Wine expert Linda Murphy recounts tasting stories about vintners and pours wines from "unsuspecting places" to demonstrate strides made in U.S. winemaking. Limited seating. Admission is $15 (remaining tickets will be available at the door).
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
One book has been called "a runaway dream," another is "a novel-in-stories set in the United Arab Emirates" and the third is a novel made of "scores of stories" about an intriguing small town. Come hear about all three.
Saturday, April 20, 11:30 a.m.
Craving inspiration? Da Chen relays his humble story of becoming a memoirist and fiction writer after deviating from his law background. He will also play music and do calligraphy.
Friday, April 19, 12:00 p.m.
The Artmobile features Weird and Wonderful, a selection of unique works of original art from the Arkansas Arts Center collection. Come see drawings, paintings, and prints with memorable characters, strange stories, and unusual places.
Saturday, April 20, all day
Festival illustrator Dusty Higgins joins together with CALS staff members Ellinger Dobson, Madison Rhodes, and Jessi Nalley for this discussion with practical instruction.
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
Toast the Festival authors at this fête featuring hors d'oeuvres and libations. Tickets are $40 at the door.
Friday, April 19, 8:00 p.m.
Toni Morrison said, "A Sword Among Lions is more than brilliant; it is necessary…Six decades of Ida B. Wells's life constitute a riveting, definitive narrative on a dark and bruising history." Sponsored by the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.
Saturday, April 20, 5:30 p.m.
Tim Gallagher had a sighting of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker back in 2005. Now he shares his harrowing adventures in search of the enigmatic ghost bird known as the Imperial Woodpecker, last documented in 1956. Sponsored by Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center
Saturday, April 20, 10:00 a.m.
Two works of historical fiction and one fact based chronicle set the scene for this immersion into the war between the states.
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
With a cosplay (costume play) contest, a videogame tournament, a screening of the film Summer Wars, fan panels, a Zombie Survival activity, and more, this afternoon will delight teens.
Saturday, April 20, 11am - 6pm
Source some anime, manga, a video game, a film, or even a comic book, build or buy your costume, then make your appearance at this event. You'll have a blast and might just win a prize.
Saturday, April 20, 2:00 p.m.
Ron Wolfe, Hellraiser; Travis Langley, Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight; CALS employee Samuel Grubb; and moderator Randy Duncan, Icons of the American Comic Book: From Captain America to Wonder Woman; help the audience learn more about the art form.
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
Start with Padgett Powell, "one of the enduring stars of American fiction." Add clever Kevin Moffett, who pens heartbreak and humor. Top with Festival favorite Kevin Brockmeier, for a touch of the divine. Simply a feast for savvy readers.
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
Steamboat lovers and home cooks alike will revel in the memories and tastes that made the Delta Queen a national treasure, as Cynthia LeJeune Nobles shares history and recipes, with samples prepared by Chef Lee Richardson. Limited seating. Admission is $15 (remaining tickets will be available at the door).
Saturday, April 20. 1:00 p.m.
Grandmothers, mothers, and daughters pass tales through generations. These tales from Lela Davidson (Who Peed on My Yoga Mat?) and Courtney Miller Santo (The Roots of the Olive Tree) are told through novel and essay…some are warm, some evocative, some simply hilarious.
Saturday, April 20, 1:00 p.m.
If you know the smell of disguised Slitheen, what Krillitanes like to eat, and want to debate whether Eccleston, Tennant, or Smith make the best doctor, Laura Hodo, Marc Siegar, and the McMath Doctor Who Society have the panel for you.
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
Joseph Crespino discusses the various challenges he faced researching and writing this biography, and highlights the book's major themes. Sponsored by the Hendrix College Project Pericles Program.
Sunday, April 21, 1:30 p.m.
Former bartender/fortuneteller/paranormal society librarian Rosie Schaap slings a few cocktails and reads from her new memoir celebrating "the uniquely civilizing source of community that is bar culture at its best." Limited seating. Tickets are $15.
Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m.
