Welcome Letter
Hello and Welcome to the 14th FACE Florence Festival of Books!
We’re thrilled to again create that ephemeral, transcendent, and glorious phenomenon known as a live book festival. The 2025 edition features authors from past years, several “by-popular-demand” returners, local favorites, and many exciting authors and business people making their first foray into the Exhibition Hall.
Speaking of the Hall -- there’s nothing quite like walking into a room lined with tables … knowing that real books with their live authors await your kind attention! A bit like the Japanese term Shin-rin yoku meaning “forest bathing,” except the experience is hon yoku, “hon” = book.
Did someone say, WORKSHOPS? Yes. And we heard your requests at FFoB24: "My manuscript is DONE ... now how do I get it published?"
We'll help you stick the metaphorical fork in it and move your book along the process with THREE workshops outlining publishing options available in Oregon, and a fourth option for getting started recording your words for e-book or podcasting. Plus -- a drop in audio poetry recording session, because you never know when the poetic muse may strike.
The very responsive Western Lane Community Foundation provided FACE with another generous grant. We're using it to keep our entry fees de minimis to encourage attendance, and to provide stipends for our speakers and workshop leaders.
The entrance fees are incredibly reasonable: $5 per person for All Access -- Exhibition Hall, speakers and workshops. For the Exhibition Hall only: $3. And students 18 + under are free.
Pay at the door -- no advance tickets necessary -- and get a hand stamp for entrance and egress to the workshops/ speakers. The capacity for the speaker workshop room is 100+.
On September 27th, we know your level of hon yoku will be exceptional. We can’t control your level of tsundoku -- Japanese for “the act of acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up -- intending to read them later.” (Yes, we know who we are.) Whatever the case, our FACE Team fully guarantees you will find a cure for “abibliophobia”: the fear of not having anything to read.
See you at the Festival!
The Florence Arts, Culture & Entertainment Festival of Books Team