The Hot Springs Poetry Festival will take place from November 1-8 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, featuring a variety of workshops, readings, and literary events. The festival, which drew over 300 participants in its previous iteration in 2025, aims to make poetry accessible to diverse audiences while creating paid opportunities for Arkansas poets and fostering collaborations.
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The event begins on Bud Kenny Day, Sunday, November 1, honoring the late Hot Springs native who passed away on October 2, 2019. Kenny was a pivotal figure in the community, known for establishing the longest-running weekly open mic series in the country, known as Wednesday Night Poetry. The opening day will pay tribute to his contributions to literacy and poetry.
On November 1, the Garland County Library will host a Poetry Playground from 1-5 p.m., featuring interactive activities suitable for all ages, including collage making, blackout poetry, haiku, zine-making, and magnetic poetry. Additionally, in the afternoon, Sandy Longhorn and Annika Warrick will conduct writing workshops at the library. The kickoff and zine release party will take place later that evening at Kollective Coffee from 6-9 p.m.
Throughout the week, there will be online writing workshops and an online open mic, in addition to the regular Wednesday Night Poetry event at Kollective Coffee + Tea on November 4. On Friday, November 6, during the Gallery Walk, an all-vinyl DJ set titled "Jazzoetry!" celebrating the connection between jazz and poetry will be hosted by Static on Ouachita.
On Saturday, November 7, Club House Hot Springs will host a full day of programming, including workshops on publishing, zine-making, and somatic poetry. Pulitzer Prize finalist James McWilliams will speak on the life and work of Arkansas poet Frank Stanford from 2-3 p.m., followed by two workshops and a featured reading of Ellie Black's new collection, "Revelator," scheduled for 6-7 p.m. The evening will conclude with the Spa City Poetry Slam, featuring Little Rock's Lemon Pepper Poetry Slam and over $1,000 in prizes.
The festival will wrap up on Sunday, November 8, with the Spa City Book Fair, running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Club House Hot Springs. Attendees can look forward to meetings with local authors, book signings, readings, and literary organizations from across Arkansas. Later, from 5-7 p.m., the "Big Gay Poetry" event will celebrate LGBTQ+ poets and the legacy of Sibling Rivalry Press. The festival will close with a documentary screening of "Come See Me in the Good Light" by poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley from 7-9 p.m.
Supported by Emergent Arts, Kollective Coffee + Tea, Club House Hot Springs, Sibling Rivalry Press, and the Community Literacies Collaboratory, this year’s festival is organized by the Garland County Library.