Save the Dates: November 1-8, Poetry and Book Fair.
The Hot Springs Poetry Festival (HSPF) will present the inaugural Spa City Book Fair on Sunday, November 8, from 11 AM–5 PM, at The Club House Hot Springs. The book fair will bring poets, publishers, booksellers, presses, and performers together for an afternoon celebrating literary arts.
Following the book fair, HSPF will present Big Gay Poetry, a two-hour celebration of Arkansas-based LGBTQ+ poets and performers. The evening will conclude with a screening of Come See Me in the Good Light, featuring the late poet and performer Andrea Gibson, followed by a conversation about queer safe spaces with Viktoria Capek of Dropping Hairpins and Kai Coggin.
The Spa City Book Fair will serve as the concluding event of the 2026 Hot Springs Poetry Festival. The festival, Nov. 1-8, will open on Bud Kenny Day, Nov. 1, with a festival kickoff and zine release party at Kollective Coffee + Tea from 5–9 PM. The week will continue with poetry readings, workshops, performances, and community events at venues throughout Hot Springs.
The festival will feature the Poetry Playground at the Garland County Library, an all-ages experience offering hands-on activities, makerspace projects, booths, and opportunities to experiment with language and play with words.
HSPF will present the Spa City Poetry Slam, Nov. 7, at The Club House in partnership with Lemon Pepper Poetry Slam. Doors open at 6 PM; the slam begins at 7 PM. For more information about upcoming events or opportunities to participate in the Spa City Book Fair, contact bookfair@hspf.org.
