Selected Shorts
231 episodes - English - Latest episode: 17 days ago - ★★★★ - 2.5K ratingsOur 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, from Symphony Space.
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Episodes
No Filter
May 04, 2023 13:00 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents two stories about selves obscured and revealed, by characters whose own identities are mysteries to them.In Aimee Bender’s “Un-Selfie, a woman reveals her extraordinary past to a stranger. The story was a commission for our 2022 Small Odysseys anthology, and is read by Alysia Reiner. In our second story, “Best Western” by Louise Erdrich, a young wife struggles to maintain a romantic fiction, until the real world crashes in on her. It’s read by Patricia Kalember.
Too Hot For Radio: Erin Somers "Ten Year Affair"
May 01, 2023 13:09 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBA story with double timelines that depart and converge about marriage, love and the path not taken. Read by Holly Hunter (The Paino, Succession and Mr. Mayor). The story was written by Erin Somers. She has a novel, Stay Up with Hugo Best, and has been published in The Paris Review, The New Yorker and elsewhere. This particular story, "Ten Year Affair," was chosen for the Best American Short Stories collection of 2022. Too Hot is hosted by Aparna Nancerla. This episode includes a conversation...
Grace Paley Centennial
April 06, 2023 17:00 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MBHost Meg Wolitzer shares our tribute to the influential and outspoken New Yorker Grace Paley, who would have turned 100 in 2022. Her emphasis on friends, family, and doing the right thing are evident in the three stories on this show. In “Wants,” a woman has a chance encounter while returning a lot of overdue library books. It’s read by Adina Verson. Two old friends work their way from childhood to middle age in “Ruthy and Edie,” read by Rita Wolf. And we meet a woman with a wonderfully ch...
Too Hot For Radio: Roxane Gay "Men On Bikes"
March 06, 2023 18:42 - 27 minutes - 24.7 MBRoxane Gay's story was published in an issue of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern in which all the authors "covered" a story, in the way a musician might cover a famous song. Gay took a famous Margaret Atwood story, titled "Rape Fantasies," as her inspiration. Both "Rape Fantasies" and "Men on Bikes" are about imagination, revenge and joking about subjects that make people uneasy. It's read by actress Jane Kaczmarek. Comedian Alison Leiby knows how to make us laugh about a subject people aren't...
Bonus: Meg Wolitzer Talks to Patricia Marx
February 09, 2023 17:40 - 12 minutes - 11.3 MBIn this bonus conversation, host Meg Wolitzer talks to friend and New Yorker humorist Patricia Marx about her story “Singin’ in the Acid Rain,” and writing funny.
Domestic Rearrangements
February 02, 2023 18:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBA routine that never changes can get old. So this week on Selected Shorts, host Meg Wolitzer presents three stories that shake up domestic life, teaching the characters something new about themselves and their circumstances. In “Scaffolding Man,” by Jenny Allen, performed by Patricia Kalember, a woman in a drab marriage is intrigued by a “hot” stranger. In "Myrna's Dad," by Cyn Vargas, a father’s changing occupations hide a family secret. The reader is Krystina Alabado. And in “Overtim...
Jokes and Poems with Mike Birbiglia and J. Hope Stein
January 26, 2023 18:00 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBWe reprise a recent favorite this week: Guest host Jane Curtin presents a cornucopia of jokes, poems, and stories from a live program with comedian Mike Birbiglia and poet J. Hope Stein. The couple shares material from their book, The New One, about the birth of their daughter, as well as works from some of their favorite writers. Among the featured works are stories and poetry by Joy Harjo, Paige Lewis, Ada Limón, Simon Rich, David Sedaris, Maggie Smith, and Zadie Smith. With performances ...
Objects of Love
January 19, 2023 18:00 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents two stories about objects of love, and feelings that can't be returned, for very different reasons. In “A Love Letter,” by Greg Ames, a boy falls head over heels in a crosswalk. Actor and YA author Maulik Pancholy really captures teen ardor and angst in his reading. And in Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s “Sugar Babies,” another teenager learns about adult responsibility from an everyday pantry staple. The reader is Sonia Manzano, best known for her role on Sesame Street.
