In an effort to start reflecting local authors in our Short Story Dispenser, the library hosted a Short Fiction Contest during summer 2019, and a Stories from Home contest during the spring 2020 pandemic pause. Thanks to all the talented writers who flooded our inbox with their submissions. From these competitions, a literary jury selected the local stories to add, all of which are now in permanent circulation in the machine.

Local authors featured on the 3-minute-story button

• After Mom Left by Patrina Corsetti
• Bok Choy by Jess Gantt-Shafer
• Boxes by Rachel Jackson
• The Trumpet by J. T. Milway
• The Turkish Bath by Jenny Spencer
• The Great Return by Lucas Tucker

Local authors featured on the 1-minute-story button

• Calving Season by Jamie Lynne Burgess
• Delights by Karen Hohnstein
• The Elect by E. Q. Humphreys
• I Travel a Lot by Ken Proper
• April 7, 2020 by Ethan Summers
• Things I Took for Granted by Jen Summers
• Confounding Confinement by Dr. Murray Zedeck

Local authors on the children’s-story button

• Dusty, Rusty, Cooter and Spot Round Up the Calves by Beverly Andrus
• A Mustang's Decision by Kailani Clark Lay
• Spook Nibbles by Constance Sigler

You'll know you've scored one of these contest winners when you push the Short Story Dispenser button, as they will have a special Local Author notation at the bottom of the scroll.