Traveling Short Story Dispensers Land at the Capitol Hill and Southwest Branches

rablogspl

Jun 20

Do you like "choose your own adventure" stories, the "I'm feeling lucky" button on Google and mystery bags? Then you'll love ordering up a short story at one of the Library's two traveling short story dispensers, which have just taken up residence at the Capitol Hill and Southwest branches.

Created and curated by the French publishing company Short Edition, the story dispensers are slim kiosk-like machines that print out a tiny tale (ranging from a 1 to 5-minute read) with a simple wave of your hand (the dispensers are contactless).

The stories are printed on a receipt-like piece of paper you can take with you. They are free, like everything at the Library, and you don't need a Library card to use the dispenser; just wave, grab and read.

The Short Edition story dispenser at the Capitol Hill Branch — This month, the story dispenser features Pride stories as well as stories by local authors.

The dispensers have spent time at the Station Coffeeshop on Beacon Hill, at the Central Library and at the Fremont Branch. In early June, they were moved to the Capitol Hill (425 Harvard Ave. E.) and Southwest branches (9010 35th Ave. S.W.), where they'll stay until August.

In honor of Pride Month, the dispensers have added a collection of Pride-related stories, which you can order by selecting the middle button on the kiosk.

"This collection aims at bringing LGBTQ+ literature into the spotlight through a colorful compilation of short stories and poems curated to celebrate Pride month and showcase LGBTQ+ voices in all their glorious diversity," says Short Edition. (Short Edition notes that certain texts in the Pride collection are intended for a mature audience. The story collection in general includes a wide range of genres and is geared to adults, although many are fine for older children.)

The story dispensers also include a collection of stories written exclusively by Seattle-area authors, available by selecting the "Local Writers" button to the right. Find stories from authors such as Kristen Millares Young, a finalist for the 2021 Washington State Book Award for Creative Nonfiction and a writing workshop instructor for classes at the Library; as well as Katie Kurtz and Angie McCullagh, participants of the Library's 2023 Writers' Room Residency, which provides a secure and shared writing space on Level 9 of the Central Library.