When Push Comes to Shove: Stories by George Saunders
January 12, 2023 18:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBOn this Selected Shorts we turn the show over to universally beloved author George Saunders. Saunders somehow finds the good, or at any rate the imperfectly human, in his characters. The result is a catalog as funny as it is moving, as devastating as it is hopeful. On this program, two stories that perfectly illustrate this. “Love Letter” is from Saunders’ latest collection Liberation Day. In it, an anxious grandfather who is ambivalent about the state of the world counsels an older gran...
Bonus: Meg Wolitzer Talks with George Saunders
January 12, 2023 17:40 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBIn this bonus conversation, host Meg Wolitzer talks to friend and Booker Prize-winning author George Saunders about crafting short stories, where ideas come from, and how his work has evolved over the years.
Meg Wolitzer Talks with George Saunders
January 12, 2023 17:40 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBIn this bonus conversation, host Meg Wolitzer talks to friend and Booker Prize-winning author George Saunders about crafting short stories, where ideas come from, and how his work has evolved over the years.
Too Hot For Radio: Kim Fu "Pre-Simulation Consultation XF007867"
January 09, 2023 16:18 - 32 minutes - 30 MBOur 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. It was written by author Kim Fu, and is part of her 2022 debut story collection, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, which among other honors was picked as a TIME Top 10 Fiction Book of 2022. Performed by actors Kirsten Vangsness, beloved for he...
On the Run
January 05, 2023 18:00 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents two gripping stories about people in flight. In Rebecca Makkai’s “The Briefcase,” performed by Victor Garber, an escaped prisoner assumes another man’s identity. In “Paradise,” by Yxta Maya Murray, a young widow and mother runs from a fire, but can’t escape the challenges of her family life. Tanis Parenteau is the reader.
New Frontiers
December 29, 2022 18:00 - 1 hour - 55.2 MBMeg Wolitzer presents three stories about quests and travel, which pose the question “How far do we need to go to find what we want, whether that something be an ephemeral pleasure, a lasting relationship, or a symbolic object?” In Margaret Atwood’s playful origin story “The Martians Claim Canada,” extraterrestrials invade—in search of a good musical. Jane Kaczmarek reads. In Lesley Nneka Arimah’s powerful “Options,” performed by Zainab Jah, a discarded daughter seeks love. And in the third,...
UnWrapping the Holidays
December 22, 2022 18:00 - 59 minutes - 54.5 MBMeg Wolitzer presents three unexpected stories that let us see the holidays’ associations—family, friends, food, gifts, and goodwill—in different ways. Amy Krouse Rosenthal presents a playful encounter with the Almighty in “Interview with God,” performed by Jayne Atkinson and James Naughton. In Sherrie Flick’s “Heidi is Dead,” read by Adina Verson, a second wife tries to tune in with her in-laws. And John Cheever’s “Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor” is a richly comic and warmhearted ...
The Stand-Ins
December 15, 2022 18:00 - 59 minutes - 54.9 MBMeg Wolitzer presents a show of stories about replacements and stand-ins. While we tend to crave the original, sometimes a substitute can bring more happiness. In Steve Almond’s “A Happy Dream,” read by Phil LaMarr, a young man assumes a new identity in pursuit of love. In “A Brief Note on the Translation of Winter Women, Written by the Collective Dead, Translated by Amal Ruth,” a writer speaks for those who have passed. The “real” author is Rivers Solomon, and the reader is TL Thompson. ...
Prove Your Love
December 08, 2022 18:00 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBMeg Wolitzer presents a show of stories about our need to have “proof of love”—some demonstration by those nearest and dearest of exactly how much they care. A lot, in Etgar Keret’s sweetly improbable “Almost Everything,” in which a husband looks for the perfect gift for a demanding wife. It’s read by Liev Schreiber. In Jacob Guajardo’s “Conquistadors, on Fairchild,” read by Michael Hartney, old flames reconnect, but it’s not clear where they are headed.And in a classic from our archives,...
