Register by March 31 for April 7 Edible Book Festival

Play with your food and your words during WSU Libraries’ second annual Edible Book Festival on Friday, April 7, part of WSU Mom’s Weekend activities.

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Registration for entries closes March 31; to register, visit the library guide at http://libguides.libraries.wsu.edu/ediblebooks. Participants can register individually or as a group.

Edible book festivals take place around the country and world to celebrate books, art, food and culture. Entry rules are simple: Submissions must be made from edible materials and somehow relate to a book.

“We really hope that people will take inspiration from a favorite book or author and run with it,” said organizer and instruction librarian Erica England. “Last year’s festival drew more than 100 people who voted for their favorite entry, including many WSU moms with their students. We’d like to see this become a popular Cougar tradition as well as a celebration of literature.”

Celebrity judges tied to WSU, community

WSU’s festival begins with public viewing and judging at 2:30 p.m. in the Terrell Library atrium, with winners announced at 3:30. Refreshments will be available.

“Celebrity judges” for the event will be Anna Maria Shannon, associate director of the WSU Museum of Art; Jamie Kohler, executive chef for WSU Dining Services’ university catering unit; Joanna Bailey, director of Pullman’s Neill Public Library; and Sarah Frame English, a WSU alumna, donor and librarian with the Libraries of Stevens County (Wash.).

Awards will be given for people’s choice, best visual presentation and punniest/funniest.

Last year’s winners

The literary-culinary celebrations got their start with the first International Edible Book Festival (http://www.books2eat.com) on April 1, 2000. Since then, organizations and universities have served up their own versions, including Loganberry Books and Strong Bindery in Shaker Heights, Ohio; Seattle Edible Book Festival; University of Florida Libraries; and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library.

WSU Libraries held its first festival last year, and entries did not disappoint. Winners were:

  • Best Visual Presentation: Trevor Bond, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections, for “Proust’s Madeleines”
  • Most Appetizing: Chelsea Leachman, Owen Science and Engineering Library, for “Buttons for Corduroy”
  • Punniest/Funniest: Erica Nicol, Terrell Library, for “Berry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Scone”
  • People’s Choice: Holly Campbell, Office of Student Conduct, for “Frank-in-Stein”