Fall 2011 Raymond Carver Reading Series opens with SU alumnus Rahul Mehta

Rahul Mehta G’03 will open the Fall 2011 Raymond Carver Reading Series with readings from his short story collection, “Quarantine” (Harper Perennial, 2011), at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 14 in Huntington Beard Crouse (HBC) Gifford Auditorium. The reading will be preceded by a question-and-answer session from 3:45-4:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available in Syracuse University’s paid lots.

Already a runaway success in India, “Quarantine” features the fictional stories of openly gay Indian-American men. Their cosmopolitan views on friendship and sex are contrasted with their struggles to maintain relationships with their families and cultural traditions. Estranged from their cultural in-group and still set apart from larger society, the young men in these lyrical, provocative, emotionally wrenching, yet frequently funny stories find themselves ‘quarantined.’

Portions of “Quarantine” have appeared in New Stories from the South 2009: The Year’s Best, The Kenyon Review, The Sun magazine and other literary journals. Mehta’s essays have appeared most recently in the New York Times Magazine, Out Magazine and Marie Claire India. Recently named as one of Out Magazine’s Out 100 honorees for 2011, Mehta is working on a novel. Born and raised in Parkersburg, W. Va., he lives with his partner in Alfred, N.Y., and teaches at Alfred University.

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 12-14 prominent writers to campus to read their works and interact with students.

Fall 2011 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 3:45-4:30 p.m. Further information is available by calling (315) 443-2174.

• Sept. 28: Dana Spiotta, assistant professor, author of three novels, the latest of which is “Stone Arabia” (Scribner, 2011).
• Oct. 19: Iain Haley Pollack G’07, who teaches English at Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia, was awarded the 2011 Cave Canem Poetry Prize for his manuscript “Spit Back a Boy” (University of Georgia Press, 2011).
• Oct. 26: Terese Svoboda, author of 13 books, the latest of which is “Bohemian Girl” (Bison Books, 2011), a cross between “True Grit” and “Huckleberry Finn.”
• Nov. 9: Jennifer Grotz, author of two books of poetry, “The Needle” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011) and “Cusp” (2003).
• Nov. 30: Peter Balakian, author of many books, including six books of poems, the most recent “Ziggurat” (University of Chicago Press, 2010).
• Dec. 7: Christopher Kennedy, SU professor and author of four poetry collections, including his most recent, “Ennui Prophet” (BOA Editions Ltd., 2011).