Short Story Stations: Canary Wharf partners with Penguin Books to relaunch its free literature vending machines – 30.07.24

• Canary Wharf has joined forces with publishing house Penguin Books to re-launch its Short Story Stations, offering free stories, poems and extracts
• Visitors can print new fiction and non-fiction stories for free, from a variety of Penguin-published authors such as Salman Rushdie and Lavina Mehta
• First stories now live to celebrate South Asian Heritage Month, including Sathnam Sanghera’s Empireworld

Canary Wharf has joined forces with one of the world’s leading publishing houses, Penguin Books, to re-launch its hugely popular Short Story Stations.  

Across the next year new stories, poems and extracts will be available to print at each station in Canary Wharf’s Crossrail Place Roof Garden and Jubilee Place. The Penguin-curated stories have been written by some of the brand’s top selling authors including Salman Rushdie and Lavina Mehta, which can all be read for free.  

Celebrating established and new authors alike whilst also championing diversity and inclusion throughout, different stories will be themed to go live at key moments in the year such as South Asian Heritage Month, Black History Month and LGBTQ+ Pride Month.  

With the partnership launching during South Asian Heritage Month this July, Canary Wharf visitors can now get their hands on extracts from books by authors from the South Asian diaspora including Sathnam Sanghera’s Empireworld and Naina Kumar’s Say You’ll Be My Jaan.  

This is not the first time Penguin Books has given their readers access to their works in vending machines. Back at the very start, founder Sir Allen Lane created the Penguin sixpenny paperback which readers were able to pick up at train stations, corner shops and vending machines across the country. The aim was to make quality literature affordable and accessible to all – just as it is doing at Canary Wharf today. 

Since Britain’s first ever Short Story Stations were launched in Canary Wharf in 2019, visitors have printed more than 250,000 free pieces of writing, with the standard collection spanning a vast range of stories and poems from recognised classic tales to newer works.  

At the touch of a button, visitors can print one, three, or five-minute-long stories onto eco-friendly paper, with the tales covering a variety of genres from crime to comedy and everything in between – ideal for commuters who are tired of Instagram scrolling on the train, or for those looking for a quick read on their way back from the shops.  

Camilla McGregor, Arts & Events Manager at CWG said: “We’re delighted to have partnered with Penguin Books for the re-launch of our Short Story Stations, offering free accessible literature from established and new authors alike. The stations offer visitors the chance to immerse themselves in a story, even if they only have a few minutes to spare. People of South Asian heritage make up one of the largest minority ethnic groups in the UK, with our London Borough of Tower Hamlets being home to a large Bangladeshi population – so South Asian Heritage Month is the perfect time to launch this new partnership here at Canary Wharf, offering us the chance to spotlight stories from authors with a South Asian background, celebrating and honouring the community we are part of.”  

Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireworld said: “This is a fascinating project to be involved in when you’re obsessed, like me, with new writing, history and the London transport network. And what better timing than South Asian Heritage Month. Though, in truth, this history needs more than a month of our focus. You cannot make sense of modern multicultural Britain, or its history, without understanding its deep and intricate links to South Asia. To begin to understand how, just stop by at one of Canary Wharf’s Short Story Stations to print off an extract of both Empireworld and some other incredible works to get involved in the project.” 

Those looking to make a day out of a visit to Canary Wharf can enjoy a host of free activities and attractions, including a 9-hole mini golf course by creative duo Craig & Karl, the UK’s largest free-to-visit, outdoor, public art collection, the return of Summer Screens showing a summer of sport and Film Club in Canada Square Park, and 16.5 acres of open space and 5km of waterside boardwalks to explore. With over 70 cafes, bars and restaurants to choose from including Market Halls, newly opened Roe and WatchHouse Coffee, there’s something for everyone to enjoy on a visit to the neighborhood.  

1, 3 AND 5 MINUTE STORIES AVAILABLE NOW:  

1. Empireworld, by Sathnam Sanghera 

In his groundbreaking new book, Sanghera traces the legacies of the British empire around the world. 

     2. Say You’ll Be My Jaan, by Naina Kumar

Meghna has tried everything to find her jaan: blind dates, the dreaded apps, even attempting conversations with strangers. Everything except arranged marriage… 

3. The Feel Good Fix, by Lavina Mehta

Specifically designed to improve your health in perimenopause, menopause and beyond, this book offers quick, fun and effective bitesize exercise, as well as mind and lifestyle ‘snacks’ to make you feel good, both physically and mentally.  

4. Knife, by Salman Rushdie

A gripping account of survival and recovery from internationally renowned writer and Booker Prize-winner Salman Rushdie.  

5. The Girlfriend Act, by Safa Ahmed

A delightfully swoony tale with endearing characters finding the courage to be true to themselves and their dreams.  

6. Brotherless Night, by V. V. Ganeshananthan

A heart-breaking exploration of a family fractured by civil war. This beautiful, nuanced novel follows a young doctor caught within conflicting ideologies as she tries to save lives. 

7. Race and Education, by Kalwant Bhopal

Professor Kalwant Bhopal shows how race still determines who gains the best education in Britain, and who falls by the wayside. Through case studies, original research and interviews with students, teachers, and academics alike, she reveals how the construction of privilege starts at a young age. 

For more information, visit Canary Wharf’s website here.