Apparently, I'm not the first person to associate food with libraries. I just received a notice about the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's participation in the international edible book festival. Edible Book Festival?

Well, of course I had to know more!

England : Thames - 2002
Heather Hunter and friends
Books2eat

Here's what I learned from my research:

The International Edible Book Festival is a creation of Judith A. Hoffberg and Béatrice Coron. Judith got the idea over a Thanksgiving turkey with book artists in 1999, and Béatrice created Books2Eat website where despite the distances everyvody can enjoy worldwide's creations. They contacted friends and colleagues; their first event happened in 2000. Since then the festival continues as an annual sensation.


This festival is a celebration of the ingestion of culture and a way to concretely share a book; it is also a deeper reflexion on our attachment to food and our cultural differences.

Libraries and other organizations around the world are using this event to connect with their communities in very creative ways. Some are even using the event as a fundraiser! Here are some of my favorite ideas:

• The Mad Hatters Tea Party
• An edible books competition in Hong Kong with the proceeds supporting a local charity
• A competition/fundraiser for a literacy program at a local bookstore
• An elementary school that is creating edible books to promote literacy
• Partnerships with local art galleries
• A potluck of food that reminds you of a favorite book or story
• A "Cook the Books!" event where the contact person is: Biblio Biscuit

So maybe food as a platform in my bid for the Salado Library Board isn't such a bad idea.

"a book on every nightstand, a fudgecicle in every fridge" (?)