Chatham celebrated a big edible book milestone this spring with our 10th International Edible Book Festival event! The JKM Library has been partnering with Chatham's food studies program since 2012 to host this celebration of food and literature. After a three-year hiatus during the heights of COVID-19, the tradition was revived in 2024, and on March 31st, 2025 we celebrated our 10th event!

The crowd at the 10th International Edible Book Festival, set up in the first floor lobby of the jkm library with large windows letting in natural light

To make this year extra special, we welcomed additional collaborators to help grow the festival. Chatham's Student Success and the Academic Success Center hosted an Essential Needs Item Drive to benefit Chatham's Essential Needs Corner. Anyone who donated to the item drive was entered into a raffle for a $100 gift certificate to Mad Mex.

The PA Hunger Free Campus Task Force hosted a silent auction (sans real money) for kitchenware kits, funded by the PA Department of Education. Students were given five tickets that they could use to bid on the specific kits they were interested in. There were five kits auctioned off.

And in addition to those amazing activities, we also had honey tasting and education provided by the Eden Hall Apiary. Attendees could taste honey from different seasons and learned a bit about how the flowers from each season alter the flavor profile of the honey created by the area bees.

honey tasting station with a line

This year's edible book contest was judged by our amazing volunteer faculty members: returning judges Heather McNaugher and Barbara Ann McMonigal, and new judge Laura Livingston. Thank you to our judges for their time and taste buds! 

Winners of the 10th International Edible Book Festival are:

People's Choice Award: "Pete the Cat: I Love My White Choux" submitted by Maggie Vargo and Evelyn Fay

Evelyn Fay and Maggie Vargo accepting the People's Choice certificate
Mini choux pasteries stuffed with filling, accompanied with poster naming Pete the Cat: I Love my White Choux, listing ingredients

Best Tasting: "Franks 'N' Brine" submitted by Anne St. Jean

Anne St. Jean accepting the Best Tasting certificate
Cocktail weenies wrapped up with peppers in pastery dough, served with mustard, accompanied by a stylized flyer mimicking Frankenstein with the title Franks 'n' Brine

Most Creative Literary Interpretation: "Demon Copperhead" submitted by Karin Chipman

Karin Chipman accepting the Most Creative Literary Interpreatation certificate
Bread sticks shaped into the form of copperhead snakes, accompanied by an elaborate edible landscape and Smarties candies

The Rachel Carson Award: "Pete the Cat: I Love My White Choux" submitted by Maggie Vargo and Evelyn Fay

Evelyn and Maggie accepting the Rachel Carson Award certificate, all smiles

Grand Prize: "The Masque of the Red Death" submitted by Kate Emory

Kate Emory holding the Grand Prize certificate
A white cake with a red edible skull resting on top, placed on table next to a plastic human skull, a physical copy of Poe's The Masque of the Red Death and an illustrated poster for The Masque of the Red Death, drawn by Kate

A huge thank you to Chatham’s food studies program, Alice Julier and Rebecca Nathan in particular, for their sponsorship and support and enthusiasm in planning. Thank you to the Academic Success Center, Chatham Student Success, the PA Hunger Free Campus Task Force, and the Essential Needs Corner for their help growing this event this year. And thanks to all of our ‘edible book’ contestants!