I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT BOOKS. I love the way they feel when you hold them, the way they take you to places you’ve never been, the way they stir the imagination and the soul.
It doesn’t matter if they are in print, on a mobile device or even on a piece of paper that looks like a grocery store receipt. What? You never read a book or short story on a receipt? Truthfully neither have I until I came across an interesting concept - found in In Francis Ford Coppola’s Café Zoetrope in San Francisco - that is just starting to catch on in the United States. It's a short story dispenser.
Imagine walking into a café, ordering your favorite beverage and instead of immediately relieving your FOMO anxiety, you walk up to this odd-looking machine and are able to choose a short story that’s either a 1 minute, 3 minute or 5-minute read. And the best part is these short stories are both free and curated for the clientele that frequent that particular café. There is a universe of over 100,000 stories by 9,000 different authors to choose from.
I’m not sure what you would do, but at that moment, I put away my phone, my tablet and my laptop (and my FOMO) and take a few sips of my delicious brew and sit back and escape the world for a few minutes. Who knows, I might even discover a new author and what could be better than that?
To learn more about Mr. Coppola, here is a link to some more of his endeavors. As unique as the concept of a short story machine is, it made me wonder about how the noted film director Francis Ford Coppola happened to discover this intriguing device. What I discovered about Mr. Coppola was truly awe-inspiring.
Not only is he the director/producer of what many people consider some of the best films ever made, (The Godfather Saga, Apocalypse Now, American Graffiti) he is truly an iconic figure in American entertainment and culture. From his family-friendly and affordable vineyards to his resorts, restaurants and literary achievements, he is truly an American Treasure.