March 22, 2017
Annual Edible Book Festival set for April 4
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Good books are made by the creative use of words, but an event coming to Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Morris Library in April takes the challenge up a notch as people are invited to depict their favorite piece of literature in an edible form.
Everyone is welcome to participate in the popular annual Edible Book Festival, set for noon to 1 p.m. on April 4 in the First Floor Rotunda of the library. The rules are actually quite simple. Use your imagination to illustrate a “punny” version of a book title using edible ingredients.
“Jurassic Pork,” “To Grill a Mockingbird,” “A Coconut Yankee in King Arthur’s Torte,” “Frank-in-Stein” and “50 Shades of Lays” are just a few of the amusing and imaginative previous winning contest entries.
The “Best in Show” winner will receive an Amazon Fire tablet. There are also prizes for People’s Choice (voted on by those attending), “Punniest,” Most Edible, Best Book Structure, Best Saluki Submission (best entry by an SIU student) and Best Future Saluki Submission (top entry from someone age 17 or younger.) Judging, except for the People’s Choice award, will be by John Pollitz, SIU’s new dean of Library Affairs.
The School of Music’s Concert Choir will also perform during the event, the seventh annual Edible Book Festival. The SIU community and public are welcome to attend to view the festival entries and enjoy the musical performance.
To participate in the competition, complete the Edible Book Festival entry form, available online at www.lib.siu.edu/edible-book-festival, and bring your palatable prose conceptualization to the library at noon on April 4. Voting for the People’s Choice award begins promptly at noon and the winners of all categories will be announced at about 12:50 p.m.
Find additional information and photographs of past winners on the website or see previous years’ photos on the Facebook page or Flickr page. If you have any questions about the event, contact Sarah Prindle a sprindle@lib.siu.edu.
The Friends of Morris Library sponsor the Edible Book Festival and the library and its staff organize the event.