Critically acclaimed, best-selling memoirist Mary Karr will present the next installment of the Fall 2012 Raymond Carver Reading Series, 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 7 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. Karr's presentation is co-sponsored by SU's College of Arts and Sciences Writing Program's Nonfiction Reading Series.

In addition to her prose, Karr is an award-winning poet. She was a named a 2004 Guggenheim Fellow in poetry and has won Pushcart prizes for both her poetry and her essays. Karr is the author of Lit (2009), the long-awaited sequel to her critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling memoirs The Liars' Club (1995) and Cherry (2001). She recently collaborated with Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell on a new album, Kin: Songs by Mary Karr & Rodney Crowell, featuring songs about growing up in Texas during the 1950s.

A born raconteur, Karr brings to her lectures and talks the same wit, irreverence, joy, and sorrow found in her poetry and prose. Karr is a professor of creative writing in SU’s College of Arts and Sciences and has presented distinguished talks at prestigious universities, libraries, and writers' festivals, including Harvard University, Oxford University, Princeton University, Brown University, the New York Public Library, the Los Angeles Public Library, the Folger Library (Poetry Society of America/Emily Dickinson Lecture), The New Yorker Literary Festival, PEN/Faulkner, and the Festival of Faith and Writing. Karr welcomes conversation with her audience and she is known for her spirited, lively, and engaging Q&A sessions.

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.

Nov. 28: Rodney Crowell, a Grammy Award-winning musician and songwriter and author of Chinaberry Sidewalks (2011). His latest album, Kin, features lyrics co-written with Mary Karr and guest appearances by award-winning country music artists.

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