At the beginning of each year, there’s a particular thrill as the Six Bridges Book Festival staff gathers to begin planning for the literary fall ahead. The daydreaming begins. Wish lists take shape. Fingers are crossed in hopes of bringing big names and exciting new voices to Little Rock.
Months later, those plans come to life. This year, the 23rd annual Six Bridges Book Festival returns Sept. 27 – Oct. 4, bringing writers and readers together for a week of conversations and discoveries. It comes at a time when the data tells us Americans are reading less than ever. Spend an hour at Six Bridges, though, and that conclusion might be harder to believe.
Here, readers are everywhere — passionate, curious, energized readers. They fill venues to hear writers talk about history and fiction. They stand in long lines waiting for books to be signed. They strike up conversations with strangers about what they’ve just heard and hurry across Library Square because there’s another session they don’t want to miss.
Put simply, Six Bridges is special.
Maybe it’s that Little Rock isn’t always a stop on the national book-tour circuit, so having some of the country’s most exciting writers come here feels like a gift. Maybe it’s the literary community that continues to grow throughout central Arkansas, with new bookstores opening and more opportunities for readers to find one another. Maybe it’s simply that the festival is a reminder of so much of what makes libraries special: interesting conversations, creativity, hospitality and genuine curiosity.
And perhaps it’s that so much of the festival is free. Six Bridges really is a come-one, come-all celebration of books and the people who love them.
After 23 years, Six Bridges continues to bring remarkable writers and conversations to Little Rock. This year, Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari sits down with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear; festival favorites Eli Cranor and Ayana Gray return; bestselling authors Deesha Philyaw, Christina Lauren, Alix E. Harrow, Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney and S. A. Cosby take the stage; and Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Kathleen DuVal and Beverly Gage join the conversation. Readers can get an early look at forthcoming books from Quinn Connor and Lee Bains, while Alex George (known online as Lily P Crumbs) heads to the kitchen for a live cooking demonstration.
There’s Poetry Night at the iconic White Water Tavern, Little Readers Rock for the youngest book lovers and conversations spanning everything from the story of beauty icon Mary Kay Ash to fantasy, history and birding. There really is something for every kind of reader.
So come listen. Come discover someone new. Come talk about books with your neighbors. Come see what happens when writers and readers from across the country meet here, in Little Rock.
The Six Bridges staff will save you a seat.
Learn more and find a full schedule of events at the Six Bridges Book Festival website.
