Curtis Bauer will read from his new book of poetry, The Real Cause for Your Absence, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The reading also will be streamed live on the University of Iowa Writing University website.

In reviewing Bauer’s new collection, Gerald Stern, author of In Beauty Bright, says, “Curtis Bauer is precise about birds, be they crows, chimney swifts, sparrows, swallows, starlings, cardinals, doves, or grackles. Like Robert Frost, he knows the phoebe doesn’t weep, for, like him, he is deeply versed in country things. But Bauer is wide-ranging and doesn’t make a moral distinction between Iowa and New York, any more than he does between America and Spain, where he lives part of the year. He is one of the most tender new poets I know, yet when the subject calls for it, he can be as harsh as necessary, for he is a keen observer, and he is sane, a sane realist with a vivid imagination.”

A native of Iowa, Bauer has lived in England, Mexico, Spain, and the Eastern and Southwest United States. He is the author of Fence Line, winner of the John Ciardi Poetry Prize, and Spanish Sketchbook, as well as translations of José de María Romero Barea and Juan Antonio González Iglesias. He is the publisher and editor of Q Ave Press Chapbooks, and he does editorial work for From the Fishouse and Vaso Roto Ediciones. He teaches writing and comparative literature at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to attend this reading, call Jan Weissmiller at Prairie Lights in advance, 319-337-2681.

For a UI arts calendar and details about upcoming events visit the Arts Iowa website.