The Community Literacies Collaboratory, the flagship program of the Brown Chair in English Literacy, recently sponsored the highly successful 2024 Six Bridges Book Festival, which ran from Sept. 22-29. Named for the six bridges that connect the downtowns of Little Rock and North Little Rock, the festival, which is free and open to the public, brought together more than 5,600 attendees in person and online to celebrate reading, literacy, and storytelling.

This year's festival showcased three Pulitzer Prize winners: Toluse Olorunnipa (Sept. 23), Isabel Wilkerson (Sept. 25) and Ilyon Woo (Sept. 28). Other featured presenters included a shark scientist, distinguished history professors, talented cookbook authors, a National Book Award-winning graphic novelist and many more. Attendees could explore a variety of topics — from fascinating stories about Willie Nelson and tips on becoming a better friend to fantasy worlds and mastering the art of making Praise-song biscuits in a session with Crystal Wilkinson, author of Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Country Cooks. The diverse roster included author talks on education reform, deep dives into historical figures, romance panels and conversations with suspense novelists.

One of the festival's featured events was the session with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ilyon Woo, moderated by Eric Darnell Pritchard, the Brown Chair in English Literacy and associate professor in English at the U of A and founding director of the Community Literacies Collaboratory. Woo's biography, Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom, tells the story of Ellen and William Craft's self-emancipation from enslavement in 1848. 

"It was an honor and privilege for the Brown Chair and CLC to sponsor the festival. The impact the festival had on championing the literacy lives of Arkansans will be felt long after the festival's conclusion," Pritchard said. "It was also wonderful that the Brown Chair and CLC could be the presenting sponsor of Ilyon Woo's talk. Woo's book is one of the best books of biography I have ever read, and one of the great books of the year, as has been noted by numerous publications," Pritchard continued.

In addition to featuring more than 50 authors and hosting 35 free public programs, the festival brought the joy of writing to hundreds of students through Writers in the Schools (WITS) visits. The festival gave away over 600 books to students during these visits. It raised over $135,000 to continue the festival and future programming presented by the Central Arkansas Library System and affiliate organizations. A sold-out fundraising event featuring a conversation between bestselling authors and collaborators Ann Patchett and Robin Preis Glasser about their new children's picture book, friendship and creative partnership, helped to ensure continued support for literacy initiatives in the community.

The Six Bridges Book Festival prides itself on offering an inclusive and wide-ranging selection of programs, appealing to a broad audience with events ranging from cooking demonstrations to award-winning comedy. Past presenters have included literary icons such as Jacqueline Woodson and Congressman John Lewis, alongside acclaimed local authors such as Kevin Brockmeier and Trenton Lee Stewart.

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About the Brown Chair in English Literacy and the Community Literacies Collaboratory: The Brown Chair in English Literacy at the University of Arkansas, supported generously by the Brown Foundation and the Walton Family Gift, and the Brown Chair's support for a new center, the Community Literacies Collaboratory, facilitates research, programming, and educational and policy initiatives supporting literacy learning and development through partnerships like the Six Bridges Book Festival, the CLC continues to promote education, literacy, and cultural engagement in Arkansas and beyond. Read more about the Brown Chair in English Literacy. Read more about the Commuunity Literacies Collaboratory, its programming, and Advisory Board.