Complicated Women
October 13, 2022 18:08 - 1 hour - 57.4 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents three works that explore the many-layered lives of women. Edwidge Danticat’s essay “Women Like Us” honors the long line of strong women in her family, but also recognizes her need to distance herself in order to become a writer. The reader is the late Lynne Thigpen. In an excerpt from Nora Ephron’s Heartburn, performed by Joan Allen, a philandering husband gets just what he deserves. And an order of nuns has hidden strengths—and comic timing—in Claire Luchette’s...
Miracle Grow
October 06, 2022 17:00 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents two works about growth helped along by some sort of fantastical assistance. The characters in these pieces are stuck; consciously or not, they're looking for something to give them just a little push. And that nudge comes in the form of magic. In “Isabella’s Garden” by Naomi Kritzer, a backyard nature site presents a young family with a new world of fertility. The reader is Jane Kaczmarek. In “My Dear You” by Rachel Khong, performed by Annie Q., the afterlife provi...
TAKING FLIGHT WITH AMY TAN
September 29, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents three works featuring birds, curated by writer and bird aficionado Amy Tan. Ben Loory’s “The Frog and the Bird,” is a twist the traditional fable genre; it’s performed by Mike Doyle. Teenagers are transformed in “Town of Birds,” by Heather Monley, performed by Yetide Badaki; and an avian love song goes viral in Mikkel Rosengaard’s “The Mating Call,” performed by BD Wong. Tan comments on the program’s theme and the stories.
Great Escapes
September 22, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents three works that contemplate a way out—of our lives, and even of this world. In Joe Meno’s “Books You Read,” performed by Joan Allen, a young boy helps his jaded teacher to love reading again. J. Robert Lennon takes us into deep space and a conversation between a computer and a survivor in “Escape Pod W41,” performed by Stephen Lang. And marriage, and a friendship, are tested in Jac Jemc’s “Infidelity,” performed by Kathleen Chalfant. All three stories were com...
Wear and Tear
September 15, 2022 17:00 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents three works that offer unusual perspectives on clothes and fashion—selling, making, and coveting. In Anne Enright’s “(She Owns) Everything,” read by Mary-Louise Parker, a saleswoman becomes a compulsive consumer; In “Clothes on the Ground: A Conversation with Leap,” we hear from a Cambodian garment worker, interviewed by Julia Wallace for the compendium Women in Clothes, edited by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits, and Leanne Shapton. Leap is voiced by Jennifer Lim. A...
Bonus: Meg Wolitzer Talks to Elizabeth Strout
September 08, 2022 16:55 - 10 minutes - 9.65 MBIn this bonus conversation, host Meg Wolitzer talks to friend and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout about writing, short stories, and the use of recurring characters in her work.
Rites & Rituals
September 01, 2022 17:00 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBGuest host David Sedaris offers three stories that question social rites. “Cultural Relativity” is Charles Johnson’s witty retelling of a classic fairy tale; it’s read by Regina King. Zadie Smith reads her own “Lazy River”—ostensibly about a failed holiday in Spain, but also a deft satire about Brexit, class, and exploitation. And the cantankerous spinster In Jean Stafford’s “The Hope Chest” has a Dickensian moment of grace. Dana Ivey is the reader.
What's Your Story?
August 18, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 59.1 MBHost 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 other’s stories. B.J. Novak takes the old saying “Great Writers Steal” literally in a short piece read by Novak and Aasif Mandvi. In Etgar Keret’s “Creative Writing” a wife writes her way out of grief. It’s read by Alex Karpovsky. A dinner party bec...
