The Seattle Public Library’s short story dispensers, which provide on-demand printed short stories at two locations, now feature a new collection of stories written exclusively by Seattle area authors.
The dispensers are available for visitors of the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., or customers waiting in line for their “cup of joe” at The Station coffee house in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. 1600 S. Roberto Maestas Festival St.
Short Edition, the French publishing company that produces story dispenser devices, has curated a collection of short stories by Seattle-area writers for local readers to enjoy. A complete list of these newly added works can be found below.
The new collection features 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 secured and shared writing space on Level 9 of the Central Library.
To read one of these stories, simply visit a short story dispenser and select the “Local Writers” option with the wave of a hand (the dispensers are contactless). Readers can also choose a one-minute or three-minute story option from the general collection. Stories are printed on a receipt-like piece of paper to take on the go. Since the installation of story dispensers in January 2020, more than 14,000 short stories have been printed.
Short story dispensers sponsored by The Seattle Public Library are the first and only located in Washington state, according to Short Edition’s website. Short Edition created the story dispenser in 2016 to offer people unexpected literary moments in their daily lives. More than 300 dispensers have been installed around the world and in unexpected places, such as airports, train stations and museums. Writers can submit stories for consideration on Short Edition’s website at https://short-edition.com/en.
The Library has plans to circulate one of the short story dispensers to other branches later this year so that other areas of the city can experience it. The Short Edition story dispenser was made possible by a generous grant from The Seattle Public Library Foundation.
LOCAL AUTHOR WORKS NOW FEATURED
The following works of short fiction by local authors are now included in Seattle-area short story dispensers:
Alicia Bones: “Everybody Wants an Uncomplicated Life” and “Scissor to Strand Salonspa”
Alina Rios: “Seeking Ore” and “Woven”
Andrea Eaker: “The Build of a Siren”
Angie McCullagh: “The Whole Flow” and “Green Freak”
Caitlin Andrews: “Color Me Blue”
Carol Roscoe: “Ruby's First Novel” and “Transplants”
Carolyn Abram: “Nostalgia”
Ching-In Chen: “Tree Skin” and “Leaving the Desert (story in reverse)”
David Drury: “When the Lights Came Up” and “The House Lamps”
Hillary Behrman: “Rocks” and “The Lost and Found”
Jennifer Fliss: “Handprints” and “For the Dachshund Enthusiast”
Jessica Duling: “Santa's Helpers” and “The Days I Hope For”
Johan Liedgren: “Legs About Love”
John Whittier Treat: “Almost”
Kate Williams: “Doors Swing Both Ways”
Katie Kurtz: “Session” and “The Book”
Kristen Millares Young: “Try Saying Yes”
Lindy Thompson: “Bugging Out” and “The Ice Storm”
Matthew Simmons: “We Posted Through It”
Michael Bracy: “Granny Earlene”
Michelle Templeton: “Reading Emily Bronte” and “Burn”
Rita Grace Atmajian: “Natural Wonders” and “Three Little Birds”
Ruthie Nicklaus: “Just the Groceries, Please”
Stephanie Barbé Hammer: “Island Story” and “The Beautiful Pilot”
Sudeshna Sen: “Tagebuch”
Suzanne Morrison: “The Mother’s Portion”
William Gallien: “A Bunny Rabbit Eats Tea Leaves On TV”