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Selected Shorts

Symphony Space

Selected Shorts

A weekly Arts, Books and Fiction podcast featuring David Sedaris, Cynthia Nixon and Wyatt Cenac
 2 people rated this podcast
Selected Shorts

Symphony Space

Selected Shorts

Episodes
Selected Shorts

Symphony Space

Selected Shorts

A weekly Arts, Books and Fiction podcast featuring David Sedaris, Cynthia Nixon and Wyatt Cenac
 2 people rated this podcast
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Best Episodes of Selected Shorts

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents a celebration of the 25th anniversary of powerhouse indie publisher McSweeney’s, known for clever, funny, playful, weird, and literary writing.  Ophira Eisenberg reads “Poor Little Egg-Boy Hatched in a Shul,"  by Nath
Our new Too Hot episode features a story about memory, fantasy, and a realm somewhere between the two—a place to which we might escape, for a price (calling all Black Mirror and Westworld fans).  It's dark, thoughtful, and surprisingly funny. I
Guest host Jane Kaczmarek presents two stories from the Best American Short Stories 2021 anthology selected by guest editor Jesmyn Ward. Both involve adolescents facing displacement or rejection, but the stories are set in very different enviro
Host Meg Wolitzer presents four stories in which characters shape their expectations and dreams to a manageable size in collaboration with Belletrist Book Club. So if you’re “Medusa,” as in our first story, by Tania James, you try to figure out
HostMeg Wolitzer shares three stories about people who put things out of sight—and try to put them out of mind. In Lisa Ko’s “Nightlife,” read by Vanessa Kai, a pair of friends quietly sidestep feelings that might complicate their relationship.
 Host Meg Wolitzer talks with author Elizabeth Strout about her story “Home” and the fictional family Strout has created.
Host Meg Wolitzer presents three stories about social occasions for introverts and extroverts alike, curated with the Belletrist Book Club, founded by actor Emma Roberts and producer Karah Preiss. The show was recorded at the Getty Center in Lo
On this episode of Selected Shorts, host Meg Wolitzer presents three stories about change. A playful fantasy, a domestic dilemma, and a private struggle help us to adjust to the idea of transformation, losses, and gains.  In “Sea Monster,” by S
Host Meg Wolitzer presents three stories about the act of writing and how it can remake us--a prankish skit; a playful and tender investigation of creating with words; and a fraught social encounter between two characters who don’t ‘get’ each o
Host Meg Wolitzer presentsfour works in which nature and the out-of-doors drive both plots and character.  Humorist Jenny Allen does battle with her stubborn plants in “Garden Growing Pains,” read by Kirsten Vangsness.  The majestic Canadian bo
This story is by the writer Erin Somers. She has a novel, Stay Up with Hugo Best, and has been published in The Paris Review, The New Yorker and elsewhere.  Performing it, we've got two actors who found the funny with both the words and each ot
Host Meg Wolitzer presents two works with unusual family dynamics.  In Zadie Smith’s “Grand Union,” the mother-daughter bond transcends death and brings with it a whole family history.  The reader is Kaneza Schaal.  And Richard Bausch’s “What F
Host Meg Wolitzer presents stories so compelling that they were adapted for the screen. Selected Shorts and the prestigious Tribeca Festival collaborated and came up with three works that crossed the boundaries between fiction and film. An eeri
Host Meg Wolitzer presents two humorous stories about marriages not made in heaven.  In James Thurber’s classic “The Breaking Up of the Winships,” a long-married couple fall out over Donald Duck. The reader is Kristine Nielsen. And in Louise Er
In this bonus conversation, host Meg Wolitzer talks to author Louise Erdrich about her story; her writing life; and what do with left over index cards. 
In this bonus conversation, host Meg Wolitzer talks to actor Denis O’Hare about his craft, and his approaches to readings of the two very different stories on this program.
Host Meg Wolitzer presents three pieces about marriages that outlive the romance. In Etgar Keret’s “A World without Selfie Sticks,” performed by Tate Donovan, a man meets the woman of his dreams; but she’s from an alternate universe. “On the Ho
Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories about complex characters and the many different roles they play in each other’s lives and in the world around us.  Cherline Bazile’s “Tender,” which guest editor Min Jin Lee included in Best American Short
Host Meg Wolitzer presents a celebration of the great Ray Bradbury, master of science fiction and fantasy.  Author Neil Gaiman, who hosted a live event at Symphony Space dedicated to Bradbury, elaborates on the program’s stories that demonstrat
Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories about the course of true love, from two very different perspectives. Sigrid Nunez explores a roller-coaster romance in a small town in “This Is It,” performed by Christina Pickles, and Simon Rich offers up
"Cookie Monster Shares" was performed by actor and comedian Baron Vaughn at SketchFest in San Francisco, CA. The story was written by James Hannaham, the PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author of sharp satires including Delicious Foods and Didn't No
Host Meg Wolitzer presents three pieces about losing things: objects, opportunities, a primary sense, a new friendship. In “Any Other” by Jac Jemc, performed by Helen Hong, a woman rejects an offer without knowing the consequences. Namwali Serp
Host Meg Wolitzer presents three stories about characters who try to prepare for trouble, sometimes doing more harm than good.  In Joe Meno’s “Animal Hospital” a well-meaning father is surprised by his kids’ response to a game of doctor.  The r
Guest host David Sedaris presents stories that reimagine holiday rituals. In Tobias Wolff’s “Powder,” a pre-Christmas snowstorm provides an adventure for a father and son. SELECTED SHORTS’ late host and founder Isaiah Sheffer is the reader. A l
Host Meg Wolitzer presents four stories about journeys, performed by actors including Stephen Colbert and John Turturro.  Strangers size one another up on a busy city bus in Kurt Vonnegut’s “City,” performed by Bhavesh Patel and Sarah Steele. A
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