What's Left Behind
August 11, 2022 17:00 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents three diverse stories that look at what gets left behind when life changes, gradually or suddenly. Restless retirees try on the ultimate next step in Greg Ames’ funny “Funeral Platter,” performed by Michael McKean and Annette O’Toole. The family in Julia Alvarez’s “Liberty” are on their way to a new life in America, but it’s difficult leaving the old one behind. The reader is Laura Gómez. And a trainer of guide dogs for the blind learns how to let go, in Amy Hempel...
Hitched
August 04, 2022 17:00 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MBHost 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 Honeymoon,” by Javier Marias, a husband has a strange encounter with a woman in the street. It’s read by Ivan Hernandez. And in Duncan Birmingham’s “The Cult In My Garage,” performed by Michaela Watkins, an old college buddy turns up, and he’s got a mi...
Too Hot for Radio Rabih Alameddine: "The Prom Terrorists"
August 01, 2022 18:56 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MBAn FBI probe into potential terrorists at a prom is the perfect setup for this high-paced satire that covers youth, sex, politics, religion, education, and the government. Written by the award-winning author of Wrong End of the Telescope, and read by Raffi Barsoumian (DC's Legends of Tomorrow and The Vampire Diaries). It was one of the pieces commissioned by Selected Shorts for its new anthology, Small Odysseys. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Spl...
Host Meg Wolitzer Talks to Comedian Michael Ian Black
July 21, 2022 16:45 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MBIn this bonus conversation, host Meg Wolitzer talks to comedian and writer Michael Ian Black about what he’s been reading and the tricky business of being funny. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage
TRY THIS ON: STORIES FROM AN EVENING WITH NEW YORK MAGAZINE’S ‘THE CUT’
July 14, 2022 17:00 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBThis week we reprise a great show from our archives: guest host Cynthia Nixon presents stories from New York Magazine’s online portal “The Cut,” which combines art, journalism, and the kind of fresh contemporary fiction that speaks to us. On this program, a woman tries on different identities, as well as clothes, in a dress shop fitting room, in “Fully Zipped” by Shelly Oria, performed by Katja Blichfeld. A new mother can’t seem to get the hang of breastfeeding in Curtis Sittenfeld’s “Ba...
COMING AND GOING
July 07, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 56.9 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents four stories about journeys, both physical and emotional. Strangers size one another up on a busy city bus in Kurt Vonnegut’s “City,” performed by Bhavesh Patel and Sarah Steele. An excerpt from James Baldwin’s Another Country takes us on a frantic subway ride toward an ultimate moment. It is performed by Nathan Hinton. Hopeful immigrants try to reach America in a dubious boat in “The Long Voyage” by Leonardo Sciascia, performed by John Turturro. And a man in tran...
WHO? WHAT? WHERE?
June 30, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents three stories that ask the big, basic questions: Who? What? Where? The characters resonate, the situations are intriguing, and each offers a fully realized world. In “What Animal Are You?,” by Etgar Keret, performed by Willem Dafoe, a celebrity writer and his son play themselves for the media. In Rumaan Alam’s “Nothing Can Come Between Us,” performed by Nathan Hinton, a man goes into sensory overdrive. And a fierce and traditional grandmother tries to find her pl...
Who? What? Where?
June 30, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents three stories that ask the big, basic questions: Who? What? Where? The characters resonate, the situations are intriguing, and each offers a fully realized world. In “What Animal Are You?,” by Etgar Keret, performed by Willem Dafoe, a celebrity writer and his son play themselves for the media. In Rumaan Alam’s “Nothing Can Come Between Us,” performed by Nathan Hinton, a man goes into sensory overdrive. And a fierce and traditional grandmother tries to find her p...
