The next Speakers and Issues Series at Midwestern State University will bring a noted biographer of rock musicians to the campus. Peter Ames Carlin, who has written books about Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Brian Wilson, and Paul McCartney, will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 11, at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU Texas.

Bruce, Carlin's 2012 biography of Springsteen, reached no. 4 on the New York Times bestseller list. It follows the American icon's path from working class Freehold, New Jersey, to the heights of rock 'n' roll superstardom, the depths of chronic depression and then further, to his status as the spokesman for hard-working dreamers all around the world. Bruce is the first biography in 25 years written with Springsteen's cooperation.

Homeward Bound: The Life of Paul Simon, published in 2016, is the first major biography of one of the most influential popular artists in American history. For Paul McCartney: A Life, (2009) Ames focused on McCartney's work and experiences as a musician, writer and global icon from his earliest days with the Quarrymen in Liverpool through his career with the Beatles, Wings, and his ongoing work as a solo artist.

Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, & Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, also written with its subject's cooperation, is the 2006 biography of the brilliant songwriter, producer, musician, and performer. Along with Wilson's music and gothic story, Catch a Wave analyzes Wilson and the Beach Boys' influence as modern arbiters of American archetypes, with particular focus on Wilson's long-unfinished masterwork Smile, whose unexpected rebirth occurred in the midst of Carlin's work on the book.

Books will be available for purchase at the event, and Carlin will autograph them after the program.

Carlin, also a freelance journalist, has been a senior writer at People, and a feature writer at The Oregonian in Portland, Oregon. He speaks often on music, writing, and popular culture. He lives in Portland.

The Speakers and Issues Series began in 2001 with the idea of bringing informed and creative speakers to the academic and municipal communities. Since then, more than 20 speakers have come to MSU from all corners of the country. It is supported by the Libra Foundation, MSU's Prothro-Yeager College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Wichita Falls Times Record News, KCCU-FM NPR Radio, and KFDX-TV3.

Admission is free; donations are welcome. Contact Assistant Professor of English Greg Giddings at greg.giddings@msutexas.edu for information.