This event is sold out.
The acclaimed author and founder of Día (Children's Day / Book Day) visits the new Children's Library & Learning Center and speaks about her acclaimed work. Sponsored by William J. Clinton Foundation.
Saturday, April 20, 1:00 p.m.
"Written in the wake of a bone marrow transplant, during a time when Wiman was convinced he was going to die, My Bright Abyss radiates with the intensity of a man attempting to confront his feelings and doubts while he still has time." Sponsored by Christ Episcopal Church.
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
Children may come as they are, or get fancy for their photos from the dress up box at this party with refreshments, crown making, decorating crafts, and a photo booth.
Saturday, April 20, 12:00 p.m.
Two ingenious and amusing Pulitzer Prize finalists delve into their recent critically-acclaimed works.
Sunday, April 21, 3:00 p.m.
Curious about Lebanon? Get set for a contemplation of what "home" means, and a meditation on identity, written by the quill of food and travel writer Salma Abdelnour. The book features many food scenes and a section of recipes is included.
Saturday, April 20, 11:30 a.m.
Beth Ayer and Jenni B. Baker, both of Found Poetry Review, will focus on their process, the journal, and the recently launched 2013 National Poetry Month initiative, Pulitzer Remix, which includes more than 80 poets producing more than 2,500 poems in April.
Saturday, April 20, 1:00 p.m.
The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy is a commercial blockbuster. It continues to sell like crazy and spank – whoops – spark new debate about erotica's place in modern literature. Lori Perkins, editor of Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey, and New York Times bestselling author Sylvia Day team up to explore erotica's place in today's literary culture. Prizes too! This one is not for the kids. Sponsored by Cupid's Lingerie
Friday, April 19, 6:30 p.m.
Carolyn Briggs' memoir, Higher Ground, traces her life from a teen-aged conversion to a fundamentalist faith through her rejection of that faith two decades later. Watch the feature film adaptation, also penned by Briggs, then hear how she adapted her book for the screen. Sponsored by the Little Rock Film Festival.
Saturday, April 20, 10:00 a.m.
Multi-dimensional artist Frank X Walker (Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers) will read from his latest collection of historical poetry. The reading is for mature audiences. Sponsored by the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.
Saturday, April 20, 1:00 p.m.
If you'd like to design a graphic novel, children's book, graphic memoir, or just appreciate those that do, you'll want to be present for these three terrific illustrators.
Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m.
Washington author Martha Silano joins forces with Arkansas poet Johnathon Williams to spin a winning hour filled with potent imagery. Sponsored by Pulaski Technical College..
Friday, April 19, 11:00 a.m.
Paul Menzer's "stylish and crackling noire mystery" will be read by writers and performers including Graham Gordy, Trenton Lee Stewart, Paige Reynolds, Mary Ruth Marotte, Jordy Neill, Geneva Galloway, and Matt Duncan. Sponsored by the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre.
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
The Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre presents this children's play drawn from Rudyard Kipling's best-known work, Just So Stories. The stories are fantastic accounts of how various phenomena came about, like "How the Camel Got His Hump" and "How the Leopard Got His Spots". Sponsored by the Little Rock Conventions and Visitors Bureau.
Saturday, April 20, 10:00 a.m.
Kids and parents alike will enjoy this 45 minute program of original, interactive children's music.
Saturday, April 20, 11:00 a.m.
If you long to wield your light saber more proficiently, or just want to watch duos battle, jet in for this hands on workshop with Joel Gordon from the Museum of Discovery.
Saturday, April 20, 1:00 p.m.
Sixty minutes with the writer of a memoir that was a finalist for the National Book Award, and the editor of a national literary magazine. One has a memoir set in gritty Brownsville, Texas, and the other is writing a book about our neighboring state's border towns.
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
"[Richard Ford's] Canada is a tale of what happens when we cross certain lines and can never go back. It is an examination of the redemptive power of articulated memory, and it is a masterwork by one of our finest writers working at the top of his form," according to the New York Times. Arrive early for this Pulitzer Prize winner.
