Six things you need to know about Filba so you don't miss anything this year.

The Filba International Literature Festival begins tomorrow with an edition packed with proposals, international guests, free activities , and a long-awaited novelty: its return to Montevideo before the end of the year. For four days , Buenos Aires will become a meeting point for readers, writers, poets, and thinkers, with venues ranging from Malba and the Eterna Cadencia bookstore to new spaces in downtown Buenos Aires.

With the motto "Alter," this edition invites us to think about the other : what is different, what is foreign, what transforms us. Through talks, readings, workshops, performances, and tours, the festival proposes looking at the world through different eyes and rethinking literature as a collective, open space where it is possible to encounter different people.

Among the highlights of this edition are prominent names in Latin American and European literature, evening offerings , reader discounts , and a program with a federal focus. If you're interested in joining but don't know where to start, here are six tips to make sure you don't miss a thing.

It will take place from Thursday, September 25th to Sunday, September 28th at different venues in Buenos Aires, such as Malba, Eterna Cadencia, ArtHaus, the Paco Urondo Cultural Center (UBA) and the brand new Casa de la Cultura Cultural space .

The 17th edition of Filba will welcome fourteen authors from abroad, including Ecuador's Mónica Ojeda ; from Spain, Rosa Berbel (who is currently participating in the Malba Writers' Residency), Jon Bilbao and Pol Guasch ; Colombia's Juan Cárdenas ; Brazilians Stenio Gardel and Ana Paula Maia ; Chile's Lina Meruane ; Finland's Aki Ollijainen; Britain's Sheena Patel ; and from Canada, Gabrielle Boulianne Tremblay , among others.

The focus of this edition is "Alter," a reflection on the other, the different , that which challenges us. "The alternative—a person, an idea, a place—is something that can frighten and fascinate in equal measure," explained the organizers.

Some must-sees from this edition:

• Inaugural reading by Mario Ortiz (Thursday 25th, 6 pm, Malba)

• Book tasting with Fernando Martín Peña (Thursday 25th, 11am, Malba)

• Letter exchange between Sheena Patel and Florencia Alvarado (Friday 26th, 6pm)

• Panel “The Other, the Monster” with Luciano Lamberti and Mónica Ojeda (Sunday 28th, 5 pm)

• Book drop and non-fiction workshop in downtown (Saturday 27th)

• Literary tour of the exhibition Landscapes by the duo Mondongo (Saturday 27, 5 p.m., ArtHaus)

• Sonic meditation + empirical writing (Sunday 28th, 4pm)

Yes. Under the "Federal Zone" program, the festival incorporates voices from provinces such as Córdoba, Salta, La Pampa, and Buenos Aires (such as Mario Ortiz from Bahía Blanca), reinforcing its commitment to decentralized literature. Also participating are Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Juan Carrá, Julieta Correa, Santiago Craig, María Sonia Cristoff, Esther Díaz, Federico Falco, César González, Luciano Lamberti, Adriana Lestido, Josefina Licitra, Natalia Litvinova, Santiago Llach, Santiago Loza, Fernanda Nicolini, Romina Paula, Fernando Martín Peña, Hinde Pomeraniec, Adriana Riva, Ivana Romero, Tamara Tenenbaum, Soledad Vallejos, Ana Wajszczuk, among many others.

All are free , but some require advance ticket purchase or pre-registration, especially for the workshops. The full program can be found on the festival website.