3.30.2021 UPDATE: This event has been CANCELLED. We hope you will join us in 2022, when we hope to be together again in person.
Join Alice Randall, writer-in-residence, African American and Diaspora Studies, and the Vanderbilt Libraries in a reimagined, diet-conscious, intellectual celebration of food! Until we can join together in person, we will celebrate with words, not desserts. Instead of creating an edible book, make a short video celebrating food in poetry or prose. No baking required.
Record yourself creatively reading a one to two minute section of your favorite food-themed poetry or prose, or consider writing your own! Need inspiration? Try the Poetry Foundation or Pablo Neruda’s odes to ordinary food, like salt, onions, tomatoes. Book Riot and your favorite food bloggers will have ideas, like Food52 blog favorites Jack Prelutsky, Shel Silverstein’s Peanut Butter Sandwich, and more.
The top three videos in each category will be shown as part of the live zoom celebration on Thursday, April 1, Noon – 1 p.m. Winners in each category will receive a playlist of food-themed music curated by our host Alice Randall. Winning entries will also be displayed in a special pop-up exhibit in Central Library.
Submit your video entry before March 29 by emailing ace@vanderbilt.edu with your name, contact information, poem title, author, submission category (choices are listed below) and attach your video as an .mp4 file.
Participation is open to all members of the Vanderbilt community. Please ensure that your contribution follows copyright guidelines. For copyright assistance, contact DiSC@vanderbilt.edu.
Faculty judges: Valerie Hotchkiss, Major Jackson, Caroline Randall Williams
Submission categories: Classic Poetry (pre-twentieth century), Contemporary Poetry, Prose (fiction or non-fiction) or Your own unique creation.
Whether you are coming to enjoy the event or you are participating by submitting an entry, please Register Here.