ARS Returns with New Name: Hourglass Reading Series

When Liz and I founded the Argenta Reading Series in January 2017, we only had a vague idea of how it would go. My friend Nicholas Mainieri was touring with his novel The Infinite, and he added a stop in Central Arkansas for us – that’s why we started ARS in the first place.

Seventy-two people showed up to that inaugural event. Far more than we expected for a literary reading. I can still see Nick standing at the front of the packed room, everyone locked in on the pages he read from.

We’d all been to readings before, but this felt like more than a reading. There was a kind of shared risk in simply being present that night, and a reward that felt rare.

So we did it again the next month. And the month after that. Before long, ARS became a consistent stop for touring writers, many of whom told us, “This is the best reading I’ve ever had.”

Then COVID happened.

When everyone moved everything online, I just couldn’t do it with ARS. Because the magic of what we had created wasn’t just the words – it was the collective intimacy we all felt in the room. You can’t duplicate that online.

We relaunched briefly in 2023, but life had shifted. Liz and I had welcomed our second child, and we didn’t have the time to give the series what it deserved. We’re optimistic that we might now, though.

We’re ready to try again, but with a couple of changes.

Argenta remains one of my favorite neighborhoods in the metro, but I don’t want to be tied to a single place. Over the past few years, I’ve come across so many incredible spaces in Little Rock and North Little Rock that I had never seen before, even though they’ve been there for decades. Rooms with character. Rooms that made me think, we should have a reading here.

Now we will.

Each event will take place in a different venue – ideally one that complements or deepens the experience of the featured writer’s work. The space helps shape the energy of the room. It invites a certain kind of attention.

Our first event is a good example.

We’ll feature Edward McPherson, author of Look Out: The Delight and Danger of Taking the Long View, a book that explores our human desire for perspective – from early mapping and aerial photography to modern surveillance – and the tension between seeing from a distance and staying grounded in on-the-ground experience.

What better place to hear from Edward than the newly minted Skyline Event Venue, perched on the 30th floor of the Regions Building, overlooking downtown Little Rock?

With that shift, the name Argenta Reading Series no longer fits. After a lot of thought, we’ve decided to relaunch as the Hourglass Reading Series.

The format will feel familiar to ARS regulars. I’ll still open the evening with a piece of new writing, followed by a second opening reader, then a featured writer, and a Q&A to close things out. The goal remains the same: to create an intimate, shared experience between writers and the people who come to listen.

We’re not sure how often we’ll meet, but four times a year feels like a good starting goal that will allow us to remain intentional about each gathering. And like before, events will remain free. Accessibility matters. Always has.

We’re grateful to have our friends at Paper Hearts Bookstore joining us to sell books at our first event. We’ll have refreshments as well – likely beer and wine – and a chance to linger a bit before and after the reading.

We are currently looking for sponsors, and there are plenty of ways to support – from helping cover hospitality for visiting writers to contributing to the overall experience. If you or your organization might be interested in any kind of way, I’d love to talk about what that might look like.

But the most important support you can offer is simple: show up.

Join us May 16 and be part of bringing something meaningful back into the room.

Guy Choate