Week-long Schedule at a Glance
Week of Saturday, November 1, 2025 to Saturday, November 8, 2025
Saturday · November 1, 2025
Festival Launch Party
Kick off the festival with an exciting launch party featuring music, readings, and community celebration.
Poets’ Night Out
A vibrant blend of social mixer, meet and greet, and after party,
Sunday · November 2, 2025
People’s Poetry Fair
A showcase of local organizations, poets, and initiatives aimed at making poetry accessible to all, featuring educational resources, free books, and activities for the community.
Poetry Playground
A creative space to engage with poetry through games and interactive booths.
Sunday Night Live
A free-for-all where performers come together to share their talents in an open and inviting atmosphere.
Monday · November 3, 2025
Fiction Writer’s Cafe
This program is equal parts learning fiction writing techniques, writing and sharing, and just hanging out with friends.
Downtown Poetry Crawl
Adventurers explore downtown, visiting various businesses and restaurants to discover scattered poems and solve riddles to win prizes,
Tuesday · November 4, 2025
Yoga Poetics
A blend of yoga and poetry to inspire creativity and relaxation.
Writing Workshop
A hands-on workshop focusing on enhancing writing skills and exploring new techniques.
Wednesday · November 5, 2025
Wednesday Night Poetry
Wednesday Night Poetry is the longest running consecutive weekly open mic series in the country, never missing a single week since February 1, 1989.
Thursday · November 6, 2025
Writing Workshop
A hands-on workshop focusing on enhancing writing skills and exploring new techniques.
Friday · November 7, 2025
Gallery Walk
Held the first Friday of every month since 1989, Gallery Walk features the opening of new art exhibitions in downtown galleries.
29th Annual Southern Haiku Conference
Conference programming continues through Nov 8.
Saturday · November 8, 2025
Online Workshop with Worker Writers School (NYC)
This special workshop invites local writers to engage with the rich literary traditions of low-wage workers.
Workshops at Emergent Arts
A hands-on workshop focusing on enhancing writing skills and exploring new techniques.
Spa City Slam x Lemon Pepper Poetry Slam
A poetry slam featuring talented poets competing for the title of Hot Springs Poetry Festival’s Slam Champion.
29th Annual Southern Haiku Conference
Continuation of the conference.
Mini Calendar — November 2025
Lineup: Readings & Shows
- Festival Launch Party — readings & music
- Sunday Night Live — open showcase
- Wednesday Night Poetry — historic open mic
- Spa City Slam × Lemon Pepper Poetry Slam
Lineup: Workshops
- Writing Workshops — multiple sessions
- Online Workshop with Worker Writers School (NYC)
- Workshops at Emergent Arts
- Yoga Poetics — creativity + relaxation
Lineup: Community & Experiences
- People’s Poetry Fair
- Poetry Playground
- Downtown Poetry Crawl
- Gallery Walk
- 29th Annual Southern Haiku Conference