Bonus: Meg Wolitzer and Mona Eltahawy Talk Being a Dangerous Woman
June 16, 2022 17:00 - 21 minutes - 20 MBIn this bonus conversation, host Meg Wolitzer talks to journalist, activist and feminist writer Mona Eltahawy about her life, literature and what it means to be a "dangerous woman." Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage
A POINT OF HONOR
May 26, 2022 17:00 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBFor Memorial Day, host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories that feature men in uniform, codes of honor, and how conflicts can sometime lead to connection. Maile Meloy’s “Red,” performed by Keith Szarabajka, takes place in London during the Blitz, where a man and woman find a rare moment of peace. In Kurt Vonnegut’s “The Cruise of the Jolly Roger,” a retired army man searches for the next chapter in his life. The reader is Teagle F. Bougere. And we feature Vonnegut’s candid and affecting “Le...
It Takes Two
May 19, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents three stories about profound and unexpected connections between people—territory she herself covers a lot as a writer. Old enemies meet in Lauren Groff’s “Once,” performed by Cynthia Nixon. Old friends come together and wonder what might have been in Rachel Khong’s “Slow and Steady,” performed by Hettienne Park. And an artistic collaboration takes a bizarre turn in Elizabeth Crane’s “Something Shiny,” performed by Kate Walsh. Join and give!: https://donate...
Mothers Know Best
May 05, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 66.7 MBOn this SELECTED SHORTS host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories featuring mothers and children, and entertains a special guest—her own mother, Hilma Wolitzer. In Annette Sanford’s “Trip in a Summer Dress,” a young woman is setting out to get married, but leaving her real life—and a hard choice—behind. The reader is Mia Dillon. “Palaver,” by Bryan Washington, offers a playful—but also serious—battle of wits between a strong-willed mother and her grown son, each wanting to know more about the...
Too Hot for Radio: Helena Araújo "Asthmatic"
May 02, 2022 17:48 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBA story by the Columbian-born author, set in the turbulent 70’s as a group of would-be radicals devises a plan that quickly goes awry (the narrator might be the most pathetic revolutionary ever). The story is read by Peter Jay Fernandez, translated by Beatriz Teleki. Too Hot is hosted by Aparna Nancherla. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage
Behind Her Eyes
April 28, 2022 16:00 - 1 hour - 59 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents three stories about social masks and what might lie beneath. Truman Capote’s “A Lamp in a Window” introduces an eccentric character with a secret. It’s performed by Arian Moayed. In Molly Giles’ “What Do You Say?” a mother and daughter lunch at a diner, where the mother encounters a bit of her past. The reader is Parker Posey. And novelist Zadie Smith channels the legendary singer Billie Holiday in “Crazy They Call Me,” performed by Karen Pittman. Join and give!...
From Selected Shorts: All of It with Alison Stewart
April 14, 2022 17:01 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBWe partnered with WNYC’s Alison Stewart on this program featuring tales of love and haunting by new and established writers who have been featured on her show All of It. In Hilary Leichter’s “Doggy-Dog World” family life takes an unexpected turn. It’s read by Sarah Mezzanotte. Is “Horror Story” a series of hauntings, or is it the form that love takes when it’s not working? Carmen Maria Machado’s story is read by Molly Bernard. And the masterful Louise Erdrich gives us an old story—falling ...
Bonus: Meg Wolitzer and Alison Stewart Talk Fiction
April 14, 2022 17:00 - 9 minutes - 8.45 MBA bonus interview between our host and best-selling author, Meg Wolitzer, and the host of WNYC’s All of It, Alison Stewart. Wolitzer reveals some of the secrets to great writing and the two women share their own reading habits and thoughts about the importance of fiction. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage
The World According To Vonnegut
April 07, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 56 MBIt's all about the Slaughterhouse Five author who somehow managed to make a bleak dystopia funny, and a high school band teacher a hero. With host Meg Wolitzer we celebrate 100 years of Vonnegut with stories that explore the darkly absurd side he’s known for—“Harrison Bergeron” performed by Becky Ann Baker--and a softer, touching side in “The Kid Nobody Could Handle,” performed by Dylan Baker. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystud...
