Arkansas literature has an emerging consciousness, though it still lags behind other Southern states such as

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and Georgia in the promotion of its literary culture. University of Arkansas Press is probably the state's largest publisher of books, though there do exist some notable small presses in the state:

August House August House is an independent children's book publisher established in 1978 and currently headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. August House principally focuses on publishing children's folktales, picture books, early-grade chapter books, and stor ...

, Rose Publishing Group, and Chenault and Gray. The

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

's M.F.A. program has graduated a number of notable writers, including

Lewis Nordan Lewis Nordan (August 23, 1939 – April 13, 2012) was an American writer. Nordan was born to Lemuel and Sara Bayles in Forest, Mississippi and grew up in Itta Bena, Mississippi. He received his B.A. at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississ ...

, John Dufresne, Steve Yarbrough, and more. In 2004, the state held the first annual Arkansas Literary Festival in

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

, attracting famous writers from around the nation. The

Porter Prize The Porter Prize, established in 1984 by the non-profit organization known as the Porter Fund Literary Prize, is awarded annually to a writer who has created a substantial body of work and has a significant connection with Arkansas. The $5000 prize ...

is the state's most prestigious literary award.

List of Arkansas residents and natives who have achieved a national stature for their writing

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

, whose ''

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ''I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'' is a 1969 autobiography describing the young and early years of American writer and poet Maya Angelou. The first in a seven-volume series, it is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of char ...

'' tells the story of her young life in Stamps, Arkansas. * Dee Brown, author of '' Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee''. * John Gould Fletcher, 1938 winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. *

Ellen Gilchrist Ellen Gilchrist (born February 20, 1935) is an American novelist, short story writer, and poet. She won a National Book Award for her 1984 collection of short stories, ''Victory Over Japan''. Life Gilchrist was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, a ...

, winner of the 1984

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

for her collection of short stories ''

Victory over Japan Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on ...

'', and author of more than twenty works of fiction. * John Grisham, national and international best-selling author, from Black Oak, Arkansas (born in Jonesboro). Many of his books have been turned into movies, including '' A Painted House'', which is set in Black Oak. * Donald Harington, winner of the

Robert Penn Warren Award The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

for his many novels which take place in the fictional town of Stay More, Arkansas. *

Charles Portis Charles McColl Portis (December 28, 1933 – February 17, 2020) was an American author best known for his novels '' Norwood'' (1966) and the classic Western ''True Grit'' (1968), both adapted as films. The latter also inspired a film sequel and ...

, author of ''

True Grit True Grit may refer to: Fiction * ''True Grit'' (novel), a 1968 novel by Charles Portis ** ''True Grit'' (1969 film), a film adaptation by Henry Hathaway, starring John Wayne ** ''True Grit'' (2010 film), a film adaptation by the Coen Brothers, ...

'', which was made into a movie starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

. *

Mary Bucci Bush Mary Bucci Bush (born 1949) is an American author and a professor of English and creative writing at California State University, Los Angeles. Bush won a PEN/Nelson Algren award for her collection of short stories, ''A Place of Light'', in 1987; ...

, author of ''

Sweet Hope ''Sweet Hope'' (2011), an award-winning historical novel by Mary Bucci Bush, tells the story of Italian immigrants living in peonage on a Mississippi Delta cotton plantation in the early 1900s. It was inspired by the experiences of Bush's gra ...

''.

Literary journals in Arkansas

Toad Suck Review Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientif ...

, a print literary journal published by the Department of Writing at the University of Central Arkansas, toadsuckreview.org. * Arkansas Literary Forum, an online publication of Henderson State University, which has published such notable Arkansas Writers as Jack Butler and Donald Harington. * Arkansas Review: A Journal of Delta Studies, a tri-annual journal published by

Arkansas State University Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...

; it is the successor to the Kansas Quarterly. * The Low Valley Review, a yearly print journal published by NorthWest Arkansas Community College, thelowvalleyreview.com
The Oxford American
a quarterly journal of Southern culture once supported by John Grisham and now published by the

University of Central Arkansas The University of Central Arkansas (Central Arkansas or UCA) is a public university in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1907 as the Arkansas State Normal School, the university is one of the oldest in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As the state's only n ...

in Conway.
The Natural Tale
a quarterly online journal of Arkansas-exclusive fiction and art.

Bibliography

* *

External links

* American literature by state

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

{{Arkansas-stub

List of Arkansas residents and natives who have achieved a national stature for their writing

Literary journals in Arkansas

See also

Bibliography

External links