Central Oregon Coast's Florence Festival of Books Expands Roster This September

Published 8/03/24 at 4:25 p.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt,Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Florence, Oregon) – The early days of fall on the Oregon coast are often a heady time of unusually pleasant weather and at one point nearly-empty beaches. As always, one of the area's most anticipated events is the Florence Festival of Books, and this 2024 installment on September 28 is going to be an expanded one. Once again, casual and avid readers, authors, publishers, editors and all manner of bibliophile fill the Florence Events Center on the last Saturday of the month.

Since its first edition in 2011, the Florence Festival of Books has drawn nationally renowned authors, publishers, and seminar speakers for an event attended by as many as 500 people from throughout the Pacific Northwest. One of the highlights is a visit from Ken Babbs, one of the original Merry Pranksters.

The event takes place in the nearly 8000 sq. ft. of the exhibit hall at the Florence Events Center, 715 Quince Street. There is plenty of free parking on site.

Produced by the all-volunteer Florence Arts, Culture & Entertainment (FACE) nonprofit, this Festival has a proud heritage of gathering the best of Lane County’s (and beyond) book-centric people to an in-person event.

In this larger version for 2024, the Florence Festival of Books will be a literary celebration. This year, organizers have actively recruited new exhibitors, planned kids’ activities, and expanded the number of workshops - a very popular addition from 2023. The central Oregon coast town will be a bustling hive of creativity.

For a mere $2, you unlock the gateway to inspiration: the exhibits. Stroll through these little avenues of imagination, where authors' voices ring out and book covers beckon.

Keynote Address and Exhibits (Cost: $5): Attend the keynote address and then meander through the exhibits, each of the booths a trove of tales from regional voices.

Florence Events Center

There's also the All-Access Pass ($10). For $10, you gain entry to it all: the exhibit hall, the workshops, and the keynote address. Students under 18 enter free, and workshop attendees receive wristbands.

New this year is a dedicated table for kids, hosted by Kassy Keppol - a respected teacher, artist, and local arts community leader. From 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Kassy will offer captivating free activities featuring her popular Dragon Art creations.

“FACE is planning a true festival experience for this event, similar to our annual Winter Music Festival format,” said FACE president Rachel Pearson. “This gives us multiple ways to enliven and elevate the event for our attendees and participating authors, publishers, and other exhibitors.”

Other upgrades involve increasing the number of workshops to five, Pearson said.

Workshops and Sessions: The festival now boasts five workshops. To whet attendees’ appetites, 50-minute ‘jump-start/sampler’ sessions provide glimpses into each presenter’s offerings.

Numerous Exhibits: Over 30 exhibits await, spanning writing and publishing. Authors, publishers, and genres converge from print, digital, and audio.

Complete Event Schedule:

Friday, September 27:
Exhibitor Set up available 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Saturday, September 28:
8:00 AM Doors open for exhibitor set up
9:30 - 10:30 AM AM Keynote Speaker, Dr. Scott Donaldson, “I’m Just Sayin’”
10:30 AM - Exhibit Hall Open
10:30 AM - Kassy Keppol: Kids Activities Table open until 4:00 PM
11:00 AM Workshop #1 Robin Woods: “Bust Writer’s Block and Get Writing”
12:00 Noon Workshop #2 Eric Alan: “Writing with Gratitude”
1:00 PM Workshop #3 Big Wave Poetry / Charles Castle: “Poetry Open Mic”
2:00 PM Workshop #4 Ned Hickson: “Turning Your Idea into a Novel”
3:00 PM Workshop #5 Elina Oliferovskiy, “Get Your Book PUBLISHED”
4:30 PM Panel Discussion: Lead by Ken Babbs: “How the Heck Did Lane County Oregon Become Such a Hotbed of Creativity?!”
5:55 PM FEC closes

Keynote Address: Dr. Scott Donaldson is an author and storyteller with a syndicated radio show. He's also a dad, husband, and itinerant surgeon locally renowned in the Carolinas as “The Vasectomy King.” He has practiced the specialty of urology for more than 25 years and has trained resident urology physicians throughout his career. He has held the highest physician hospital leadership positions, from Chair of Peer Review to Chief of Staff at Duke and UNC.

Dr. Donaldson’s Urological Surgery & Lite Haulin: Reflections of a Small Town Surgeon, is a humorous, pithy, and often poignant view from the life and work of a doctor in central South Carolina. The book amplifies his syndicated radio show, “I’m Just Sayin’,” in which he shares short observations and reflections on life, love, death, medicine, and the (anonymous) stories of his patients over the years. Dr. Donaldson’s broadcast is heard locally on KCST-Coast radio five times a week here in Florence, Oregon, and online at KCST.com.

Panel Discussion Leader: Ken Babbs is an author, raconteur, and an original founding member of the counterculture “Merry Pranksters.” Babbs wrote Last Go Round with best friend and co-Prankster, Ken Kesey. With Paul Perry, Babbs produced On the Bus: The Complete Guide to the Legendary Trip of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and the Birth of the Counterculture. Come meet this current Lane County resident and former FURTHUR bus rider at the Florence Festival of Books and hear his take on “How The Heck Did Lane County Become Such a Hotbed of Creativity?” and other topics.

The 2024 Florence Festival of Books is a production of Florence Arts, Culture & Entertainment (FACE), an independent 501c3 nonprofit that supports the Florence Events Center and all who use it. To learn more about how to join or volunteer with FACE call 541-991-8811 or visit FlorenceArts.org.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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