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO VONNEGUT
April 07, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 56 MBOn the next Selected Shorts, it's all about the Slaughterhouse Five author who somehow managed to make a bleak dystopia funny, and a high school band teacher a hero. With host Meg Wolitzer we celebrate 100 years of Vonnegut with stories that explore the darkly absurd side he’s known for—“Harrison Bergeron” performed by Becky Ann Baker--and a softer, touching side in “The Kid Nobody Could Handle,” performed by Dylan Baker. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?...
On Repeat
March 31, 2022 17:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents three provocative works about rituals that reshape and define their characters. In “oh she gotta head fulla hair,” by Ntozake Shange, a woman’s attention to her hair consumes her life. The reader is Tamara Tunie. In “Half a Day,” by Naguib Mahfouz, performed by Bruce Altman, time collapses and a lifetime goes by in a flash. And in Charles Baxter’s “Fenstad’s Mother,” a mother and son rehearse old patterns and find new ones. The reader is Edie Falco. Join and give!...
Too Hot for Radio: N.K. Jemisin "The Storyteller's Replacement"
March 28, 2022 16:25 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBA haunting story from one of the major figures in modern speculative fiction, short story- and novel-writer N.K. Jemisin.The New York Times called her “The Most Celebrated Science Fiction And Fantasy Writer of Her Generation," with good reason. Beautifully read by Purva Bedi, "The Storyteller's Replacement" is about a king on the hunt to secure and eat a dragon’s heart to ensure his own virility. Host Aparna Nancherla discusses the story and more with Jemisin after the reading. Join and g...
Almost Like Love
March 24, 2022 17:00 - 59 minutes - 54.5 MBHost Meg Wolitzer presents two stories about love, or the next best thing. In Pam Houston’s “How to Talk to a Hunter” a smart woman can’t get enough of what her man can’t offer. The reader is Mia Dillon. And a widowed mother and a lonely man make an odd couple in Lisa Ko’s “Pat + Sam,” performed by Jennifer Ikeda. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Night at the Theater
March 10, 2022 18:00 - 1 hour - 57.1 MBSELECTED SHORTS host Meg Wolitzer presents a show about the theater, and those who love it. Rachel Klein’s “Audience Instructions for Our Immersive/Experimental Theatre Production In An Abandoned Middle School In Bushwick,” read by Santino Fontana, sends up the avant-garde. In “Our Mutual (Theater) Friend,” by Amber Sparks, A retired diva just can’t fit into ordinary life—and then, she’s given an extraordinary gift. Krystina Alabado reads. Ann Petry’s “Solo on the Drums,” read by Peter Fra...
Redemption
February 24, 2022 18:00 - 58 minutes - 53.1 MBGuest host David Sedaris presents three stories about recollection and redemption. In “Sibyl,” by Carys Davies, read by Jane Kaczmarek, two lonely vacationers are brought together. Andre Braugher performs an excerpt from Toni Morrison’s master work Beloved. And a daughter returns home to help her aging father in an excerpt from Rachel Khong’s bittersweet novel Goodbye, Vitamin, performed by Jennifer Ikeda. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashp...
Coming of Age
February 17, 2022 18:00 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBGuest host Tayari Jones presents stories about rites of passage between childhood and adulthood. In Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector’s lyrical “The First Kiss,” a young boy has his first brush with the sensual. Pepe Nufrio is the reader. A fiery country girl shows a cool city boy the ropes—and a gator—in “Hellion,” written by Julia Elliott, and read by Donna Lynne Champlin. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage
Hard Choices
February 10, 2022 18:00 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBGuest host Kirsten Vangsness presents three stories about hard choices. In Jac Jemc’s “Trivial Pursuit,” a husband and wife run the gamut of odd couples while trying to construct a social life. Jordan Klepper kills it. Renee Jessica Tan offers a thought-provoking response to racial stereotyping, and a great father/daughter story, in “Baghead,” performed by Karen Chee. And a recent divorcee has nothing to lose in her “Spanish Winter.” But what does she have to gain? Melora Hardin performs ...