Say goodbye to boredom on the metro this summer Romes literary jukebox is back in town. Literary Subway 2005 is the fourth edition of the event in which booklets of short stories and poetry are distributed free in metro stations to keep passengers entertained while they travel.

The 12 short stories and collection of poems chosen are the result of a competition launched earlier this year by the association Laboratorio E-20 in association with the city of Rome, urging aspiring writers under the age of 35 to put pen to paper. Winning entries, chosen out of a total of 1,250, have been printed on recycled paper and distributed free of charge in glass cases dubbed literary jukeboxes.

On the cover of each booklet, as well as the title and genre, writers have also estimated the number of metro stops needed to read the work from cover to cover.

This year the initiative also involves Milan and Naples. In Rome, the jukeboxes are located in the following stations: Anagnina, Cinecitt, S. Giovanni, Vittorio Emanuele, Termini, Spagna, Flaminio, Cipro, Battistini, Laurentina, S. Paolo, Garbatella, Piiramide, Colosseum and Tiburtina.

For more information and to read the winning entries, www.subway-letteratura.org.