Saturday, April 20, 1:00 p.m.
Kickstarter, app building, and even search engine optimization for writers will be covered in this zippy hour addressing new options and the business of being a writer.
Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m.
"Quietly subversive, beautifully written, persuasive, and profound, Oliver Burkeman's book will make you think—and smile." This is an "addictive, wise, and very funny book."
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
Award-winning humorist Lela Davidson shares the secret of how to inject everyday humor into your writing. She'll also cover idea generation, touch on the editing process, and address when something funny is best left unwritten.
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
If you hunger for "a comprehensive and entertaining history of one of America's most beloved foods consumed by more than seventy-five percent of the population," this session will be tasty.
Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m.
Well-known humorist Joe Queenan intends "to discuss obsessive reading, pure and simple. What happens when books take over your life. At age seven."
Saturday, April 20, 10:00 a.m.
This best-selling "debut of extraordinary distinction" tells the story, captured through twelve luminous narrative threads, of a mother's monumental courage and the journey of a nation. Sponsored by Arkansas Life.
Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m.
Get some fresh air as your kids build a natural bird feeder, watch a giant bubble demonstration, assemble a wind chime out of recycled materials, and more.
Saturday, April 20, 2:00 p.m.
"In One Crazy Summer Williams-Garcia presents a child's-eye view of the Black Panther movement within a powerful and affecting story of sisterhood and motherhood," according to the New York Times. Sponsored by the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.
Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m.
Drew Cameron's interactive demonstration will allow participants to see and understand the entire process of transforming uniforms into handmade paper. Sponsored by the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation.
Saturday, April 20, 1:00 p.m.
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Pitts…delivers an unsettling, compelling first novel about secrets, illness, and the role of African Americans men is society and family life," according to Publisher's Weekly.
Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m.
Two talented poets make their debut Festival appearance. Steve Kistulentz teaches in Mississippi and Christi Shannon Kline lives in New York, but is originally from Arkansas.
Saturday, April 20, 10:00 a.m.
Respected publishers Dorothy R. Leavell, Crusader Newspaper Group; Rosetta Miller-Perry, Tennessee Tribune; and Janis F. Kearney, Arkansas State Press, will reveal fascinating and little-known facts about female African American journalists working in the civil rights era.
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
George H.W. Bush said, "Kay Goss's biography is an insightful look into the life of a man I held in high regard…Mills served his country well and I learned a lot from him."
Saturday, April 20, 1:00 p.m.
Oscar nominated documentary short Poster Girl follows Robynn Murray, an all-American high school cheerleader who became the poster girl for women in combat, as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and redemption through art and poetry. Sponsored by the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation and the Little Rock Film Festival.
Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m.
Festival authors and additional local authors unite to read from their works. A limited number of open mic slots will be available beginning at 9:00 a.m., Friday, April 19. For a slot or more information, email David Koon. Sponsored by the Arkansas Times.
Saturday, April 20, 7:00 p.m.
What do Italian immigrants, yellow fever, and an Arkansas sharecropper's daughter have in common? Listen as this novel, factual account, and memoir are woven together to elicit just part of the region's historical tapestry.
Saturday, April 20, 10:00 a.m.
Heather Sutherlin, A Light in the Darkness, helps young adults organize ideas and provides steps to improve writing. Teens only, please!
Saturday, April 20, 10:00 a.m.
Journey with the good doctor, Jessica B. Harris, as she illuminates the role played by food in the history of African Americans.
Saturday, April 20, 11:30 a.m.
After almost losing her father to heart disease, Raquel Cepeda embarked on an archaeological dig of sorts. Come hear how she used the science of ancestral DNA testing to excavate everything she could about her genetic history.
Saturday, April 20, 10:00 a.m.
Buckle up for this discussion of Chuck Thompson's unabashedly controversial, unapologetic, opinionated, often uproarious, and always thought-provoking Better Off Without 'Em, a heavily researched, serious inquiry into America's traditional national divide. Sponsored by ProSmart Printing.
