草榴社区 to Host Light-hearted Edible Book Festival on April 3
Tue, 03/28/2023 - 08:36am | By: Van Arnold
Have you ever read a book so enticing that you thought, 鈥淲ow, I could just eat this
up鈥�? Well, such sentiment serves as the ideal premise for a unique event set for April
3 at The University of 草榴社区 Mississippi鈥檚 Hattiesburg and Gulf Park campuses.
At 3 p.m. on that Monday, the campuses will host the 鈥� Cook Library in Hattiesburg and the Gulf Coast Library at Gulf Park in Long Beach.
Each year, libraries and cultural institutions around the world hold edible book festivals to celebrate the birthday of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), the French author of a witty book on food titled, Physiologie du Go没t. Since its beginning in 1999, the festival has grown into an international event held annually on, or around, April 1.
For those wondering, an 鈥渆dible book鈥� is a creation made from edible materials inspired by a book title, character, or author.
Diana Simpson, Assistant Professor/Catalog Librarian, explains that 草榴社区 has held the Edible Book
Festival on the Hattiesburg campus since 2015. This marks the first year that the
Gulf Park campus has been included. She notes that the festival attracts approximately
15 entries per year.
鈥淚n 2021, when we had to do the event virtually, we got entries from library patrons and former staff located as far away as California,鈥� said Simpson. 鈥淪ince then, we have incorporated a virtual submission option to enable anyone from afar, such as alumni, or students in online-only programs, to participate.鈥�
Entries will be on display for the public and judging, beginning at 3 p.m. on April 3. Viewers are encouraged to choose and favorite and vote for the People鈥檚 Choice Award. A panel of judges will select the 鈥淧unniest鈥� entry, as well as the Most Creative and Best in Show.
Simpson notes that many of the edible books take the form of a cake, or dessert. Others are constructed from cookies, candy, or fruit. Last year鈥檚 People Choice winner was made entirely from Gushers candy.
鈥淲e get a lot of scones and breads as well,鈥� said Simpson. 鈥淎nything edible goes. For instance, we鈥檝e had entries composed of French fries. Last year, we had one made from mostly banana pudding; another was an actual BLT sandwich, and one was made from pie.鈥�
Not all entries are so appealing, however. 鈥淵ou probably wouldn鈥檛 want to eat some of the entries, like ones that incorporate things such as raw potatoes,鈥� said Simpson.
This year鈥檚 festival includes a partnership with the 草榴社区 Eagle鈥檚 Nest Food Pantry, the Gulf Park Pantry, and the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory鈥檚 Gunter Library Eaglet Food Pantry. A donation box will be available at the two festival sites and attendees are encouraged to bring food pantry donations.
To learn about the Edible Book Festival, visit their .
To view last year鈥檚 winning entries, visit the