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Selected Shorts

Broadcast Schedule

Below is the schedule for upcoming and previous Selected Shorts episodes.

Our most recently released shows are available for audio streaming HERE.

  • 12/27/2012

    Pushing the Limits
    GUEST HOST: JOHN LITHGOW

    “You Were Perfectly Fine,” by Dorothy Parker, performed by Aya Cash and David Furr
    “Unprotected,” by Simon Rich, performed by Wyatt Cenac
    “The Day the Dam Broke,” by James Thurber, performed by Alec Baldwin
    “Center of the Universe,” by Simon Rich, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    “The Tablecloth of Turin,” by Ron Carlson, performed by Edi Gathegi

  • 12/20/2012

    A Father's Story
    GUEST HOST: HANNAH TINTI

    “Hanwell in Hell,” by Zadie Smith, performed by Richard Easton

  • 12/13/2012

    Things Are Not What They Seem
    GUEST HOST: HANNAH TINTI

    “A Priest in the Family,” by Colm Tóibín, performed by Lois Smith
    “Dusk,” by James Salter, performed by Amy Ryan
    “The Bureau,” by J. Robert Lennon, performed by Kirsten Vangsness

  • 12/06/2012

    What's Going On?
    GUEST HOST: HANNAH TINTI

    “The Empty Room,” by Jonathan Lethem, performed by Tate Donovan
    “Why Don't You Dance?” by Raymond Carver, performed by Corey Stoll
    “Neighbors,” by Raymond Carver, performed by Jefferson Mays

  • 11/29/2012

    Objects of Desire
    GUEST HOSTS: HANNAH TINTI AND ROBERT SEAN LEONARD

    “Counting the Ways,” by Susan Perabo, performed by Robert Sean Leonard
    “The Pony Problem,” by Sloane Crosley, performed by Kirsten Vangsness

  • 11/22/2012

    Remembering Isaiah Sheffer
    GUEST HOST: COLUM MCANN

    “Heart of a Champion,” by T.C. Boyle, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    “Dating Your Mom,” by Ian Frazier, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    “Lamentations of the Father,” by Ian Frazier, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    “It Had Wings,” by Allan Gurganus, performed by Isaiah Sheffer

  • 11/15/2012

    Paris Lives
    HOSTS: ISAIAH SHEFFER AND HANNAH TINTI

    “A Bookshop of My Own,” by Sylvia Beach, performed by Martha Plimpton
    “Setting Up Shop,” by Sylvia Beach, performed by Martha Plimpton
    No Name in the Street (excerpt), by James Baldwin, performed by Gbenga Akinnagbe
    “Hunger Was Good Discipline,” by Ernest Hemingway, performed by John Shea
    “The Messy Joy of the Final Throes of the Dinner Party,” by Helen Phillips, performed by Kaneza Schaal

  • 11/08/2012

    Money, Greed and Power
    HOSTS: ISAIAH SHEFFER AND HANNAH TINTI

    “Where the Money Went,” by Kevin Canty, performed by Jack Davidson
    One Day I Will Write About This Place
    (excerpt), by Binyavanga Wainaina, performed by Teagle Bougere
    “My Flamboyant Grandson,” by George Saunders, performed by Harris Yulin

  • 11/01/2012

    The Twenty-Seventh Man
    GUEST HOST: HANNAH TINTI, W/ NATHAN ENGLANDER AND OSKAR EUSTIS

    “The Twenty-Seventh Man,” by Nathan Englander, performed by Michael Stuhlbarg

  • 10/25/2012

    Tales of Terror from Edgar Allan Poe
    GUEST HOST: HANNAH TINTI, W/ NEIL GAIMAN

    “The Tell-Tale Heart,” by Edgar Allan Poe, performed by Terrence Mann
    “The Black Cat,” Edgar Allan Poe, performed by René Auberjonois
    “The Raven,” Edgar Allan Poe, performed by René Auberjonois, Fionnula Flanagan, Isaiah Sheffer, and Harris Yulin

