It’s time to eat those words

Eaten any good books lately?

No, that’s not a typo. And if not, you might take your fork down to the fifth annual Edible Book Festival, Saturday in West Hollywood.

The event is the brainchild of Judith Hoffberg, a Santa Monica-based artist and curator of book art exhibitions. It came to her during a Thanksgiving dinner with a group of book artists, explains Lisa Deutsch, president of the Los Angeles Book Arts Center, which sponsors the show.

“They were discussing their two favorite things, great food and book art,” Deutsch says. “And the next thing you know, they came up with this wonderful concept: a show where all the book art is completely edible.” The festival quickly became an international phenomenon. Now it happens around the world on or around April 1. “So it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek,” says Deutsch.

This year, more than 20 artists, some of whom are chefs, are expected to participate. Members of the public are invited to exhibit their own creations.

But not everything will be delectable. “There’s a squid book and some other books you might not want to eat,” Deutsch offers. “Other artists are really intent on creating something that’s delicious as well as artistic.”

Deutsch, for example, has been working with her pastry chef brother to perfect her all-chocolate tome, inspired by “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

“It’s a very accessible show,” Deutsch says. “Sometimes art, especially in bigger cities like L.A., tends to be restrictive. People don’t get it. They don’t understand it. This is a completely down-to-earth, fun experience where everyone gets together in the spirit of creativity and good food.”

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Edible Book Festival

Where: Plummer Park Community Center, Rooms 5 and 6, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood

When: Saturday, 2 p.m. for viewing; 4 p.m. for tasting

Price: Free

Info: (310) 657-2616