Libraries’ Edible Book Festival Returns After Six Years for WSU Family Weekend April 17

After a six-year hiatus, WSU Libraries will bring back the Edible Book Festival, a popular event during Mom’s Weekend, now Family Weekend, since it began in 2016. This year’s festival is at 2 p.m. Friday, April 17, in the Terrell Library ground-floor atrium.

Register your edible book entry by completing the online form. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, April 15. Entries must be made from edible materials and relate in some way to a book—whether through the title, characters, setting, author, or a creative play on words.

Entries are for display only and will not be consumed, and they must be baked or store-bought goods that don’t require refrigeration or heating.

“Buttons for Corduroy,” submitted by Chelsea Leachman, earned the Most Appetizing Award during the 2016 Edible Book Festival. Photo by Nella Letizia.

After review and selection by celebrity judges in the community, awards will be presented in the following categories: People’s Choice, Punniest, and Best Visual Presentation. Participants do not need to be present to win. In addition, a special award and honorable mention will be given for entries that feature a WSU Press book; see the website for ideas. The press will also offer select titles for sale at the festival.

Starting April 1, the Terrell-CUB entrance will feature a display of books designed to inspire your edible creations.

As noted in the library guide, Edible Book Festivals are celebrated worldwide on or around April 1, the birthday of French gastronome, politician, and lawyer Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, as a playful tribute to books, art, food, and culture.

Two months before his death in 1826, Brillat-Savarin published Physiologie du goût (The Physiology of Taste), his culinary masterpiece on the craft and science of cookery and the art of eating, in which he famously said, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”

“We are so excited for the return of the Edible Book Festival on its 10th anniversary,” said event organizer Milo Harris. “I’m personally delighted at the chance to see the culinary creativity of our Palouse community.”

For questions about registration, entries, the event schedule, and more, please contact organizers Chelsea Leachman or Harris.