  • 10/18/2012

    Great Beginnings
    GUEST HOST: HANNAH TINTI, W/ ETGAR KERET

    “Healthy Start,” by Etgar Keret, performed by Michael Tucker
    “Hoodie in Xanadu,” by Ann Beattie, performed by Jill Eikenberry
    “Best Worst American,” by Juan Martinez, performed by Cristin Milioti

  • 10/11/2012

    Favorites from One Story Magazine
    GUEST HOST: HANNAH TINTI

    “Nephilim,” by L. Annette Binder, performed by Colby Minifie
    “Balloon Night,” by Tom Barbash, performed by Tom Cavanaugh
    “Cretan Love Song,” by Jim Shepard, performed by Joe Morton

  • 10/04/2012

    A Touch of Magic
    HOSTS: ISAIAH SHEFFER AND HANNAH TINTI

    “Vaclav the Magnificent-Boy-Magician,” by Haley Tanner, performed by Sarah Steele
    “Swept Away,” by T.C. Boyle, performed by René Auberjonois

  • 09/27/2012

    The Lives of Things
    HOSTS: ISAIAH SHEFFER AND HANNAH TINTI

    “In the Reign of Harad IV,” by Steven Millhauser, performed by Leonard Nimoy
    “Americca," by Aimee Bender, performed by Jane Levy
    “Rocking Chair,” by Abigail Thomas, performed by Kate Burton
    “Fatso” by Etgar Keret, performed by John Guare

  • 09/20/2012

    Wishing You the Best
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “A Prayer,” by Paul Simms, performed by Chip Zien
    “Lamentations of the Father,” by Ian Frazier, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    “The Storm,” by Jules Verne, performed by Tony Roberts
    “Robbed,” by Ellen Currie, performed by Christina Pickles

  • 09/13/2012

    The Private Paradise
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “My Backyard,” by Peter Lu, performed by Sonia Manzano
    “A Room of My Own,” by Alanna Okun, performed by Rita Wolf
    “Heirloom China,” by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, performed by Sonia Manzano
    “Jonathan’s,” by Teo Soares, performed by David Rakoff
    “Reading Aloud,” by Marina Keegan, performed by Rita Wolf
    “Your Mother and I,” by Dave Eggers, performed by David Rakoff
    “Visit,” by Barry Yourgrau, performed by James Naughton

  • 09/06/2012

    Edwidge Danticat: Haiti/New York
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Claire of the Sea Light,” by Edwidge Danticat, performed by Anika Noni Rose
    “New York Day Women,” by Edwidge Danticat, performed by Laurine Towler

  • 08/30/2012

    Young Men on the Make
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “The Deal,” by Mike Birbiglia, performed by Mike Birbiglia
    “Seeing the World,” by Louis Robinson, performed by Thomas Gibson

  • 08/23/2012

    Holding Fast
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “I Am Not a Jew,” by John Biguenet, performed by Denis O’Hare
    “Everything In This Country Must,” by Colum McCann, performed by Amy Ryan
    “Flying,” by Stephen Dixon, performed by Thomas Gibson

  • 08/16/2012

    An Irish Ear: Colum McCann’s Favorite Stories
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Free Fruit for Young Widows,” by Nathan Englander, performed by Michael Cerveris
    “(She Owns) Every Thing,” by Anne Enright, performed by Mary-Louise Parker
    “The Writers’ Model,” by Molly Giles, performed by Blair Brown

  • 08/09/2012

    Latin Beat: Bolaño and Writers He Admired
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “The Shape of the Sword,” by Jorge Luis Borges, translated by David A. Yates, performed by Charles Keating
    “On the Honeymoon,” by Javier Marías, translated by Margaret Jull Costa, performed by Ivan Hernandez
    “William Burns,” by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Chris Andrews, performed by Michael Stuhlbarg

  • 08/02/2012

    Little Fellows
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Ever After,” by Kim Addonizio, performed by Christine Ebersole
    “Boys,” by Rick Moody, performed by BD Wong
    “The Fortunes of Madame Organza,” by Natalie Babbitt, performed by Janel Moloney

