Vending

Brigham Young University vending machines dispense stories

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November 11, 2020

Students at Brigham Young University can buy short stories from a pair of vending machines on campus, according to a KLS.com report.

Leslee Thorne-Murphy, an English professor and associate dean at the BYU College of Humanities, came up with the idea after seeing similar dispensers in London.

The machines allow students to press to select 1-, 3- or 5-minute reads, then prints out a story selected at random. The stories include famous works, less famous works and even works submitted by students in class.

Student writers compete for money and the chance to have their stories published. The school is also competing with other schools for additional machines based on the number of stories submitted.