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Selected Shorts Our greatest actors transport us through the magic of fiction, one short story at a time. Sometimes funny. Always moving. Selected Shorts connects you to the world with a rich diversity of voices from literature, film, theater, and comedy. New episodes every Thursday. Produced and distributed by Symphony Space.
Selected Shorts

Podcast Directory
Selected Shorts

Selected Shorts

From Radiotopia

Our greatest actors transport us through the magic of fiction, one short story at a time. Sometimes funny. Always moving. Selected Shorts connects you to the world with a rich diversity of voices from literature, film, theater, and comedy. New episodes every Thursday. Produced and distributed by Symphony Space.

Most Recent Episodes

Larger Than Life

Guest host Jane Kaczmarek presents two stories about characters who are compelling personalities. First, the story that inspired the Hollywood classic All About Eve, Mary Orr's "The Wisdom of Eve," performed by Stana Katic. Next, in Louise Erdrich's powerful mother-daughter story "The Leap" a former trapeze artist pushes herself to the limit. It's read by Elizabeth Reaser. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Word Power

Guest host Dylan Marron presents three works that demonstrate the power of words. In "The Dancing Mind," the late Toni Morrison talks about why writers love their craft, and readers love their creations. Joe Morton is the reader. In Canadian poet and short-story writer Souvankham Thammavongsa's story, "How to Pronounce Knife," one word links two cultures. It's performed by Deborah S. Craig. And Ian McEwan's "My Purple-Scented Novel," is a satirical tale about two authors and one masterpiece, performed by Denis O'Hare. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Under the Surface

On this SELECTED SHORTS, hosted by Jane Kaczmarek, we explore hidden emotions. In Patrick Dacey's "Patriots" suburban lawn ornaments threaten a friendship. The reader is Wendie Malick. In Seth Fried's "Sea Monster," a wife has a secret that may affect her marriage. The reader is Natasha Rothwell. Host Jane Kaczmarek reads our final story. In "Mistress" by Gina Berriault, a woman meets her former lover's son. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Too Hot For Radio: Jess Walter "Helpless Little Things"

From the best-selling author Beautiful Ruins, an edgy, suspenseful story about a drug-dealing Portland con artist voiced by actor Denis O'Hare who seems to have the perfect scam going... until it all goes wrong. Jess Walter talks to host Aparna Nancherla about where he gets his inspiration from, reading his reviews, and how he handles the dreaded writer's block. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncanny

Guest host Kate Burton presents four works with a hint of strangeness. Your laptop wants the best for you, with a little reciprocity, in "Cat Pictures Please," by Naomi Kritzer, performed by Nia Vardalos. "There Will Come Soft Rains" is an eerie post-apocalypse classic by Ray Bradbury, performed by Kathleen Chalfant. A despondent housewife gets a lift from a seductive window treatment in Michel Faber's "The Eyes of the Soul," performed by Sam Underwood. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Curious Courtships

Guest host Maulik Pancholy presents three stories about curious courtships. First, does the perfect date night include zombies? Tony Hale reads "First Person Shooter," by Charles Yu. A president's wife is the ideal luggage item, until she develops a mind of her own in a vintage tale by Whitfield Cook. "The Portable Mrs. Tillson," is performed by Laura Grey and Jordan Klepper. The show concludes with another period gem--"Gertrude the Governess: or, Simple Seventeen," by Stephen Leacock, performed by Sonia Manzano. This pastiche of Victorian melodrama has everything. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fame & Infamy

Guest host Dylan Marron presents three stories about the fickle nature of fame. A classic action hero may be past his time in "The South Asian Speakers Series Presents the Archeologist and Adventurer Indiana Jones," by Tania James, performed by Bryan Cranston. Everyday racism transforms a young woman into a death-defying activist in "Today, You're a Black Revolutionary," by Jade Jones, performed by Moses Ingram. And pop stars, their fads, and their handlers are fair game in "On a Day Tammy Had Not Eaten Enough Yellow," by Kenneth Calhoun, performed by Michelle Buteau, John Cameron Mitchell, and Miriam Shor. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forgiving and Forgetting

Guest host Robert Sean Leonard presents stories about transgression, misunderstandings, and betrayal. "Initials Etched on a Dining Room Table Lockeport Nova Scotia" call up a host of memories in this story by Peter Orner, performed by Maulik Pancholy. A chef down on his luck gets a new start in "Ollie's Back," by Lynn Sloan, performed by Nate Corddry. And parents disagree about the raising of a lively daughter, in "Light," by Lesley Nneka Arimah, performed by Crystal Dickinson. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Revise the Rules

Guest host Roxane Gay presents three stories in which personal codes and rules of behavior are tested. In "Miss Laura's School for Esquire Men," by Carmen Maria Machado, hopelessly macho men are learning to be kinder and gentler. The reader is Emily Skeggs. A schoolroom friendship comes at a high price in "Rubberdust" by Sarah Thankam Mathews, performed by Purva Bedi. The story was included in Best American Short Stories 2020 by guest editor Curtis Sittenfeld. A highly principled dogwalker contemplates a big change in Lydia Millet's "Sir Henry," performed by John Lithgow. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Too Hot For Radio: Tiphanie Yanique "The Special World"

A gorgeous story read by actor Hampton Fluker (The Blind Side, Patriots Day, and Shades of Blue) about race, leaving home, and the dramas of young life. After the reading, host Aparna Nancherla talks with the delightful author Tiphanie Yanique about, well, just about everything. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selected Shorts

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