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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.

  • 12/25/2014

    Family and Friends: James Joyce’s The Dead, Part 1
    GUEST HOST: CYNTHIA NIXON

    “The Dead,” by James Joyce (Part 1), performed by Cynthia Nixon

  • 12/18/2014

    Ho, Ho, Huh? Selected Shorts’ Christmas
    GUEST HOST: JANE KACZMAREK

    “The H Street Sledding Record,” by Ron Carlson, performed by Keith Szarabajka
    “Christmas Morning,” by Frank O’Connor, performed by Malachy McCourt
    “Occurrence on the Six Seventeen,” by George Shephard, performed by Tony Roberts
    “Christmas in Qatar” (poem), by Calvin Trillin, performed by Calvin Trillin

  • 12/11/2014

    Bad Boy: Celebrating Hunter S. Thompson
    GUEST HOST: STEPHEN COLBERT

    “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Part One, Chapter 1,” by Hunter S. Thompson, performed by Alec Baldwin
    “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Part One, Chapter 3,” by Hunter S. Thompson, performed by Anthony Rapp
    “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Part One, Chapter 10,” by Hunter S. Thompson, performed by Michael Imperioli
    Including commentary by Thompson’s friends, colleagues, and literary heirs: Terry McDonell, Chuck Klosterman, and Matt Taibbi

  • 12/04/2014

    Love Songs?
    GUEST HOST: ROBERT SEAN LEONARD

    “I Love Girl,” by Simon Rich, performed by Michael Ian Black
    “When We Lived Together In the Belly of a Whale, Some Nights Were Perfect,” by Mara Sternberg, performed by BD Wong
    “Jubilation, Florida,” by N.M Kelby, performed by Amy Ryan

  • 11/27/2014

    So You Want to Change the World?
    GUEST HOST: ROBERT SEAN LEONARD

    “Homegirls on St. Nicholas Avenue,” by Sonia Sanchez, performed by Marsha Stephanie Blake
    “Strike and Fade,” by Henry Dumas, performed by Francois Battiste
    “Fenstad’s Mother,” by Charles Baxter, performed by Edie Falco

  • 11/20/2014

    Queens and Babies
    GUEST HOST: CYNTHIA NIXON

    “Magic and Dread,” by Jenny Offill, performed by Kaneza Schal
    “The Tragic Queen of Carthage,” from TheAeneid by Virgil, translated by Robert Fagles, performed by BD Wong

  • 11/13/2014

    Social Climbers
    GUEST HOST: CYNTHIA NIXON

    “Ambition,” by Jonathan Franzen, performed by Edie Falco
    “From the Diary of a New York Lady,” by Dorothy Parker, performed by Mary Louise Wilson

  • 11/06/2014

    Transformation: More Neil Gaimain
    GUEST HOST: NEIL GAIMAN

    “The Company of Wolves,” by Angela Carter, performed by Rita Wolf
    “Adventure Story,” by Neil Gaiman, performed by John Cameron Mitchell
    “The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury,” by Neil Gaiman, performed by Denis O’Hare

  • 10/30/2014

    Dreaming Out Loud: Neil Gaiman's Halloween
    GUEST HOST: NEIL GAIMAN

    “When We Went to See the End of the World by Dawnie Morningside, Age 11¼,” by Neil Gaiman, performed by Kirsten Vangsness
    “Evening Primrose,” by John Collier, performed by Neil Gaiman
    “July Tale,” by Neil Gaiman, performed by Neil Gaiman

  • 10/23/2014

    Writers on Writing
    GUEST HOST: JANE KACZMAREK

    “The Writers’ Model,” by Molly Giles, performed by Kaneza Schaal
    “Creative Writing,” by Etgar Keret, performed by Alex Karpovsky
    “On Keeping a Notebook,” by Joan Didion, performed by Parker Posey
    “I Dated Jane Austen,” by T.C. Boyle, performed by Isaiah Sheffer

  • 10/16/2014

    Tiny, But Mighty: Stories by Lydia Davis
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “Can’t and Won’t,” by Lydia Davis, performed by Lydia Davis
    “If At the Wedding (At the Zoo),” by Lydia Davis, performed by Kaneza Schaal
    “The Party,” by Lydia Davis, performed by Cristin Milioti
    “The Two Davises and the Rug,” by Lydia Davis, performed by Dylan Baker
    “The Egg Race,” by John Updike, performed by Alec Baldwin

