This fall, in a first-ever event, the Hot Springs Book Festival will gather authors near and far for two days of book talks, sellings, signings, and fairs at various venues.

Hosted by the Garland County Library with the Literacy Council of Garland County and National Park College Adult Education, the festival will feature authors David Hill, Corabel Shofner, Trenton Lee Stewart, and Nate Powell. There will also be a fair for local authors showcasing their pieces. Attendance for all events is free, but registration is required. Register for each event through the library's website at gclibrary.com.

The festival schedule is as follows:

• On Friday, September 17th, at The Legendary Vapors, Hill will talk about his recently published book The Vapors: A Southern Family, the New York Mob, and the Rise and Fall of Hot Springs, America's Forgotten Capital of Vice. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:15 p.m.

In conversation with author Jeff Martin for Tulsa’s Magic City Books and Booksmart Tulsa. This event is Central Time. More info and registration at this link.

In conversation with Arkansas-native actor and director Clark Duke for Book Soup in Los Angeles. This event is Pacific Standard Time. Streamed on Crowdcast and you can register at this link.

Six Bridges Book Festival presents author and native Arkansan David Hill in a virtual program about his debut book, The Vapors: A Southern Family, the New York Mob, and the Rise and Fall of Hot Springs, America’s Forgotten Capital of Vice.

This event will be presented via Zoom. Registration is required.

Atlanta, GA
In Conversation with Virginia Prescott of Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Start time is in Eastern Time.

Live via Zoom: 

Thursday, July 16, 7:30 PM 

Squawkin’ Sports 

Hosted by Patrick Sauer and David J. Roth 

Featuring David Hill, author of The Vapors: A Southern Family, the New York Mob, and the Rise and Fall of Hot Springs, America's Forgotten Capital of Vice 

Created and hosted by writers Patrick Sauer and David J. Roth, Squawkin’ Sports is a new series featuring book chats with grown-up authors writing about grown-ups playing kiddie games. For this installment, Sauer and Roth chat with David Hill on his debut book, The Vapors, the incredible true story of America's original—and forgotten—capital of vice. Back in the days before Vegas was big, when the Mob was at its peak and neon lights were but a glimmer on the horizon, a little Southern town—Hot Springs, Arkansas—styled itself as a premier destination for the American leisure class. In this riveting work of forgotten history, Arkansas native Hill plots the trajectory of everything from organized crime to America’s fraught racial past. Infused with the sights and sounds of America’s entertainment heyday—jazz orchestras and auctioneers, slot machines and suited comedians—The Vapors is an arresting glimpse into a bygone era of American vice. 

https://www.davidhillonline.com/ 

Link to register for the event: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SokaDWtQSoSmohcPIt3P3A 

Use coupon code VAPORS to take 15% off your purchase of The Vapors before July 23! 

Oxford, MS

Join David Hill as he talks with The Oxford American’s Jay Jennings about The Vapors. (This event is in CDT)

Tickets at https://www.squarebooks.com/event/david-hill-vapors-zoom

Virtual Book Talk featuring author David Hill.

[This event is at 6pm CDT] Hot Springs native David Hill will discuss his upcoming book The Vapors (releases July 7th). The book’s complete title is The Vapors: A Southern Family, the New York Mob, and the Rise and Fall of Hot Springs, Arkansas, America’s Forgotten Capital of Vice, which covers a fascinating chapter of local history. This digital event will be hosted via Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/garlandcountylibrary.

This presentation by Mr. Hill will be about the content of his book, and his experiences researching it. The publisher’s description for the book teases about “the days before Vegas was big, when the Mob was at its peak and neon lights were but a glimmer on the horizon,” referring to Hot Springs as “a little Southern town” that “styled itself as a premier destination for the American leisure class.” The Vapors has received acclaim and buzz from numerous media outlets. The New York Times Book Review lists it as a 2020 summer reading pick, while Thrillist calls it “a deeply researched work... full of organized crime, cons, bootleggers, and all kinds of other seedy characters you hope for in a colorful history book."

The link to watch the livestream will become available as a post shortly before 6pm on July 8th. Viewers can interact by typing in questions while they are watching, which Mr. Hill may answer at the end of his presentation, time permitting.

David Hill is providing five gratis copies of his book to the Garland County Library, which will be raffled away at random to five people who comment or ask a question during the livestream. For those that want to own their own copy and are not among the five lucky winners, David Hill's publicist encourages buyers to order online from WordsWorth Books in Little Rock, https://www.wordsworthbookstore.com/book/9781250086112.

Finally, the Garland County Library will have additional copies of the book in circulation to be checked out. Reserve a copy at https://bit.ly/3f4VuLq.

David Hill with Sean Fennessey: The Vapors

Thursday July 07 07:00PM-08:00PM EST

To participate in this event please REGISTER HERE.

To support the author and The Strand, purchase a copy of The Vapors HERE.

Already have a copy of the book? You can continue to support our programming by purchasing a Strand gift card HERE.

Join author David Hill for a discussion of his book The Vapors. David will be in conversation with Head of Content for The Ringer Sean Fennessey. The event will take place on Zoom and be live-streamed on The Strand's Facebook Page.