Lafayette Celebrates "Edible Books"

With its stream-of-counciousness narrative and a plot involving decades of family disfunction, The Sound and the Fury is no one's idea of fluffy reading.

But Christian Tatu's "The Pound and the Fury" poundcake?

A blue ribbon winner -- "Most Humorous" at Lafayette College's second annual on Monday.

Run by Skillman Library, the contest challenges students, faculty, and members of the community to make their best literary themed concotions.

"I'm a big fan of bad puns," said Tatu, who coordinates Lafayette's writing program. "The worse they are, the more I like them."

He was in good company Monday, up against entries such as:

• "Lo Mein of La Mancha" (Essentially a take out container of lo mein, with fortune cookies whose fortunes were the lyrics to "The Impossible Dream.")
• "Tart of Darkness" (A chocolate tart that resembled the cover of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.)
• "The Grapes of Wrath." (A bowl of grapes, with some angry faces drawn on them.)

The Best-in-Show award went to Heather Reinert's "Murder on the Oreo Express," a project that took all weekend.

She had entered last year, with her Louisia May Alcott-themed "Brittle Women." What did she use.

"Peanut brittle," Reinert said. "You had to see it."