Source: Short EditionWhen craving a snack, we can usually just hit up a nearby vending machine. But what is a person to do when they are craving a short story? Making literature just as accessible as a pricey snack is the Short Story Dispenser from Short Edition.

Working like a traditional vending machine, the Short Story Dispenser prints out a strip of paper that resembles a grocery receipt with either a one-minute, three-minute or five-minute story on it. Chosen at random from a digital library of short stories, over 6,000 authors appear in the Short Edition archives.

The company acquires new work by conducting writing contests where submissions are evaluated by Short Edition judges. Upon selection, the work is then transmitted over a mobile network.

Although the machines first made their debut in 2016, they have grown in popularity with over 150 of the vending machines cropping up in places such as train stations, airports, cafes, universities and government offices around the world.

"We want to create a platform for independent artists, like the Sundance Institute,” said Kristan Leroy, the export director at Short Edition.

The machine costs just over $9,000 for operators, with an additional $190 charge for monthly content and software.

“The idea is to make people happy,” Leroy said. “There is too much doom and gloom today.”