Author to Discuss 'The Improbable Life of the Arkansas Democrat'

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Jerry McConnell will discuss his book The Improbable Life of the Arkansas Democrat at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, in the Fayetteville Public Library as part of the Library’s Annual True Lit Festival. The free public event is also part of the library’s ongoing University of Arkansas Press Spotlight series.

The Improbable Life of the Arkansas Democrat, published by the UA Press, is based on more than one hundred interviews with employees of the Democrat, including editors, reporters, feature writers, cartoonists, circulation managers, business managers, salespeople, typesetters and others, from the 1930s through the early 1990s, when the Democrat took over the previously more prominent Arkansas Gazette after an aggressive newspaper war.

The book provides vivid details about what it was like to work at the Democrat. August Engel, who led the paper with focused devotion for 42 years, was famous for his thrift, creating austere conditions that included no air conditioning in the newsroom and sub-par wages. In spite of these drawbacks, the paper was still home to many dedicated journalism professionals endeavoring to do good work.

Readers who remember the ultimate acrimony between the two papers may be surprised to learn that for many years the Democrat and the Gazette owners operated under a tacit agreement of civility. The papers didn’t raid each other’s staff, for example, and when a fire broke out in the Gazette pressroom, Democrat management offered to loan the use of its press. Staffers recall that when the Gazette struggled with an advertising boycott and reduced circulation during the Little Rock Central High crisis because of its perceived progressive editorial stance, the Democrat did less than it might have to capitalize. The eventual newspaper war between the two rivals saw the end of any semblance of civility when the Democrat hired the aggressive managing editor John Robert Starr.

Through the firsthand stories, The Improbable Life of the Arkansas Democrat tells how the second-place paper overtook the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi, forever changing not only Arkansas journalism but also Arkansas history.

Tom Dillard, writing for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, said of the book, “For most of its history, the Arkansas Democrat newspaper was taken for granted, existing in the deep shadows of the famed Arkansas Gazette. It was so easy to stereotype the Democrat as a second-rate newspaper, and in fact it did leave a lot to be desired. However, the story of Arkansas’ second newspaper is far more complicated than often assumed. Thanks to the work of veteran newspaperman Jerry McConnell, we now have an interesting and balanced look at the newspaper that won the great Arkansas newspaper war.”

Jerry McConnell, now retired, was a reporter and managing editor at the Arkansas Democrat, a sports writer at the Arkansas Gazette, and a sports editor at the Daily Oklahoman.

Also at the library as part of the Arkansas Press Spotlight series, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, author Leonard Schwartz will discuss his book The New Babel: Toward a Poetics of the Mid-East Crises.

The Fayetteville Public Library is located at 401 W. Mountain St.

About the University of Arkansas Press: The University of Arkansas Press was founded in 1980 as the book publishing division of the University of Arkansas. A member of the Association of American University Presses, it has as its central and continuing mission the publication of books that serve both the broader academic community and Arkansas and the region.

The Fayetteville Public Library True Lit Festival, in its fourth year, will offer a variety of events, including author talks, writing workshops, and more, October 17-27. For more information visit www.truelitfest.com.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.