NYU will host the launch of "Books that Cook: The Making of a Literary Meal" (NYU Press) on Thurs., Sept. 25, 6-8 p.m. at Fales Library and Special Collections.
The evening will feature Marion Nestle, a professor at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development who penned the book’s foreward, as well as editors Jennifer Cognard-Black and Melissa Goldthwaite.
Organized like a cookbook, Books That Cook: The Making of a Literary Meal is a collection of American literature written on the theme of food: from an invocation to a final toast, from starters to desserts. Each section begins with an excerpt from an influential American cookbook, progressing chronologically from the late 1700s through the present day, including such favorites as American Cookery, The Joy of Cooking, and Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The literary works within each section are an extension of these cookbooks, while the cookbook excerpts in turn become pieces of literature—forms of storytelling and memory-making all their own.
Each section offers an assortment of poetry, prose, and essays, and all selections include at least one recipe to entice readers to “cook this book”. The work is composed of writing from such notables as Maya Angelou, James Beard, Alice B. Toklas, Sherman Alexie, Nora Ephron, M.F.K. Fisher, and Alice Waters, among others.
The event, which will also include appearances by contributors Caroline Grant, Ravi Shankar, April Lindner, and Howard Dinin, is free and open to the public. To RSVP or for more information, call 212.992.9991 or email betsy.steve@nyu.edu. Subways: A, B, C, D, E, F, M (West 4th Street); 6 (Astor Place); N, R (8th Street).