Hello, and welcome fellow literary lovers to Little Bibliophile, the podcast by a very short literary lover. Today is March 3, and I would like you all to know that my birthday is in a week. (I get very excited about my birthday.) You can send any birthday wishes or other comments or questions to my email, [email protected]. In other news, I also started a new podcast, a companion to this one; it is called “LiteraryMe,” and it will be all of my favorite poetry. You can find it on iTunes soon.

Today is going to be a very special episode. This one is dedicated to my dad, who is my biggest fan and a huge podcast buff. He's actually the one who got me listening to a lot of the podcasts that inspired me to make this one. In honor of his unflagging support, I decided to pick one of my favorite short stories that is also by one of his favorite authors, Ray Bradbury. I don't know if my dad has ever read the short story I picked out for today, but he loves Bradbury's novels, such as The Illustrated Man and The Halloween Tree.

What I love about Bradbury is how powerfully emotional all of his pieces are. So many of his short stories have put me into a kind of shock after reading them, where I was literally stunned and all I could think about was how amazing the story was.

So, I hope you enjoy “All Summer in a Day,” by Ray Bradbury.

Okay, world, we are gonna try something new today. This time I have not scripted my intro at all because I kinda just feel like jumping into this. This is Little Bibliophile, by the way; it's a podcast that I make with some awesome stories in it. So, I hope you enjoy. Um, today is February 15th. I did pick out a Valentine's Day story, but then it ended up being too cheesey and I really didn't want to do it. But this next piece I have picked out is kind of a love story, I think; at least, that's what I get from it. But it would definitely be a nontraditional kind. Anyway. It's actually not a story either, but I find that very appropriate as it is February. For those of you who aren't literary nerds, February is National Poetry month, which is a very exciting time for me. So, instead of a short story, we have what is called a “prose poem.” Prose poetry, for those of you who don't know, are like paragraphs, that are beautifully written. And because they have sort of a lyrical, poetical quality, they're not just prose, and they definitely aren't essays or anything, so they are “prose poems.” This poem I just came across yesterday. And, I love it. Um, it was an assignment for my creative writing class, which I did not read before the class started, but then, as the class got into things and we read it, I was completely blown away by it. Um, he interesting thing about it, however, is that I don't know how to pronounce the name of it. Maybe you can help me out. It is spelled I – S – K – A – N – D – A – R – I – Y – A, which I am thinking is Is – kan – daria, or Is – kandria, or something like that. But anyways. It's a prose poem by Brigit Pegeen Kelly, and it is absolutely beautiful. So, without further ado, since this is a very long introduction – maybe that's why I should keep scripting it – here it is.

Hello, podcast listeners of 2011. This is Little Bibliophile, the short girl who loves books. I'm sorry that it's been a while, but school and life keep me pretty busy these days. However, fear not, I am not giving up on this podcast – not yet.

Recently, I was dumped. Yes, yes, a sad story, a growing experience, etc, etc. But, to honor and mark this wondrous occasion, I give you a delightfully bitter short story by one of my favoritest authors of all time. This story is a reflection on life as well as storytelling and the writing process, which is why I'm a big fan of it. Also, reading it is one of my homework assignments this week.

Here is Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood.

Hello everyone, and welcome to “Little Bibliophile,” the podcast where I make up for my height with a whole lot of passion, passion for literature and stories. It is December – 2010 and thank you for joining me.

I have been thinking lately about reading a story that was Christmas-themed, as we are coming closer and closer to the holiday. I am about to embark on a vacation with my family, so it is likely that you won't hear from me again until after Christmas. But I could not think of anything that would be perfect to read. I thought of Dickens, but that would be too obvious. I thought of Louisa May Alcott, but then I would have to read a passage out of a larger novel instead of an actual short story.

But then I thought, why can't I just read the Bible? I hope none of you mind. I didn't think you would if I explained to you that this story has a lot of meaning for me not only religiously, but also in terms of literature. I think that the New Testament is beautifully written and contains some of the most poetic selections that mankind has ever written. Not to mention that no matter what your beliefs are, some of the teachings of Jesus are good to keep in mind.

This story is also very personal for me because my family has a tradition of reading it together every Christmas Eve.

So, as we approach this loving holiday, I will read the story of the birth of a man whose life was dedicated to loving others and teaching us to love as well.

And here is Luke 2:1-21 of the King James Version of the Bible.

Hello, and welcome to “Little Bibliophile,” the podcast where some of the most impacting short stories I have ever come across I now read to you.

This week's story is an extremely short one. It is about four paragraphs long. However, this did not exclude this piece from The New Yorker some years ago. I first came across it when I was twelve years old, and even though my education was merely budding, I was still quite impressed with it. Recently, I had forgotten what it was called and had to search on Google some key words in order to find it. Obviously, the story matter had stuck with me.

The thing I love about this story is how quietly heartbreaking it is, how everyday heartbreaking. And then when you think about how it was written in the 1940s, it really just makes it even more sad. All of the torment that the woman feels, as well as the story of her life and her marriage, is portrayed in four short paragraphs. It astounds me.

And now, I invite you to close your eyes as this wonderfully brilliant story sets a stage for you. Here is Katherine Brush's “Birthday Party.”

Hello, and welcome to my new podcast. This is the first episode of “Little Bibliophile,” the podcast where I read you short stories of my choosing. It's close to one in the morning on December 2nd, 2010, which is appropriate, because my next story is about another insomniac. It is called “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” by Ernest Hemingway.

My goal in this podcast is to chose stories that I can identify with, stories that have some meaning for me personally. I love this story, in particular, because I have had many, many late nights, and early mornings, where I really have no idea why I am still awake. I am exhausted. I have nothing important to do, just TV shows to watch, or a book to read, if I'm lucky enough to have that much functioning brain power. But, like the older waiter in this selection, I still need to stay awake. I don't know if it's an itch I need to scratch, or if there's some meaning that I'm waiting for, but I am compelled to keep away from sleep. I've heard that insomnia is common for people similar to me – namely, fellow students of literature. Maybe you can tell me sometime.

And here is: “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.”