The University of Cincinnati Libraries celebrated the International Edible Books Festival on Monday, April 1, 2024.
This year saw a record 27 entries from students, librarians, faculty and staff throughout the university and from the Cincinnati community. There are few restrictions in creating an edible book – namely that the creation be edible and have something to do with a book.
Submitted entries include intriguing titles such as “Catching Fire,” “3D Graphics Rendering Cookbook,” “Angle of Repose,” “And Then There Were None” and “The Scarlet Letter.” Nature is a theme this year with “The Shell Seekers,” “Just a Worm,” “Gathering Moss,” “The Secret Garden” and “Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of our Planet.” Out-of-this-world titles “War of the Worlds” and “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” will thrill attendees while “Pop-a-rif-ic,” “Squish Delish” and “Trufflemadorian” will leave them happy. Numerous children’s books will make people smile with such titles as “Bunnicula,” “Fancy Nancy,” “The Cheshire Cat,” “The Little Prince,” “Dragons Love Tacos,” “Corduroy’s Lost Buttons,” “Porkopolis” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Poetry is represented with “Apricots of Donbas” along with biographies “Tupak” and “The Story of My Life.”
In addition to promoting the reading of books, we also use this event to promote and “judge” the creativity of our colleagues and friends in creating edible books. Once again, the entries are remarkable. The two esteemed judges were Tina and Zach from The Desk@Langsam. And the winners are…
- Liz Kiscaden – Bunnicula – Most Adorable
- Francesca Voyten – The Little Prince – Most Imaginative
- Francesca Voyten – Catching Fire – Most Gruesome
- Melissa Cox Norris – Dragons Love Tacos – Most Delicious
- Jack Norris – The Scarlet Letter – Most Scandalous
- Steve Norris – Apricots of Donbas – Most Noteworthy
- Sam Norris – Tupac Shakur – Most Timely
- Aja Bettencourt-McCarthy – Crossings: How road ecology is shaping the future of our planet – Most Taboo
- Josh Zack and Debbie Tenofsky – 3D graphics rendering cookbook : a comprehensive guide to exploring rendering algorithms in modern OpenGL and Vulkan – Most Outrageous
- Amy and Vianne Koshoffer – The Shell Seekers – Silliest
- Debbie Weinstein – The Secret Garden – Most Mysterious
- Lisa Haitz – And Then There Were None – Most Humorous
- Luahna Carter – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Most Magical
- Nimisha Bhat – Gathering Moss – Most Beautiful
- Olga Hart – Out of a Jar – Most Creative
- Olga Hart – Just a Worm – Most Clever
- Clayton Allen – Trufflemadorian (based on Slaughterhouse 5) – Most Literary
- Chloe Frantz – The Story of My Life – Most Book-like
- Holly Prochaska – Angle of Repose – Most Whimsical
- Logan Castonguay and Noel Bradford – War of the Worlds – Most Worldly
- Russell McCabe – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Most Our of this World
- Erin Smith – Porkopolis (based on Findlay: A Cincinnati Pig Tale) – Most Frightening
- Caroline Smith – Pop-a-rif-ic Popcorn (Popcorn) – Most Checked Out
- Josie Smith – Squish Delish (based on Can I Give You a Squish) – Most Technical
- Marie Musser – Fancy Nancy – Most Fun
- Rebecca Tabaja – Cheshire Cat (from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) – Best Overall
- Jakob Elliott – Corduroy’s Lost Buttons – Best Student Entry
In talking about his decision to participate in the International Edible Books Festival, Clayton Thomas Allen, creator of Trufflemadoriam (based on a Slaughterhouse 5) wrote,”…I am an avid reader and I love to try new things. What drew me to this festival was simply the opportunity to express by love for Vonnegut’s work. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this wonderful experience.”
Congratulations to all the edible books creators! View the entries and the winners on the UC Libraries Facebook page. See you next year for Edible Books 2025!