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On this weekâs SELECTED SHORTS, we're going to hear stories about students and schools that abandon the usual rules to follow their own, unusual, codes of behavior. In "Singin' in the Acid Rain," by Patricia Marx, performed by Katrina Lenk, itâs recess at a post-apocalyptic school. Marx talks with Meg Wolitzer about the story and her unique brand of humor after the read. The class in âThe School,â by Donald Barthelme, performed by Laura Esterman, is facing a difficult test; and young love is framed by larger issues in "Melvin in the Sixth Grade," by Dana Johnson, performed by Nikki M. James. We hear from James about this nuanced rite-of-passage story.
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Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories that reflect on the beauty and vulnerability of the natural world. In âJoyas Voladoras,â by Brian Doyle, we hear the many different heartbeats of the natural kingdom.The reader is Becca Blackwell. And a talking fox has a lot to tell us about reading aloud, shopping malls, and fried chicken âFox 8,â a darkly funny fable by George Saunders read by John Cameron Mitchell. And weâre joined by the mother/daughter book club weâve featured on a couple of earlier episodes, which discusses âFox 8,â at the end of the show.
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A 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 âScaffolding Manâ by Jenny Allen, performed by Patricia Kalember, a woman in a drab marriage is intrigued by a âhotâ stranger. In "Myrna's Dad" by Cyn Vargas, a fatherâs changing occupations hide a family secret. The reader is Krystina Alabado. And in âOvertimeâ by Hilma Wolitzer (Megâs mom), read by Becky Ann Baker, a happy couple gets a jolt when the manâs ex moves into their apartment. After the story, Meg interviews Hilma about what gave her the idea and her writing in general.
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Host Meg Wolitzerpresents works that reflect on the loss of love, creatively imagined by a quartet of thoughtful writers. In âThe Space,â by Christopher Boucher, a lost love is replaced byâher absence. The reader is Rob Yang. In Wendi Kaufmanâs âHelen on Eighty-Sixth Street,â the loss is the backstory, as a lively âtween, voiced by Donna Lynne Champlin, finds ways to deflect the emotional fallout from her fatherâs absence. Sharon Oldsâ wrenching poem, âLast Look,â read by Jane Kaczmarek, is our palette clearer before we close with a Raymond Carver classic, âWhy Donât You Dance?âThe couple idly roving a lawn sale donât realize they are walking through the detritus of lost relationship.The reader is Corey Stoll.
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The author of the story is Carlos Greaves. His stories have been featured in The New Yorker and McSweeney's. Reading this story is Jon Cameron Mitchell who wrote and starred in Hedwig and the Angry Inchâthe musical and its film adaptationâand has made memorable appearances in series including Girls, Shrill, and City on Fire. And he continues to follow his passions with projects such as his musical podcast Anthem: Homunculus. After the story, host Aparna Nancherla talks to Greaves about his work, and yes, Satan.
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Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories about objects of love, and feelings that can't be returned, for very different reasons. In âA Love Letterâ by Greg Ames, a boy falls head over heels in a crosswalk. Actor and Young Adult author Maulik Pancholy really captures teen ardor and angst in his reading. And in Kali Fajardo-Anstineâs âSugar Babies,â another teenager learns about adult responsibility from an everyday pantry staple. The reader is Sonia Manzano.
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Meg Wolitzer presents four works drawn from an evening of satirical stories about American political history, hosted by Andy Borowitz.Nothing is sacred. First, Joe Yan imagines Abraham Lincoln, huckster, in âIâm Abraham Lincoln and I Beg Of You, Please Commemorate My Birthday With Mattress Sales,â read by Ikechukwu Ufomadu. In âRunning for Governor,â Mark Twain imagines himself in the political horse race. The reader is John Cameron Mitchell. John and Abigail Adams had a famously happy marriage, despite often being apart, and why not imagine them taking advantage of the 18th century version of modern media options? Thatâs the premise of Alexandra Petriâs âJohn and Abigail Adams Try Sexting,â read by Ophira Eisenberg and Ikechukwu Ufomadu. And the show wraps with a piece by Borowitz himself, âA Very Nixon Halloween,â inspired by a photograph of Nixon as an awkward civilian after he left office.The reader is Caroline Aaron.
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Host Meg Wolitzer talks with political satirist and author Andy Borowitz in this bonus interview.
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Rarely do we devote one show to just one writer, but on 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. âLove Letterâ is from Saundersâ latest collection Liberation Day. In it, an anxious grandfather who is ambivalent about the state of the world counsels an older grandchild. âLove Letterâ is read by Stephen Colbert. And a favorite from our archives, âThe Falls,â shows us two flawed men given a chance to do the right thing. RenĂ© Auberjonois reads. The show also includes a conversation between host Meg Wolitzer and Saunders.
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Meg Wolitzer presents three stories about the tricky subject of envy that question whether the grass is in fact always greener somewhere else.In Alexandra Petriâs âSeneca Falls for You,â feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton almost gets trapped in a romance novel.The reader is Ophira Eisenberg. Ben Phillipeâs sly fairy tale, âThe Luck of Others,â read by Joanna Gleason, reminds us to beware of what we wish for. And a small town charity auction surfaces envy and confusion in George Saundersâ âAl Roosten,â read by Tony Hale.
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From the author of Eileen and My Year of Rest and Relaxation, a story about weird people doing weird things. Read by Colby Minifie from The Boys, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Fear the Walking Dead. Michael Ian Black hosts this episode, which includes an interview with Moshfegh.
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Host Meg Wolitzer presents three works about idealized lives, and ideas about what constitutes an âidealâ life. âBoy Meets Girlâ is Jen Kimâs humorous version of a Hollywood love story. Itâs read by Tony Hale. In the John Cheever classic âThe Worm in the Appleâ a couple have the perfect lifeâbut no one can believe it. Itâs read by Anne Meara. And a harried mother fantasizes about a brand new life in Vanessa Cutiâs âOur Children,â performed by Claire Danes, followed by an interview with Danes.
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This story was read at a Selected Shorts show in L.A., hosted by the Getty Center, and co-produced with the Belletrist Book Club, the online reading community created by longtime friends and readers Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss. Jones-Yelvington is an artist and drag performer who is also a prolific writer. They have written chapbooks, a memoir, a young adult novel and two collections of short fiction, Don't Make Me Do Something We'll Both Regret and This Is a Dance Movie! And the title story of their collection is all about movie cliches, how we might play with them, and the kinds of connection we hope we can achieve in telling our own stories. Writer and actor Ryan O'Connell performs the story. His book I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves was adapted into the Netflix series Specialâin which he starred. His novel Just By Looking at Him came out in 2022, and he has appeared in recent series including the reboot of Queer as Folk. Our episode was hosted by comedian Aparna Nancherla.
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Host Meg Wolitzer talks with author Elizabeth Strout about her story âHomeâ and the fictional family Strout has created.
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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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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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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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