Stop scrolling through Instagram and read a short story next time you’re passing through Canary Wharf.
These lovely machines, created by French company Short Édition, will dispense short stories for commuters — at varying lengths of one, three and five minutes. They’re printed on scrolls of eco-friendly papyrus paper and, what’s more, they are completely free of charge. (Feature image: Sophie Crepy-Boegly)
At just the touch of a button, you could be reading a condensed version of a story written by the likes of Charles Dickens or Virginia Woolf. The tales will cover a load of different genres, from crime to romance and everything in between. There’s even a specially commissioned story written by bestselling novelist Anthony Horowitz somewhere in the mix.
The Canary Wharf Group did some research into people’s reading habits and found that over 53 million books are left unfinished in the UK every year. The top reason was because people felt they just didn’t have the time to read entire novels.
Short Édition hope that their snackable story initiative will encourage commuters—and Londoners in general—to read more. After all, a tube journey is the perfect time to get stuck into a book. Or, in this case, a far more manageable page.
You’ll find the Short Story Dispensers in Jubilee Place, Churchill Place and Crossrail Place Roof Garden.