Six Bridges Book Festival

08/28/2026

📚 Ben Fountain is headed back to the Six Bridges Book Festival—and he’s bringing one of the wildest books of the year with him.⁠
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This year, Fountain returns with Rasputin Swims the Potomac, a razor-sharp satire that imagines a professional wrestler’s run for the presidency. Equal parts hilarious and unsettling, the novel plunges readers into a world of political theater, media frenzy, and the increasingly blurred lines between entertainment and public life.⁠
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We’re excited to welcome Fountain back to Little Rock for what is sure to be one of the festival’s most lively conversations.⁠
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Join us at the Six Bridges Book Festival, September 27–October 4, in Little Rock.

08/27/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome Allison M. Alford to the 2026 Six Bridges Book Festival.⁠
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In her groundbreaking new book, Good Daughtering: The Work You’ve Always Done, the Credit You’ve Never Gotten, and How to Finally Feel Like Enough, Alford explores the invisible emotional labor that so many adult daughters carry—the quiet work of checking in, smoothing over, and holding families together. Drawing on years of research and personal interviews, she examines how expectations around family, caregiving, and responsibility shape women’s lives. ⁠
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A leading researcher in family communication and the founder of Daughtering 101, Alford offers readers not only validation, but also a new language for understanding the complex role daughters play across generations.⁠
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Whether you’re an eldest daughter, a caregiver, or simply someone navigating the complicated bonds of family, Good Daughtering promises to spark meaningful conversations long after the festival ends.⁠
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Join us at the Six Bridges Book Festival, September 27–October 4, in Little Rock.

08/26/2026

So many chances to catch Eli Cranor at this year’s Six Bridges Book Festival! 🎉

Join us as we celebrate Eli receiving the 2026 Booker Worthen Literary Prize, catch his session marking the release of his collection of his Where I'm Writing From columns, and see him take the moderator’s chair for a conversation with S.A. Cosby and Jordan Harper.

Three very different reasons to see one of Arkansas’s own at Six Bridges!

The 2026 Booker Worthen Literary Prize, presented annually in honor of the best book of fiction or nonfiction by an author living in Arkansas over a three-year eligibility period, has been awarded to Pope County writer Eli Cranor.

08/26/2026

We’re beyond thrilled to welcome S. A. Cosby to the 2026 Six Bridges Book Festival.⁠
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Few writers have transformed contemporary crime fiction as completely—or as quickly—as Cosby. The New York Times bestselling author of Blacktop Wasteland, Razorblade Tears, and All the Sinners Bleed has emerged as one of the most electrifying voices in American literature, earning the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Macavity Award, and the ITW Thriller Award along the way.⁠
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Cosby joins us with King of Ashes, his explosive new novel and an instant New York Times bestseller. Inspired by The Godfather and set against the backdrop of the modern South, the novel follows Roman Carruthers as he returns home to Virginia and finds himself pulled into a world of family loyalty, buried secrets, and dangerous debts.⁠
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With razor-sharp prose, unforgettable characters, and page-turning plots, Cosby’s novels have captivated readers across genres and established him as one of the most essential writers working today. We can’t wait to welcome him to Little Rock this fall.⁠
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Join us at the Six Bridges Book Festival, September 27–October 4, in Little Rock.

08/24/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome Stacey Yu and Kevin Brockmeier to the 2026 Six Bridges Book Festival for a special virtual conversation.⁠
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Yu will be joining us on the heels of her debut novel, Kitten, an offbeat and darkly funny coming-of-age story set in Little Rock. The novel follows a recent college graduate whose growing obsession with her boyfriend’s cat forces her to confront questions of love, ambition, family, and adulthood. Though she now lives in London, Yu has deep Arkansas roots: having spent much of her childhood in the state before going on to study English at Columbia University.⁠
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For this special event, Yu will appear in conversation with fellow Arkansas writer Kevin Brockmeier, one of the state’s most celebrated literary voices. Across novels and story collections, Brockmeier has built an extraordinary body of work that explores the strange, the surreal, and the deeply human, earning readers around the world.⁠
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We’re delighted to bring these two distinctive Arkansas voices together for this special virtual event and can’t wait to welcome them to the festival this fall.⁠
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Join us at the Six Bridges Book Festival, September 27–October 4, in Little Rock.

08/21/2026

Calling all birders, nature lovers, and curious observers: James McCommons and Ragan Sutterfield are coming to the 2026 Six Bridges Book Festival.⁠
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In Watch and Wonder: Birding as a Spiritual Practice, Arkansas writer and Episcopal priest Ragan Sutterfield explores how paying attention to the birds around us can cultivate joy, friendship, and a deeper sense of wonder. In The Feather Wars, journalist James McCommons traces the fascinating history of bird conservation in America and the unlikely coalition that fought to protect the nation’s bird populations.⁠
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Together, Sutterfield and McCommons will explore what birds can teach us about the natural world—and our place within it. Whether you’re an avid birder or simply someone who enjoys the occasional backyard visitor, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.⁠
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Join us at the Six Bridges Book Festival, September 27–October 4, in Little Rock.

08/20/2026

It’s a very good day to be a book lover. 📚✨

Library Square Books, a new used bookstore operated by CALS, is officially OPEN!

During the Six Bridges Book Festival, our official booksellers will have books from festival authors available for purchase—and just steps from all the festival action, Library Square Books will be open for a little extra browsing and pre-loved book shopping, too.

More books at Six Bridges? We call that a win. 📚

08/19/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome Molly Irani to the 2026 Six Bridges Book Festival for a special lunchtime event in partnership with Rock It! Lab.⁠
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Irani is the cofounder and Chief Culture Officer of the James Beard Award–winning Chai Pani Restaurant Group, whose restaurants have been recognized by The New York Times and Southern Living for their extraordinary food and hospitality. In her new memoir, Service Ready: A Story of Love, Restaurants, and the Power of Hospitality, Irani shares the story of building Chai Pani alongside her husband, Meherwan, and the lessons she’s learned about leadership, entrepreneurship, and creating a workplace that puts people first. ⁠
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Part memoir, part business guide, and part love letter to the restaurant industry, Service Ready offers insights that extend far beyond the kitchen—making this conversation a perfect fit for the innovators and entrepreneurs of Rock It! Lab. We can’t wait to welcome Irani to Little Rock for this special event on Thursday, October 1.⁠
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Join us at the Six Bridges Book Festival, September 27–October 4, in Little Rock.

08/18/2026

Ayana Gray is back! 💙⁠
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One of our favorite Little Rock authors is returning to the Six Bridges Book Festival on Saturday, October 3 with her newest novel, and she has a special message just for you.⁠
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If you’ve seen Ayana at the festival before, you know you won’t want to miss her. And if this is your first time, trust us—you’ll want to add her session to your list.⁠
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We’ll see you in October! 📚⁠
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