  • 07/26/2012

    Happy Families?
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Porte-Cochere,” by Peter Taylor, performed by Leonard Nimoy
    “Enough,” by Alice McDermott, performed by Fionnula Flanagan

  • 07/19/2012

    Wild Western Women
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Liliana,” by Maile Meloy, performed by James Naughton
    “Going to the Dogs,” by Richard Ford, performed by Isaiah Sheffer

  • 07/12/2012

    Hollywood in the Serengeti
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Safari,” by Jennifer Egan, performed by Hope Davis

  • 07/05/2012

    Who Am I?
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Neighbors,” by Julia Alvarez, performed by Joanna Gleason
    “Flight Patterns,” by Sherman Alexie, performed by B.D. Wong

  • 06/28/2012

    Twice Upon a Time
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Ardour,” by Jonathan Keats, performed by Lili Taylor
    “Little Pot,” by Ilya Kaminsky, performed by Sonia Manzano
    “Blue-Bearded Lover,” by Joyce Carol Oates, performed Betsey Lippitt
    “Relic,” by Robert Olen Butler, performed by Ron Nakahara
    “The Porcelain Man,” by Richard Kennedy, performed by Estelle Parsons

  • 06/21/2012

    Mysteries and Wonders
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “The Schartz-Metterklume Method,” by Saki, performed by Marian Seldes
    “Berkeley or Mariana of the Universe,” by Liliana Heker, performed by Hope Davis
    “Cultural Relativity,” by Charles Johnson, performed by Regina King
    “New York Day Women,” by Edwidge Danticat, performed by Laurine Towler

  • 06/14/2012

    What the Blind Can See
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Household,” by Yasunari Kawabata, performed by Fionnula Flanagan
    “Things We Knew When the House Caught Fire,” by David Drury, performed by Keith Szarabajka

  • 06/07/2012

    Great Expectations
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “An Amateur's Guide to the Night,” by Mary Robison, performed by Patricia Kalember
    “Learn a Trade,” by John Updike, performed by James Naughton
    “Pride and Joy,” by Etgar Keret, performed by Robert Sean Leonard

  • 05/31/2012

    Our Own Madness
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Adults Alone,” by A.M. Homes, performed by Christina Pickles
    “The Knocking,” by David Means, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    Feature: interview with A.M. Homes

  • 05/24/2012

    The Power of Love
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Love,” by Tibor Dery, performed by Keir Dullea
    “Silver Water,” by Amy Bloom, performed by Linda Lavin

  • 05/17/2012

    Miracles Can Happen
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “The Fall of Texas,” by Joyce Johnson, performed by Cynthia Nixon
    “Personal Letter 2,” by Sonia Sanchez, performed by Staceyann Chin
    “The Fix,” by Percival Everett, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    Feature: Interview with Joyce Johnson

  • 05/10/2012

    Literary Mix Tape
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Milestones,” by Hannah Tinti, performed by Laurie Anderson
    “Wunderkind,” by Carson McCullers, performed by Kelli O’Hara
    Featured music: “Milestones,” by Miles Davis; Ludwig von Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 12

  • 05/03/2012

    All Modern Conveniences
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Not Quite Home Alone,” by Krista McGruder, performed by Jacqueline Kim
    “The Shared Patio,” by Miranda July, performed by Kirsten Vangsness
    “The Sphinx,” by Edgar Allan Poe, performed by Kathleen Widdoes
    “Privacy,” by Richard Ford, performed by René Auberjonois

  • 04/26/2012

    What is Real?
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “A Woman at the Window,” by James Lasdun, performed by Leenya Rideout
    “Quadraturin,” by Sigizmund Krzhihanovsky, performed by David Rakoff
    “Flight,” by Deborah Joy Corey, performed by Leenya Rideout

  • 04/19/2012

    Tennessee, Edna, and Flannery
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Life Story,” by Tennessee Williams, performed by Mia Dillon
    “Violets,” by Edna O’Brien, performed by Fionnula Flanagan
    “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” by Flannery O’Connor, performed by Lois Smith

