Episodi
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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 âSea Monster,â by Seth Fried, performed by Natasha Rothwell, a husband and wife reveal their secret identities to each other. In âDeath by Printer,â by Mira Jacob, read by Rita Wolf, a widow learns to cope with lossâand technology. And a mature woman embraces the self she is becoming in Maile Meloyâs âPeriod Piece,â performed by Kelli OâHara. The last two stories were commissioned for Selected Shortsâ anthology Small Odysseys.
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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 donât âgetâ each otherâs stories. B.J. Novak takes on the old saying âGreat Writers Stealâ in a short piece read by Novak and Aasif Mandvi. In Etgar Keretâs âCreative Writingâ a wife writes her way out of grief. Itâs read by Alex Karpovsky. A dinner party becomes a scene of personal and political tension in Lorrie Mooreâs âFoes,â performed by Joan Allen and Kyle MacLachlan. And Moore joins Wolitzer to talk about the story and creating fiction.
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Episodi mancanti?
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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 âGarden Growing Pains,â read by Kirsten Vangsness. The majestic Canadian border separates an Indigenous family in Thomas Kingâs âBorders,â read by Kimberly Guerrero. A housewife masters one of the elements in âFlying,â by Alyce Miller.The reader is Kirsten Vangness again.And a sudden storm creates a sense of abandon in the Kate Chopin classic âThe Storm,â read by Jane Curtin.âGarden Growing Pains,â âBorders,â and âFlying,â were presented in cooperation with CacheArts and Utah Public Radio, KUSU-FM.
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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 other. The first, Paget Brewster, is best known for her role on Criminal Minds. Additionally, she has appeared on Friends, Community and Comedy Centralâs Another Period. Playing off her is Andy Richter, known for his years on Conan and Late Night with Conan O'Brien; but has also appeared in cult classics like Cabin Boy and done many voiceovers for animated movies like Madagascar. The episode is hosted by Aparna Nancherla. The story was recorded at SketchFest in San Francisco.
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Host Meg Wolitzer presents two works with unusual family dynamics. In Zadie Smithâs âGrand Union,â the mother-daughter bond transcends death and brings with it a whole family history. The reader is Kaneza Schaal. And Richard Bauschâs âWhat Feels Like the World,â read by James Naughton, explores the bond between a grandparent and a grandchild.
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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 eerie game has unexpected consequences in Richard Mathesonâs âButton, Button,â performed by Marin Ireland. The story inspired the horror film âThe Boxâ starring Cameron Diaz and Frank Langella. Michael Stuhlbarg gives a rousing performance of Lewis Carrollâs âJabberwocky;â and Andrea Martin reads the story that inspired the Hollywood classic All About EveâMary Orrâs âThe Wisdom of Eve.â
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Host Meg Wolitzer presents two humorous stories about marriages not made in heaven. In James Thurberâs classic âThe Breaking Up of the Winships,â a long-married couple fall out over Donald Duck. The reader is Kristine Nielsen. And in Louise Erdrichâs âThe Big Cat,â read by Keir Dullea, two powerful wives, a bemused husband, and a symphony of bone-jarring snores. The program also features an interview with Erdrich.
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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.
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Host Meg Wolitzer presents three stories in which reality contrasts with the dreams, perceptions, and actions of the characters. In âThe Leap,â by Louise Erdrich, a motherâs unusual skill set changes the outcome of events. The reader is Elizabeth Reaser. In âDeath and the Lady,â by Ben Loory, even the Grim Reaper harbors illusions. And his parentsâ damaged marriage haunts an adult child in Delmore Schwartzâs âIn Dreams Begin Responsibilities.â Both the Loory and the Schwartz are read by multi-talented actor Denis OâHare, and Wolitzer talks to him about his craft.
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In this bonus conversation, host Meg Wolitzer talks to actor Denis OâHare about his craft, and his approaches to readings of the two very different stories on this program.
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"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 Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta. (Which, an objectively great title that really paints a picture.) Hannaham's sharp satires take no prisonersâeven in the seemingly innocuous context of a story narrated by the one and only Cookie Monster. Episode host Aparna Nancherla talks to the author after the story.
Too Hot For Radio is a bonus podcast from Selected Shorts featuring saucy and salacious tales that can't air on public radio.
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Host Meg Wolitzer visits a favorite indie bookstore, Three Lives & Company in Greenwich Village, remembers her early years there as a writer and reader, and is let in on some trade secrets.
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In this bonus conversation, writers Margaret Atwood and A.M. Homes discuss everything from feminism, time, writing and dystopian fiction, to Atwoodâs new short story collection âOld Babes in the Wood.â The interview was recorded in front of a live audience at Symphony Space.
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In this bonus conversation, host and best-selling author, Meg Wolitzer, talks to host of WNYCâs All of It, Alison Stewart. Wolitzer reveals some of the secrets to great writing and the two share their own reading habits and thoughts about the importance of fiction.
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In this bonus conversation, host Meg Wolitzer talks to friend and New Yorker humorist Patricia Marx about her story âSinginâ in the Acid Rain,â and writing funny.
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In 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.
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In 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.
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In this bonus conversation, host Meg Wolitzer talks to comedian and writer Michael Ian Black about what heâs been reading and the tricky business of being funny.
Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage
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In 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
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A bonus interview between our host and best-selling author, Meg Wolitzer, and the host of WNYCâs 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