Author Eli Cranor receives 2026 Booker Worthen Literary Prize

The CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies has awarded the 2026 Booker Worthen Literary Prize to Eli Cranor. This annual prize was given to Cranor for his 2025 novel Mississippi Blue 42. Set in an era when it was still against the rules to pay college football players, Cranor’s series debut stars a rookie FBI agent who finds herself caught in the tangled web of a college football empire—and the bloody greed that fuels it. Along with a good plot and memorable characters, Cranor offers just enough insider football tidbits to intrigue fans while not turning off other readers.

Cranor was born in Forrest City, Arkansas, but spent his formative years in Russellville, where he was the star high school quarterback. He attended Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, where he was the starting quarterback for the Tigers. After graduation, he played for the Carlstad Crusaders, a professional team in Sweden, and then coached high school football in Arkansas for five years. He now serves as writer in residence at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. His previous books include Don’t Know Tough, Ozark Dogs, and Broiler. His work has been nominated for nearly every major award in the crime fiction genre, including the prestigious Mark Twain Voice in American Literature Award and the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. Cranor’s weekly column “Where I’m Writing From” appears in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The Booker Worthen Literary Prize was established by the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) in 1999 in memory of William Booker Worthen, a longtime supporter of the public library and a 22-year member of CALS Board of Trustees. The prize, which carries a $2,000 monetary award, is presented annually for the best work, fiction or non-fiction, by an author living in Arkansas and falling within the three-year eligibility period following publication.

The award will be presented during the CALS Six Bridges Book Festival, held Sept. 27–Oct. 4. Named for the six bridges that connect the downtowns of Little Rock and North Little Rock, the Festival bridges communities and brings people together.

The event celebrates reading, literacy, stories, and wordsmithing, showcasing authors representing different countries, regions, genres, and topics. Festivalgoers can explore Arkansas-based talent and experience writing workshops, cooking demonstrations, and even award-winning comedy. Authors also venture into the community for programs such as Writers in the Schools (WITS), bringing the joy of writing to hundreds of students across central Arkansas.

The twenty-third annual Festival will feature nearly 60 writers, including Alex George, Ariel Lawhon, Ayana Gray, Charly Palmer, TL Simpson, and SA Cosby, among others. Details are available at sixbridgesbookfestival.org.

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CALS Catalog: Eli Cranor