A new book of short fiction, documenting one hundred days of interaction in a city full of strangers, launches today (1 July) with a series of guerilla-style ‘book drops’ around London.

Speak to Strangers is the brainchild of 29 year-old writer and literary blogger Gemma Seltzer. It’s a funny, provocative and elegant series of one hundred hundred-word stories, described by comedian Josie Long as “fantastic, evocative miniature masterpieces”, which chart a journey across the city through its inhabitants. Originally conceived as a blog, it was soon picked up by independent publisher Penned in the Margins.

On Friday, ten special edition copies of Speak to Strangers will be released into the wild at exact locations featured in the book. Each copy will be packaged, weather proofed and tagged with a postcard addressed ‘Dear Stranger’. The books will be tracked via Gemma’s website (gemmaseltzer.co.uk).

Locations will include Spitalfields Market (marked by Day 43) and the Wellcome Collection (Day 33), culminating at the Southbank Centre (Day 9) at 2pm.

Gemma Seltzer says: “Speak to Strangers is about capturing and charting random moments in London. The book drops do the same, but this time I’m letting the strangers have the experience. The project celebrates London and Londoners – the grumpy moments on the tube; theatre workers in East End pubs; and those lost on a weekend stroll around Hampstead Heath. I want this book to make people rethink the places and the people around them as they go about their everyday lives.”

Click to find out more about Speak to Strangers and buy online