Dante, exiled from his beloved Florence, had but one wish regarding his literary legacy: to one day inspire the baking talents of students at The Johns Hopkins University. His sacred wish was granted in April 2023 when, through the alluring combination of cream puffs and caramel, the fierce Mountain of Purgatory arose, towering above all other edible books in its display of gluttony and lust for sugar!
As the above rambling from your humble sugar-crazed librarian suggests, it is once more time to celebrate whimsy, literature, and dessert/baked goods/bread art at Read It and Eat It, the Sheridan Libraries’ annual edible book festival. The event will be held from 12:30pm to 2:30pm on Tuesday, April 2nd at the Glass Pavilion. We are seeking the baking talents of the Hopkins community to showcase their favorite books in an edible format for the amazement of all!
So, what’s in it for you? Fame! Glory! The creation of something that has never once been baked before, to be forever immortalized in our Edible Book Fest photo albums. Plus, an assortment of fun and fab prizes that you could win by the power of popular vote, including book-themed tote bags, wallets that look like rare books, super-cute stuffed animals (well, stuffed slices of pie, but you know what I mean), and recreations of cake decorating stencils from a 1920s cake kit we have in Special Collections! You can get a sneak peak of the prizes by walking by the Special Collections Reading Room (M-level, Brody Learning Commons).
Need more inspiration? Check out these fan favorites from last year’s festival, including a pun-tastic interpretation of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, a befittingly glamorous rendition of Loos’ Gentleman Prefer Blondes, and what could very well be the scariest edible book ever submitted to our festival, Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu.
Still not convinced that edible books are classified as non-fiction and not just a figment of my imagination? Well, just look at a few more entries from last year, and remember to enter your edible book in our contest by Thursday, March 28th.
