Selected Shorts

Host Meg Wolitzer helps a great documentarian celebrate a great American author.  Cather is the of author of novels like My Antonia and O Pioneers! And Ken Burns hosted a live evening of her shorter works to celebrate her sesquicentennial—her 150th birthday, in 2023.  On this program, we feature “The Way of the World,” in which an imaginary town’s young “citizens” are rife with romance and rivalry.  The reader is Sonia Manzano.   And a weary farmer’s wife recaptures her long-dormant passion for music at “A Wagner Matinee,” read by David Strathairn.

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Written by Carmen Maria Machado, the dark, inventive and sensual writer behind the collection Her Body and Other Parties, and the memoir In the Dream House, this story, “Persephone Rides at the End of Days," was commissioned for the Selected Shorts anthology Small Odysseys. It's about a Greek goddess coming to terms with who and what she is. Is her name, meaning "bringer of death," her fate? Or will she channel the other side of her mythological self? Our reader is Cynthia Nixon, best known for her role on Sex & the City as well as its sequel, And Just Like That. She has also appeared in so many other television series, including The Gilded Age, and is big on Broadway. Aprana Nancherla hosts this episode.

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories about characters wrestling with their roles in life.  In “The Ugly Sister,” by Joanne Harris, a fairy-tale villainess tells her side of the story.  The reader is Jayne Atkinson.  And a young wife struggles to find her place in a close-knit family in “Underwater,” by Hannah Kingsley-Ma, read by Marin Ireland.

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents three stories about finding solutions to complex problems, and to simple ones. T. C. Boyle tackles evolution and government intervention in “Top of the Food Chain,” read by Zach Grenier. In Matthew Ryan Frankel’s “Carapace,” a young boy struggles with feelings at a family funeral—with the help of some crabs. The reader is Philip Estrera. And a young woman traveling between two worlds and two families has to deal with what to put in “The Suitcase” by Meron Hadero. The reader is Renée Elise Goldsberry. The show also includes an interview with Hadero.

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Meg 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 look at giving and receiving.  Teagle F. Bougere reads.

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents two provocative stories that address the idea of communing with something “other”.  In Etgar Keret’s “Polar Bear” an AI program, and a lonely widow, commune.  The reader is Michael Imperioli. And Mom is close by—and full of unwanted advice—in “The Acorn” by Elizabeth Stix, performed by Dylan Baker.

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Symphony Space was thrilled to host an evening with Israeli writer Etgar Keret, whose stories we’ve featured many times on Selected Shorts. He was interviewed by his longtime friend, and host of This American Life, Ira Glass. In this condensed version of their talk, they playfully challenge each other on a wide range of topics, some political, some creative, but mainly about what it’s like to live in these uncertain times.

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents three stories about people inserting themselves into the lives of others—in their own best interests. In Simon Rich’s “Relapse,” friends rally ’round when one of their numbers heeds the call of the muse. It’s read by Ophira Eisenberg. In Langston Hughes’ “Thank You, M’am,” read by Pauletta Washington, a fierce old lady sets a young man straight. And a young woman finds an ingenious way to cheer up retirees—and herself—in Miranda July’s “The Swim Team,” read by Parker Posey.

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents three fictionaldisappearing acts.  In “We Have Your Son,” by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw, a kidnapping goes wrong.This darkly humorous piece recalls O’Henry’s “The Ransom of Red Chief” and is performed by Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker.  In “Where’s Dad?” by Claire Fridkin, performed by Emily Skeggs, the hunt for Waldo gets personal.  And Anita Felicelli creates a mysterious lodger and an atmosphere of Hitchcockian dread in “A Minor Disturbance,” performed by Jill Eikenberry.

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents stories about characters coping with pre-existing difficulties, large and small—and then encountering someone or something ready to change everything. In “Shoulder-Top Secretary” by Shinichi Hoshi, performed by Thom Sesma, a door-to-door salesman unveils the must-have technology of the future. In “It Had Wings” by Allan Gurganus, performed by Marian Seldes, a celestial being offers up a possible remedy for the aches and pains of life.  And our final story, “The Toynbee Convector,” is a Ray Bradbury classic in which a time machine delivers a hero to our tumultuous present. It’s read by Mike Doyle, with whom we also spoke backstage on the night of his performance.

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