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University Libraries hosting Edible Book Festival April 1 on Hattiesburg Campus

Wed, 02/20/2019 - 04:50pm | By: David Tisdale

University Libraries at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and the USM Food Research Group will host the 5th annual Edible Book Festival in the Cook Library Learning Commons Gallery Monday, April 1 on the Hattiesburg campus, beginning at 10 a.m. 

Edible books are made of food and inspired by literary titles, characters, or authors, with creative examples such as cupcakes used to create Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar, or baked cookies shaped like books. Organizers of this event are accepting submissions from USM students, staff, faculty and Hattiesburg area residents for competition in the categories of Best in Show, Most Nutritious, and Most Creative.

Held in conjunction with the International Edible Book Festival, the USM event and others like it worldwide honors the birthday of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), author of a humorous book about food, Physiologie du gout (A Handbook of Gastronomy).

“The Edible Book Festival is an opportunity to combine two great things – food and books,” said University Libraries Professor and Curator Jennifer Brannock, organizer for the festival. “This event an amazing opportunity for participants to show off their cooking skills and ability to create puns. It's amazing how creative people can be.”

To submit an entry, register online by March 27 at http://lib.usm.edu/ediblebookform.html or email Brannock at jennifer.brannockFREEMississippi. More information about the festival and examples of edible books can be found at http://libguides.lib.usm.edu/ediblebookfest or on Pinterest [www.pinterest.com].