Get Out Saturday: Edible Book Festival
April 4 is the not-to-be-missed Seattle Edible Book Festival (at Wallingford's Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N.) where word nerds, book lovers, and creative cooks can get together and cook the books so to speak, or eat their own words and laugh over hokey literary puns.
If you think you are up for the challenge of creating your own edible art, the deadline is April 2, and all of the guidelines can be found on the Edible Book Festival’s website. Not only is submission a free entry to the festival, but it may just be that much-needed outlet to represent your all-time favorite book, or character basking in all their edible glory.
The idea is simple: An Edible Book can look like a book, make a pun on a title, refer to a character, or just have something to do with books--whatever the inspiration, it must be edible. Past entries have included titles such as: "Alice in Wonderbread," "Their Ryes Were Watching Gouda," and "Eggsodus," among many more, which can be viewed on their Flickr page.
For the admirers, entry is $10, which gets you in the door, a complimentary edible book menu and a plate for all the literature you can stomach for one afternoon. Keep in mind though--it may be technically edible, but there are no promises on how it will actually taste. The festivities begin at 1 p.m., but it is strongly recommended to come early to avoid the anticipated line.
This is the first year where the festival will feature five official judges, including Seattlest’s very own Jay Friedman and [UPDATE: Jay was lost to a scheduling conflict] local ice cream queen Molly Moon. Judges will be voting on categories such as "Best Worst Pun," but leaving "Best in Show" to the admirers.
Not only is the Seattle festival a great time to get geeky with fellow foodies and literature fanatics, but it also stands as a fundraiser for local non-profit Seattle Center for Book Arts. They will have information on-hand about book arts and classes, along with treats for sale and pitchers for donations.
1 p.m., April 4 // Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North // free with edible book entry, $10 without
