Central Arkansas Library System's Six Bridges Book Festival

By Kelli Marks – Content Creator/Writer, Central Arkansas Library System

The end of October (21-31) brings together more than 70 notable and up-and-coming authors in one [virtual] space with the Central Arkansas Library System’s Six Bridges Book Festival. Authors from across the world and locally will be discussing their books with topics that range from food and fiction to history and religion. Award-winning authors Mary Roach (Fuzz), Helen Oyeyemi (In Peaces), Sandra Cisneros (Martita, I Remember You), Adrian Miller (Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue), Jacqueline Woodson (Red at the Bone), and Ross King (The Bookseller of Florence) will all be presenting. Check in on local authors, including Kevin Brockmeier, David Montague, Nate Powell, Kenneth Barnes, Kelly Houston Jones, Guy Lancaster, and Christopher Keller.

Learn about complex topics like how our bodies expend energy (Burn by Herman Pontzer) and public health, where Dr. Leana Wen discusses gun violence as a contagious disease (Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health).

Keep things light with fiction with Dear Miss Metropolitan by Carolyn Ferrell and Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler during their joint session; dive into the humorous yet spiritually rigorous session The Dharma of “The Princess Bride” with Ethan Nichtern; or join Ayana Gray to discuss her much-anticipated book Beasts of Prey. For non-fiction fans, join Karla Cornejo Villavicencio with her book, The Undocumented Americans, a raw and deep look at immigration.

On Saturday, October 23, starting at 9 a.m., the Junior League of Little Rock joins the Fest to present Little Readers Rock. Start the day with Cardio Drum Wake Up and enjoy family friendly sessions featuring Crystal C. Mercer (From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair), Sharon G. Flake (The Skin I’m In), and Vashti Harrison (Hello, Star) plus sessions on cooking, planting, and more. Find the full schedule of events at sixbridgesbookfestival.org.

What’s your library story? Share yours by writing kdmarks@cals.org, or by tagging #TheLibraryRewritten on social media.