The library is normally full of books, but they aren’t usually edible. In its 14th year worldwide and 10th year at Denison, the Books to Eat festival is an international celebration of books. It visited the William Howard Doane library on April 1. Participants took inspiration from their favorite books to create a wide variety of edible entries, which were accepted from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Then, judges and community members were free to check out the entries, displayed on tables in the library’s 2nd floor atrium.
The range of books and delicious entries was huge, ranging from Dr. Seuss books and The Very Hungry Caterpillar to Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club, and even Gravedigger, a novel by Peter Grandbois, assistant English professor here at Denison. There were plenty of entries made of cake and crafted with frosting, but some entries included more original ingredients like potatoes, dumdum candies, carrots, and bananas. Sophomore student judge Kai Kyles enjoyed the variety. “It’s awesome to see how artistic people are, and how much effort they put in,” she said.
Moriana Garcia, the Natural Sciences librarian, is a member of the Communication and Cooperation Committee at the library. “It’s the perfect mixture of culture and food,” she said. “There are fun things to do with books, not only read them. It’s a way to collaborate with the community.” The festival did draw students from the Granville middle and high schools, as well as students, faculty, librarians, and staff from Denison.
Judges, including librarians, faculty, and President Dale T. Knobel, awarded prizes in the most bookish, most hilarious, best presentation, and best of show categories. Mary Prophet, interim library director, said that participation was “better than last year. The entries vary, but there are always entries to laugh at, and they are always delicious.”