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Host Meg Wolitzer presents stories that were presented as part of an evening with the writer Judy Blume that explored the issues around book banning, and featured works by two authors whose works have been banned. (Blumeâs works have also frequently been banned.). First, Xu Masonâs witty âFinally a Book that Cannot be Banned,â imagines what it would take to write a work that could escape all censure. Itâs read by Troy Iwata. Celebrated childrenâs author Roald Dahl cooks up the perfect murder in âLamb to the Slaughter,â read by Catherine OâHara. And David Sedaris recounts a challenging encounter with a young man in âBruised,â read by Maulik Pancholy. Some of Blumeâs onstage remarks are included.
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Meg Wolitzer speaks with author Judy Blume about her life, her writing and the challenges of book banning.
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On this Selected Shorts program, host Meg Wolitzer presents stories about journeysâphysical and emotionalâthat end in unexpected places. In âA Woman Driving Alone,â by Marie-Helene Bertino, the main character travels s long way to see a friend, but seems also to be escaping a challenging moment in her life. The piece was commissioned for Selected Shortsâ anthology Small Odysseys, and is read by Amber Tamblyn. In Tom Perrottaâs âNine Inchesâ, a teacher drives only across town, to chaperone a middle school dance, but almost gets into trouble himself. The story is performed by Santino Fontana.
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This piece is by writer Maeve Dunigan. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker and in McSweeney's; and her first collection of humor pieces and essays, Read This to Look Cool, will be published in 2025. Our reader was none other than Susie Essman, the longtime stand-up comic who spent many years yelling at Larry David while playing Susie Green on Curb Your Enthusiasm. She has also had recurring roles in series including Broad City and Hacks. After the story, Host Aparna Nancherla talks to Meg Wolitzer about this story; she's a novelist and the regular host of Selected Shortsâthe show which provides Too Hot with its cornucopia of highbrow demi-smut. On top of all this, she is an avid Scrabble and Words with Friends player; so she surely knows about the feeling described in the story.
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Host Meg Wolitzer presents three stories in that look at some of the ways we âkeep scoreâ in life even though we know itâs not a game. Simon Rich explores the game as intergenerational competition in âThe Tribal Rite of the Strombergs,â read by John Hodgman. In Dylan Marronâs âSome News,â a man carefully tracks an old friend on social media, while eyeing his own accomplishments. Marron is the reader. And Joanne Harrisâ âFuleâs Gold,â a teacher tries to put himself on the boardâby stealing points from an unwitting student. The reader is Gildart Jackson.
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Host Meg Wolitzer presents three stories in which games are featured. Brian Aglerâs âThe Rules of this Board Game Are Long, But Also Complicatedâ speaks for itself as the unnamed host of game night makes it clear there is no way to win this one. Meg Wolitzer is the reader. In John Updikeâs âStill of Some Use,â a family clears its attic of old games; memories and emotions surface, along with battered boards and random game pieces.The reader is James Naughton. In Susan Peraboâs âSome Say the World,â a fragile young woman holds the world at bay with Parcheesi. The reader is Colby Minifie.
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Guest host Meg Wolitzer presents our holiday show--two stories about being home for the holidays and how you can count on your Mom to be there for youâand possibly to complicate things. First, memoirist Augusten Burroughs recalls a disastrousâand hilariousâchildhood cooking project. Reader Michael Cerveris relishes every bite. And in âLive Wiresâ by Thomas Beller, a young man invites his girlfriend to his motherâs annual Hanukkah party. The reader is Jane Curtin.
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Host Meg Wolitzer presents stories of inspiration small and large. In these tales, writers investigate moments in which art inspires life, or life inspires art, especially in a visual medium. In Elizabeth Craneâs âBlue Girl,â read by Valorie Curry, a young woman's secret life is given an unusual public forum. In Jai Chakrabartiâs âLessons with Father,â commissioned for our Small Odysseys anthology, a middle-aged child tries to connect with her late father through brushstrokes. The reader is Purva Bedi. And in William Boydâs âVarengeville,â read by Dan Stevens, a young man strays from his famous family as he discovers himself on canvas.
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On this weekâs SELECTED SHORTS, Meg Wolitzer presents three stories that offer unpredictable life lessons, from characters who are adolescent, and those who love themâa little eccentrically. In âThe Facts of Life,â by Anthony Marra, a preteen learns about the birds and the bees from an icon of â90s masculinity. The reader is Santino Fontana. In âLeave Me in St. Louis,â by Tania James, sisters tap their way into a new life. The reader is Rita Wolf. And in Elizabeth McKenzieâs âHope Ranch,â a granddaughter discovers that her grandmother is a road warrior. The reader is Mia Dillon.
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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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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 talks with political satirist and author Andy Borowitz in this bonus interview.
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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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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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