Put down your phone and find a seat. It’s time to print out a free short story and read it while you wait for your flight.
Last month, Oakland International Airport unveiled two short-story dispensers for passengers in both its terminals. It’s a first for a California airport, and a good distraction from the airport’s dining program overhaul still underway.
The airport worked with French tech company Short Édition, creator of the dispensers, which allow passengers to choose one-, three- and 5-minute reads by more than 9,000 authors on-demand. They offer a variety of genres, from children’s stories to romance. All are original and from emerging and established writers around the world.
According to an Oakland Airport representative, the company’s goal is to give contemporary writers a new outlet to get their work read, especially in unexpected places and by new audiences. In addition to Short Edition’s own publications, the dispensers also offer a collection of classics.
Here’s how it works: Once the story length is selected, a printed papyrus-like sheet unfurls on eco-friendly paper with no waste, no ink and no cartridge. The entire exchange is free and takes less than a minute.
Since it launched on Oct. 11, more than 3,500 stories have been printed.
