Hungry? Bite into an edible book with UC Libraries

Celebrate books good enough to eat at the International Edible Books Festival April 1st

Once again, the University of Cincinnati Libraries will celebrate the International Edible Books Festival with an event scheduled for Monday, April 1, from 11 a.m. to noon on the 4th floor of the Walter C. Langsam Library.

At the event, participants will present edible creations inspired by an author. There are few restrictions in creating an edible book — namely that the creation be edible and have something to do with a book.

nest edible book

"The Nest" from the 2023 Edible Books Festival

Submitted entries so far include intriguing titles such as “Catching Fire," "3D Graphics Rendering Cookbook," "And Then There Were None" and "The Scarlet Letter."

Nature is a theme this year with "The Shell Seekers," "Gathering Moss," "The Secret Garden" and "Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of our Planet." Numerous children’s books will make people smile with such titles as "The Little Prince," "Dragons Love Tacos," "Corduroy's Lost Buttons" and "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Poetry will be represented with "Apricots of Donbas." See these delicious entries and more at the event. Interested in creating an edible book? E-mail libraries@uc.edu by Monday, March 25 with your name and the name of your entry.

As in past years, entries will be judged according to such categories as Most Literary, Most Delicious, Most Adorable and Most Gruesome. In addition, the Top Student Entry and Best Overall Entry will receive UC merch. After the entries are judged they will be consumed and enjoyed by all in attendance.

According to the International Edible Book Festival website, the edible book was initiated by librarian and artist Judith A. Hoffberg during a 1999 Thanksgiving celebration with book artists. It became an international celebration in 2000 when artist Béatrice Coron launched the Books2Eat website. Traditionally, the event is celebrated on April 1st (April Fools’ Day) to mark the birthday of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), a French lawyer and politician who became famous for his book, “Physiologie du gout” (The Physiology of Taste).

The Libraries International Edible Books Festival is free and open to the public. Following the event, pictures of the edible books and their awards will be posted on the Libraries Facebook page. Come to celebrate (and eat) “books good enough to eat.”

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