  • 04/12/2012

    Arrivals and Departures
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Strangers in the House,” by Nahid Rachlin, performed by Freda Foh Shen
    “A Disappearance,” by Julie Otsuka, performed by Jane Kaczmarek
    Feature: Interview with Julie Otsuka

  • 04/05/2012

    Speeding Away
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Fruit and Words,” by Aimee Bender, performed by Rita Wolf
    “La Conchita,” by T.C. Boyle, performed by Isaiah Sheffer

  • 03/29/2012

    Humor Me
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Six Days: Some Rememberings,” by Grace Paley, performed by Dana Ivey
    “Dating Your Mom,” by Ian Frazier, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    “A Plague of Tics,” by David Sedaris, performed by Robert Sean Leonard

  • 03/22/2012

    Where Am I?
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Why I’m Not Where You Are,” by Jonathan Safran Foer, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    “Interview,” by Will Eno, performed by Will Eno
    “All the Days and Nights,” by William Maxwell, performed by Tony Roberts

  • 03/15/2012

    Couples and Mysteries from Haruki Murakami
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Airplane,” by Haruki Murakami, performed by Parker Posey
    “The Mirror,” by Haruki Murakami, performed by Campbell Scott
    “The Little Green Monster,” by Haruki Murakami, performed by Dana Ivey

  • 03/08/2012

    Growing Up Fast
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Smorgasbord,” by Tobias Wolff, performed by René Auberjonois
    “Football,” by Elizabeth Crane, performed by Martha Lavey

  • 03/01/2012

    Helping Out
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “The Leopard of Ti Morne,” by Mark Kurlansky, performed by Stephen Lang
    “Graven Image,” by John O'Hara, performed by Denis O'Hare

  • 02/23/2012

    It Chooses You: An Evening with Miranda July
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Ron, Sixty-Seven-Piece Art Set, $65, Woodland Hills,” by Miranda July, performed by Miranda July and Tom Nelis
    “Matilda and Domingo, Care Bears, $2-$4, Bell,” by Miranda July, performed by Miranda July, Adrian Martinez, and Olga Merediz
    “Dina, Conair Hair Dryer, $5, Sun Valley,” by Miranda July, performed by Rebecca Naomi Jones and Miranda July
    “Joe, Fifty Christmas-Card Fronts, $1, Los Angeles,” by Miranda July, performed by Tom Bloom and Miranda July

  • 02/16/2012

    Big City Women
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    A Selection from 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, performed by Miriam Silverman
    “The Night Bookmobile,” by Audrey Niffenegger, performed by Christina Pickles

  • 02/09/2012

    Families Are So Complicated
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “La Vita Nuova,” by Allegra Goodman, performed by Marin Ireland
    “The Secret Goldfish,” by David Means, performed by Charles Keating

  • 02/02/2012

    Food and Flight
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Rapture of the Deep,” by T.C. Boyle, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    “Wanting an Orange,” by Larry Woiwode, performed by Michael Keck

  • 01/26/2012

    Two Tough Love Stories
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” by Raymond Carver, performed by Leonard Nimoy
    “The Getaway,” by Dorothy Thomas, performed by Mia Dillon

  • 01/19/2012

    The Strangeness of Everyday Life: Two by Murakami
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “Lederhosen,” by Haruki Murakami, performed by Aasif Mandvi
    “Ice Man,” by Haruki Murakami, performed by Jane Curtin

  • 01/12/2012

    Russian Tales
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “My First Goose,” by Isaac Babel, performed by Joe Morton
    “The Father,” by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya, performed by Nina Arianda
    “Rothschild's Fiddle,” by Anton Chekhov, performed by Denis O'Hare

  • 01/05/2012

    James Joyce’s The Dead (Part 2)
    HOST: ISAIAH SHEFFER

    “The Dead,” by James Joyce, performed by René Auberjonois, Fionnula Flanagan, and Isaiah Sheffer