consecutive number-one singles, including “After All This Time,” which won the 1989 Grammy for Best Country Song. His follow-up album, Keys to the Highway, produced two top five hits. Crowell has written songs for such leading performers as Crystal Gayle, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, and Rosanne Cash. In addition to the Grammy, Crowell received an ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) lifetime achievement award and, in 2003, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Named for the great short story writer and poet who taught at SU in the 1980s, the Raymond Carver Reading Series is a vital part of Syracuse’s literary life. Presented by the Creative Writing Program in SU’s College of Arts and Sciences, the series each year brings 12 to 14 prominent writers to campus to read their works and interact with students.

Fall 2012 Series Schedule
The Series will continue with the following authors. All readings begin at 5:30 p.m. in HBC Gifford Auditorium. Question and Answer sessions are from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. Further information is available by calling (315) 443-2174.

Dec. 5: Adam Levin, award-winning author of The Instructions (2010), teaches creative writing at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.