Jeffrey Condran, an associate professor of English at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been awarded the 2026 Porter Fund Literary Prize, a prestigious literary honor in Arkansas. This award recognizes an Arkansas writer whose body of work deserves wider acknowledgment.
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Condran, who has been teaching at UA Little Rock for over ten years, expressed his surprise and gratitude for receiving the honor. He noted that his nomination by author Kevin Brockmeier, a previous Porter Prize winner, made the recognition even more significant. Condran emphasized that this acknowledgment reflects not only his writing but also his commitment to fostering the literary community and supporting his students.
Brockmeier praised Condran’s exceptional fiction, highlighting that while it is deserving of broader recognition, it fits the criteria of the Porter Prize, aimed at talented writers who may not yet have achieved widespread fame.
In his role as a creative writing professor, Condran finds that teaching invigorates his own writing practice. He continuously adapts his curriculum, which keeps him engaged with new literary trends and ideas. Seeing his students flourish as writers is particularly rewarding for him; several have published their own work or pursued advanced degrees in writing. One notable former student, Jared Lemus, achieved the 2026 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for his debut collection, "Guatemalan Rhapsody," exemplifying the success Condran hopes to see from his students.
Since relocating from Pittsburgh in 2015, Condran has developed a deep connection to Arkansas. He remarked on how the move transformed his writing focus, igniting a desire to explore themes related to the South. Condran has actively participated in the Arkansas literary community, serving on the planning committee for the Six Bridges Book Festival, founding Braddock Avenue Books, and co-founding the Zeitgeist Reading Series.
His literary works include novels and short stories, with titles such as "Prague Summer" and collections like "A Fingerprint Repeated". He currently is writing a novel titled "Face to the Sun," which focuses on the final year of Franz Kafka’s life, and is developing a collection of ekphrastic flash fiction inspired by Arkansas art and culture.
The Porter Fund Literary Prize will be formally presented to Condran during “A Prized Evening,” an event celebrating both the Porter Fund and the Booker Worthen Literary Prize. This free public event will take place on October 2 at the Central Arkansas Library System Main Library in downtown Little Rock.