Updated 11/5/2023 to include photos from last year’s event.
GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – If alliteration and allegories get you excited or antagonists and protagonists are who you dream about, then the 5th annual Sunshine State Book Festival is where you need to be in January.
Just when the weather is perfect for curling up with a good book, readers and writers will converge on Gainesville for a free, two-day event.
The Writers Alliance of Gainesville (WAG) will host the event which runs Friday, January 26, and Saturday, January 27, 2024, at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center which is located at 1714 SW 34th St.
The festival kicks off on Friday with a reception. The main event on Saturday is expected to feature 200 published authors. So far, at least 160 have registered to participate. WAG says visitors can meet the authors, purchase their books, and have them signed.
Organizers say there will be authors from 15 genres so “there will be something for readers of all ages, including books for adults, young adults, children, and picture books for the littlest bookworms,” WAG said in a release.
Check out the list of authors to see if any of your favorites will be there.
The Saturday session begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m. with a keynote address at 1 p.m. from University of Florida professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jack Davis.
And, what would a book festival be without storytelling? Authors of children’s books will deliver stories to entertain attendees.
For more information, visit the festival website.