If you love to eat, drink, read or write, this Birmingham Public Library’s six-day festival kicking off October 1 is for you.
If you love to eat, drink, read or write — or some combination of the four — this post is for you. The Birmingham Public Library’s six-day festival invites patrons with adventurous palates and a love for the written (or spoken) word to polish off some good food — and of course, some good writing. The cultural event kicks off October 1; here are five reasons we’re looking forward to it this year.
EAT: It’s a veritable smorgasbord of offerings, from Chef Bryant Terry’s adventurous cuisine to fermented and foraged food (think Harvest Roots Farms’ sauerkraut and kombucha and Deep Roots Apotheké tonics, not dumpster pizza). There will also be presentations on healthy eating from the Junior League of Birmingham’s Project Yummy van and hors d’oeuvres from restaurants including Jim ‘N Nicks and Babalu during various scheduled events.
DRINK: Craft beer tasting? Literary Cocktails? Yes, please. Whatever your pleasure, you can find something unconventional yet inspired to sip during the last two nights of the festival. The Birmingham Library Young Professionals Board-hosted, Latin-American-inspired Happy Hour will also intersect with October’s Art Crawl.
READ: With four out of five of the slated events scheduled to be held at either the Central or Linn-Henley Research library, books take center stage. This event is an opportunity to get lost in the stacks and feast on fine writing of all genres. Rediscover an old favorite, a new release, more than a few authors with Alabama roots — and maybe even a banned book or two.
WRITE: If you’ve been working on your book, a comedy bit or even a verse, need inspiration to get started or just enjoy any of those mediums, this is your tribe. Since a picture’s worth a thousand words, a juried exhibit of children’s artwork interpreting adventurous food will be on display October 3. Then experience writing come to life with comedian Funny Maine at the October 6 Happy Hour and at the Bards & Brews poetry slam with Voice Porter on October 7.
Don’t skip DESSERT: What’s a meal without something sweet at the end? Enter your (very) short story on food in the festival’s Six-word Food Story Contest by October 1. You could win a $25 gift card to Babalu and a book of six-word memoirs.
Each evening’s event is a literal buffet of cultural collaboration and promises a culinary adventure for guests of all ages. It supports the Birmingham Public Library’s mission of promoting “lifelong learning, cultural enrichment and enjoyment.” Partners include some of Birmingham’s most notable restaurants, businesses and philanthropic institutions. And with the exception of the first night, admission to the remaining events is free.
Find more about Birmingham’s Eat Drink Read Write Festival here; find tickets to An Evening With Chef Bryant Terry here.
