On April 1, Ivy Tech invites you to participate in the Edible Book Festival. This event is not to be taken literally: They aren’t grilling copies of Moby Dick or frying up pages of War and Peace. But this is a unique, fun event nonetheless.

Participants create edible “books” showing off their culinary creativity that are exhibited, documented, and then consumed by festival attendants. The event aims to unite bibliophiles, book artists, and food lovers across the world, bringing them all to one location to celebrate literary and culinary creations. The idea is to make a dish based on a book or a pun of a book title. For example, someone may choose to make a train cake based on Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins or a clown and balloon pastry based on Stephen King’s It.

While many of the entries are made by Ivy Tech Hospitality’s Advance Cake decorating class, Ivy Tech encourages entries from outside of the school including local businesses, food artists, and anybody else who might have a creative idea based upon a book they love. The only limitations are at the edge of the imagination.

In addition to the creations on display, this year’s festival, taking place on Ivy Tech’s North Campus in the Student Life Gymnasium, has a face painting artist for the kids and accessories designed to create food jewelry, for those wishing to make edible bracelets and necklaces out of cereals and fruit.

The event is free and open to the public.