Bumpers College Ag Communications Graduate Releases Book Promoting Agriculture

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Meeting clients through her photography business inspired agricultural communications graduate Brittany Coffee Parker to write the book Tales & Traditions.

A University of Arkansas agricultural communications graduate has self-published a book showcasing agricultural production and the traditions behind it.

Brittany Coffee Parker is the entrepreneur of Brittany Coffee Photography, a rural photography business serving Northwest Arkansas and nearby Oklahoma and Missouri, and now she's an author. Parker established her business at her home in Gentry.

She earned her associate's degree from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College before transferring to the U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences where she earned her bachelor's degree in agricultural communications in 2016. Studying agricultural communications enabled Parker to apply class experiences and lessons directly to her business, such as branding, marketing and advertising.

Parker was inspired to write her book, Tales & Traditions, after meeting clients through her photography business.

"Most of my clients and social media followers are rurally based and come from agriculture backgrounds, but I wanted to reach my followers that don't know about agriculture and hopefully teach them about where their food comes from and the people who produce it," said Parker.

Another motivation for the book is to inform consumers that the producer is a family man or woman, producing food as their livelihood. Some families have been producing agricultural products for generations. Parker wants to show readers that producers care for their end product as much as consumers because they consume the same food they produce.

Parker said she wanted to utilize her college education in ways other than just her photography business. With Tales & Traditions, she is able to preserve history and tell stories about the agriculture industry.

"This project has truly been a labor of love, a passion project," said Parker. "It started from an idea I had last winter to something tangible that I can hold in my hands right now. The outpouring of support and love I received from day one is incredible and so humbling. The families I featured in the book gave me their time and the stories, two very valuable things."

Some families featured knew Parker well, some barely knew her and some did not know her at all, but now each featured family holds a special place in Parker's heart. Each featured family included a piece of its heart in the book, said Parker.

"This book got me outside of my comfort zone and is a dream come true," said Parker. "It has introduced me to so many new people and opened a lot of doors for me. For BC Photography, this book has brought me a whole new social media following as well as an entirely new level of support and respect. Tales & Traditions is a true testament to anything is possible if you set your mind to it."

Parker credits family and friends for encouragement through completion of the project. Known as "Brittany Coffee" at the beginning, Parker's boyfriend became her fiancé halfway through and is now her husband. He is featured in a unique story in the book.

Parker said she never dreamed of writing a book, but is forever impacted because of Tales & Traditions. Go to brittanycoffeephotography.com for more information.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.