Arts & Culture

Poet Jennifer Grotz to present next installment of Raymond Carver Reading Series

Thursday, October 27, 2011, By News Staff

The Fall 2011 Raymond Carver Reading Series continues on Nov. 9 with poet Jennifer Grotz, a faculty member at the University of Rochester. Grotz will read from her latest work, “The Needle” (Houghton Mifflin, 2011), which explores both Polish and American 20th-century poetry and its traditions. The reading will begin at 5:30 p.m. in HBC Gifford Auditorium. A question and answer session from 3:45-4:30 p.m. will precede the reading. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available in SU’s paid lots.

In a review of “The Needle,” a Washington Post critic wrote: “Where many writers look inward and mine their private landscapes, Grotz sees the objects and scenes around her.… Attentiveness brings her poems—and the world—alive…. Grotz’s perspective makes her work feel objective and insightful, even when she writes about family tragedies. Her ability to balance artistry and emotion results in buoyant poetry.”

Grotz’s previous work, “Cusp” (Houghton Mifflin, 2003), is informed by the phrase entre chien et loup, meaning between dog and wolf, which is a French colloquialism for twilight. It signifies a brief instant in the blue light of dusk when the dog, who roams during the day, is about to retreat and when the wolf, who roams at night, just begins to come out. Grotz received the Katherine Bakeless Nason Poetry Prize for “Cusp” and the Natalie Ornish Poetry Prize for Best First Book, Texas Institute of Arts and Letters.

Grotz’s poems have been published in journals and anthologies, including New England Review, Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, Tri-Quarterly, American Poetry Review, Poetry Daily, and Best American Poetry 2000 and 2009 (Scribner’s). She is the recipient of the Pushcart Prize (2011), the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, and the New Writing Award from the Fellowship of Southern Writers, among others. She holds an M.F.A. from Indiana University and a Ph.D. from the University of Houston.

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 The 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 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 to 4:30 p.m. Further information is available by calling (315) 443-2174.

  • Nov. 30: Peter Balakian, author of many books, including six books of poems, the most recent being “Ziggurat” (University of Chicago Press, 2010).
  • Dec. 7: Christopher Kennedy, professor and author of four poetry collections, including his most recent, “Ennui Prophet” (BOA Editions Ltd., 2011).