Local artists and writers have collaborated on a new project to install benches in the shape of books throughout the city to inspire literacy, much to the chagrin of Fayette County high school students. Multiple teachers have added the book benches to their required summer sitting list.

Henry Clay High School English teacher Myra Malone assigned the Great Expectations book bench to her incoming students. “No one’s sure where they’re putting that one yet,” she said, over a scone, “but I expect that it will not be comfortable.”

Some teachers were concerned about students just listening to the audio version of the benches or, worse, writing their reports after only skimming the book ottoman.

“If they don’t actually sit there,” said Bryan Station English teacher Roberta Allman, “they won’t get that feeling of accomplishment you get from sitting on someone else’s hard work and casting aspersions on it.”

Paul Laurence Dunbar Art teacher Nicholas Dunham doesn’t care what book bench his students sit on as long as they sit on at least one. “We’re coming at it more from the artist’s perspective,” he said. “Sometimes you can judge a book bench by its cover.”

The Fayette County School System is in talks with Pizza Hut to bring back their Book It! program to add extra incentive to sit on book benches all summer. “Maybe every five book benches a student sits on,” said school board member Ceilia Chaney, “they get a personal pan pizza? But it would have to be on the approved book bench list. We can’t have bad book benches corrupting our children’s posture.”

Tates Creek AP English teacher Rex Cleminson took a different tack. “I don’t want to have to make my students sit on a bench. I want my students to want to sit on a bench. I’m trying to inspire a love for benching that they will carry with them for the rest of their sedentary lives. We are trying to adapt to technology but sometimes these e-benches don’t give you that satisfying feeling of sitting on a good old fashioned book.”