Literary Vending Machines

The lucky citizens and visitors of Grenoble, France can get more than just a soda or a snack from vending machines these days. A local startup is currently piloting short-story vending machines that print out stories on a long ticket resembling a grocery receipt. Users select whether they want a story that will take one, two, or three minutes to read depending on how much time they have. 

This concept immediately reminded me of Donalyn Miller's idea of "reading emergencies," which she discusses in her fantastic book Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer's Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits. A "reading emergency" is a time when you have nothing else to do, such as when you're waiting in line, sitting in the car, waiting for soccer practice to begin, and so on. Children who always have reading material with them are able to rack up an impressive amount of reading minutes during these "reading emergencies."

Yet as much as I begged, pleaded, and demanded that my students always have their independent reading books with them, the reality didn't always match my vision. Students were full of excuses--they had to carry too much already, they left their books in their lockers and going to get them would eat up all of the time they had in the first place, they just finished their book and hadn't selected a new one yet, or they only had two minutes and it would take them longer than that to get back into a book. I could provide solutions to every excuse but that last one. Even with bookmarks and post-it note reminders, it is true that reading in two or three minute chunks is remarkably unsatisfying and certainly does not lead to rich (or even basic) levels of comprehension. We all want our students to reach that magical place of being completely immersed in the world of their books, but is this even possible to achieve in three minutes? It isn't for me, and I'm an experienced reader!

What if we borrow an idea from the French and create short story vending machines in our classrooms and schools for our students to use when they find themselves with a short "reading emergency?" You don't need fancy technology--simple file folders tacked up to the wall will suffice. Each folder can be labeled with an estimate of the length of time the materials inside will take to read, or folders can be further classified by topic or genre. Fill the folders with copies of very short stories, short articles, poems, or even excerpts from longer works. Here are some ideas for materials for your literary vending machine:

• There Is No Long Distance Now: Very Short Stories by Naomi Shihab Nye
• Micro Fiction: An Anthology of Fifty Really Short Stories
• Stories on the Go: 101 Very Short Stories by 101 Authors
• A Really Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
• Poetry 180: A Poem a Day for American High Schools (hosted by Billy Collins)
• Articles from Newsela, NPR, Dogo News, Scholastic, etc.
  

Think strategically about where to place your literary vending machines and don't limit yourself to your own classroom. Cafeterias, lobbies, busy hallways, athletic locker rooms, and other classrooms make great locations for students to sneak in a few minutes reading a selection from the vending machine. Materials can be laminated or placed in sheet protectors to protect them for multiple students to read, or students can be encouraged to keep stories they enjoyed. Recruit student volunteers to help decorate and maintain the vending machines. Students can help find new stories and articles for the vending machines, or even pen their own.

For additional ideas for creating a school-wide community of readers, consider hosting a professional development workshop.