WATCH: UC Edible Books Festival a Sweet Celebration for Bibliophiles
It was a delicious dive into pop culture with frosting, as the University of Cincinnati Libraries hosted its 10th participation in the International Edible Books Festival. Appropriately, The Hunger Games was one of the featured creations around lunchtime, as guests admired, then devoured the edible art entries to celebrate the written word.
Alexandra Hart, a high school student, was awarded best student entry and was awarded a $25 gift card for her cornucopia creation to reflect The Hunger Games.
She decided she wanted to make that entry before the movie was released, says her mother, Olga Hart, an instruction librarian for Langsam Library.
This year, we have 20 entries from students, librarians and staff from throughout the university, said Dean and University Librarian Victoria Montavon. The rules for the International Books Festival are really simple. It needs to be held on or near April Fools Day, the creations need to be edible, and they need to represent books in some form.
We have entries that range from childrens books to classics to cookbooks, Montavon said.
Entries were judged by Leslie Schick, associate dean of library services and director of the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, and Bree Scott, a student peer mentor who works in Langsam Librarys Info Commons.
Edible Books Participants 2012
(Listed by prize, creator, title some with an edible twist and author)
Most Magical
Stephanie Brickin, Winkler Center The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss
Most Delicious
Allison Baker, UC student Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad
Most Reserved
Linda Newman, associate senior librarian Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad
Most Likely to be Recalled
Lauren Mills, program coordinator, UC Libraries A Wish to be a Christmas Tree, by Colleen Monroe
Most Frequently Banned
Olga Hart, instruction librarian Worms in a Wine Glass, by John Bright
Most Memorable
Alexandra Hart, high school student The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Most Inspirational
Karen KIreyenhagen, College of Allied Health Sciences Skipping Christmas, by John Grisham
Most Romantic
Sara Mihaly, UC Libraries Lunch in Paris, by Elizabeth Bard
Most Checked Out
Olga Hart, Already Gone, by John Rector
Most Beautiful
Katrina Bowling-Bergman, UC Libraries Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson
Most Clever
Lisa Britt Wernke, College of Law Library Finding the Law, by Robert C. Berring
Most Childish
Zoe Bergman, student One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, by Dr. Seuss
Most Whimsical
Debbie Weinstein, Student Services 10 Little Rubber Ducks, by Eric Carle
Long Overdue
Linda Newman The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, by Tom Wolfe
Most Literary
Sarah Maguire, UC Libraries To the Tollhouse (Lighthouse), by Virginia Woolf
Most Hysterical
Melissa Cox Norris, UC Libraries The Rabbit Series, by John Updike
Most Gruesome
Holly Prochaska, UC Libraries A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
Most Creative
Jessica Ebert, UC Libraries Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies, by Andrea Beaty
Most Edible
Megan Tischner, UC Graduate School How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague (illustrator)
Best Overall
Laura Laugle, Winkler Center Alice in Wonderland, A Very Merry UnBirthday Cake
Best Student Entry
Alexandra Hart The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
The International Edible Book Festival was initiated by librarian and artist Judith A. Hoffberg. It became an international sensation in 2000 when artist Béatrice Coron launched the Books2Eat website. Traditionally, the event is celebrated on or around April 1 to mark the birthday of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), a French lawyer and politician who became famous for his book, Physiologie du goût (The Physiology of Taste).
Related Stories
OTR mural centerpiece of 'big' celebration of UC alumni
April 26, 2024
New downtown artwork salutes 18 alumni award recipients who personify UC’s alumni success.
From literature to AI: UC grad shares career path to success
April 23, 2024
Before Katie Trauth Taylor worked with international organizations like NASA, Boeing and Hershey, and before receiving accolades for her work in the generative AI space, she was in a much different industry: English and literature.
UC hires Dr. Gregory Postel as senior vice president of health...
April 23, 2024
UC Board of Trustees vote to hire Dr. Gregory Postel as senior vice president of health affairs and dean of UC College of Medicine.