Saturday, April 20, 11:30 a.m.
Expand your child's horizons with Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre's presentation of the Bard's scenes performed with an Asian flair.
Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m.
Local wordslingers and winners of a city-wide poetry competition share their poems and pieces with an eager crowd. Sponsored by Power 92 Jams, the National Park Service, and the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center..
Thursday, April 18, 7:00 p.m.
Grab some pizza and watch Mamoru Hosada's soon to be classic, animated PG science fiction film, Summer Wars. According to IMDb, "A student tries to fix a problem he accidentally caused in OZ, a digital world, while pretending to be the fiancé of his friend in her grandmother's 90th birthday."
Saturday, April 20, 12:00 p.m.
Outfit your super tyke as a favorite superhero, or the character's mild mannered alter ego, and zap to this afternoon of crafts, cape building, and mask making activities.
Saturday, April 20, 1:00 p.m.
Could Superman sue if someone exposed his identity? Why does Batman wear a costume to fight crime? Go "behind the mask" to get answers to these questions in this animated panel featuring Travis Langley, author of Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight, and James Daily, author of The Law of Superheroes.
Saturday, April 20, 10:00 a.m.
Ben Katchor, the first cartoonist to receive a MacArthur Fellowship (that's the genius grant), shares his new collection of graphic narratives on the subjects of urban planning, product design, and architecture.
Saturday, April 20, 11:30 a.m.
Edmond Davis speaks candidly about trailblazers like Tuskegee instructor pilots Milton Pitts Crenchaw and Roscoe Draper.
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
Attend this session and learn about the time Hemingway spent in Arkansas, and explore a new collection of Portis's work.
Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m.
"…Eric Rutkow looks at our national experience through the lens of our magnificent trees, showing their extraordinary importance in shaping how we lived, thrived, and expanded as a people," according to Pulitzer Prize winner David M. Oshinsky.
Saturday, April 20, 11:30 a.m.
This selection of memoir, poetry, and additional readings comes from local veterans.
Sunday, April 21, 1:30 p.m.
Prove you are the best at Super Smash Bros. Brawl as you are pitted against other players. The best brawler takes the prize.
Saturday, April 20, 3:00 p.m.
Veterans Jan Barry and Drew Cameron, along with filmmaker Sara Nesson, whose film was nominated for an Oscar, describe the Warrior Writers Project, providing examples of the work generated.
Saturday, April 20, 10:00 a.m.
Internationally-renowned medical geneticist Harry Ostrer joins the century-old debate by exploring previous efforts to define a biological basis for Jewishness and the recent discoveries of his own Jewish HapMap Project team of investigators. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Arkansas.
Friday, April 19, 12:00 p.m.
Charles Todd writes "unnervingly beautiful historical novels," and has been a board member of Mystery Writers of America and national secretary, as well as president of one of the chapters…or has she/he? Meet the real Todd.
Saturday, April 20, 1:00 p.m.
Drawn to the supernatural and music-filled fiction? Yearn to spend time with firestarters or old ghosts? Dare to visit an Appalachian boarding school, and hear from a guitar named Cassie? These lyrical debuts will sing you a memorable, original duet.
Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m.
Carolyn Briggs, Higher Ground; Raquel Cepeda, Bling: A Planet Rock; and Sara Nesson, Poster Girl, come together for the first time to discuss their films, and some of the do's and don'ts of writing memoirs, documentaries, and original narratives.
Saturday, April 20, 1:00 p.m.
Finalists from CALS branch competitions compete for a grand prize in this jam-packed poetic and engaging hour.
Saturday, April 20, 3:30 p.m.
Get your undead on, as Jonathan Nichols provides makeup applications and dollop of gore, in preparation for Zombie Survival Activity (ZSA).
Saturday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.
Experience floors of terrifying fun as you collect survival goods and try to make your way to safety. But you're not alone! Zombie hordes are after you! Acquire supplies and get rescued without becoming another mindless eating machine.
Saturday, April 20, 5:00 p.m.