When David Crouse took the stage in Peeler auditorium Wednesday night, he warned audience members that his reading would be a little unusual.
Instead of reading a published work from one of his two renowned books, "The Man Back There" and "Copy Cats: Stories," Crouse, newly hired professor of English and part of the Kelly Writers Series, informed audience members he would be reading them an entirely new work of fiction.
"I might stop to scratch a word out," he said. "Even when I read from my books I'll take out my pen and scratch out a word or two. They're never really finished."
Crouse has had many works of short fiction published in some of the countries most well regarded literary journals. He has also been awarded the Flannery O'Connor Award in Short Fiction and the McCarthy Prize.
"I guess my work is dark. I didn't realize that until more of my work was being published and reviewers kept using the word 'dark,'" he said of his style. "Yes there is darkness, but there is also light and humor."
In his introduction, professor of English Chris White celebrated Crouse as a new member of the English Department's permanent staff, while jokingly cautioning members of the DePauw community to be careful what stories they tell the fervent writer.
"When we had coffee the other day, I told him [a story] about my own troubled past. A week later he texted me saying over Thanksgiving break it had become a short story," she said. "He did ask permission, but David is a patient, careful observer of both the shadows and the light-I'd say watch your back."
Crouse admitted that the story he read Wednesday night, the tale of a broken relationship and even more broken windows, had begun with a true story told to him by an acquaintance.
"I love getting in long conversations with people and pulling their stories out of them," he said. "Then it kind of changes into something that's usually more dramatic."
As a graduate of Bradford College, a small liberal arts college, Crouse said he has always felt an affinity to liberal arts education. When he decided to leave his position at the MFA program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, he applied to a few liberal arts colleges.
"I was educated at a small liberal arts college and I had always wanted to come back to a small liberal arts college. It was kind of a dream of mine,' he said. "DePauw has a great reputation, so last year I decided to apply here."
Since coming to DePauw, Crouse feels that the subject of his writing has changed to some degree.
"I'm writing about Alaska now," he explained. "I write about the place I've just left, so when I was in Alaska, I wasn't writing about Alaska. I feel like I miss it now, so writing about it is a way to get back there."
Junior Juan Rodriguez, for one, said he was excited that Crouse made the decision to leave Alaska behind and become a permanent staff member at DePauw.
"Being a full professor makes him more approachable. Like, Rodney Jones he's here, not part of the staff but as an active poet. I probably would have never approached Rodney if I hadn't had him in a class," Rodriguez said. "With Crouse, knowing that he's an active staff member and also an author who's published some work makes me more likely to approach him."
Crouse acknowledged the Christmas tree lighting going on at the same time as his reading, and appreciated the crowd he still had.
"I wanted to thank each and every one of you for saying 'no' to Christmas and 'yes' to literature," he later added more seriously, "If you have helped this place to feel like home, I thank you."