  • 10/09/2014

    Chance Encounters
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “Clair de Lune,” by Steven Millhauser, performed by James Naughton
    “Night People,” by Sherman Alexie, performed by Wyatt Cenac
    “Luck,” by Richard Bausch, performed by Campbell Scott

  • 10/02/2014

    Next Stop, Greenwich Village
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant,” by Laurie Colwin, performed by Kelli O’Hara
    “Snowing in Greenwich Village,” by John Updike, performed by Jane Curtin
    Greenwich Village recollections by Dave Hill, Isaac Mizrahi, Ralph Lee, and Penny Arcade

  • 09/25/2014

    You Might As Well Live: A Dorothy Parker Celebration
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “The Sexes,” by Dorothy Parker, performed by Parker Posey
    “Bohemia (poem),” by Dorothy Parker, performed by Heather Burns
    “In the Throes,” by Dorothy Parker, performed by Heather Burns
    “The Standard of Living,” by Dorothy Parker, performed by Hope Davis
    “Waitress,” by Robert Coover, performed by Sonia Manzano

  • 09/18/2014

    Too Much Information
    GUEST HOST: Robert Sean Leonard

    “Feathers,” by Raymond Carver, performed by Robert Sean Leonard
    “The School,” by Donald Barthleme, performed by Laura Esterman

  • 09/11/2014

    Between Meals
    GUEST HOST: Robert Sean Leonard

    “Where You'll Find Me,” by Ann Beattie, performed by Jane Kaczmarek
    “The Year of Spaghetti,” by Haruki Murakami, performed by Michael Imperioli
    “Reading Aloud,” by Marina Keegan, performed by Rita Wolf

  • 09/04/2014

    Complicated Couples
    GUEST HOST: WYATT CENAC

    “Do You Know Where I Am?” by Sherman Alexie, performed by Keir Dullea
    “Game,” by Donald Barthelme, performed by David Strathairn

  • 08/28/2014

    About Time
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “The History of Everything Including You,” by Jenny Hollowell, performed by Kyra Sedgwick
    “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” by Paul Broks, performed by Jane Curtin
    “Getting Closer,” by Steven Millhauser, performed by Isaiah Sheffer

  • 08/21/2014

    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

  • 08/14/2014

    Alternative Endings
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “Beg, SI Tog, Inc, Cont, Rep (Begin, Slip Together, Increase, Continue, Repeat),” by Amy Hempel, performed by Anika Noni Rose
    “Sarah’s Story,” by Galina Vroman, performed by Jane Curtin

  • 08/07/2014

    Do You Know Where You Are?
    GUEST HOST: PARKER POSEY

    “It’s Six A.M., Do You Know Where You Are?” by Jay McInerney, performed by Jeremy Shamos
    “Red from Green,” by Maile Meloy, performed by Patricia Kalember

  • 07/31/2014

    Convergence
    GUEST HOST: DAVID SEDARIS

    “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” by Flannery O’Connor, performed by Estelle Parsons
    “Jesus is Waiting,” by Amy Hempel, performed by Mary Stuart Masterson

  • 07/24/2014

    Take a Seat
    GUEST HOST: ROBERT SEAN LEONARD

    “Soiree in Hollywood,” by Henry Miller, performed by Joshua Malina
    “Lamb to the Slaughter,” by Roald Dahl, performed by Catherine O’Hara
    “Halibut,” by Etgar Keret, performed by Josh Radnor
    “Going for a Beer,” by Robert Coover, performed by Isaiah Sheffer

  • 07/17/2014

    Cannolis and Carroll
    GUEST HOST: ROBERT SEAN LEONARD

    “The Occasional Pignoli Tart,” by Ann Hood, performed by Amber Tamblyn
    “A Mad Tea Party,” from Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, performed by Christopher Lloyd

  • 07/10/2014

    Peas, Pancakes, and Pretensions
    GUEST HOST: Robert Sean Leonard

    “Letter to a Frozen Peas Manufacturer,” by Lydia Davis, performed by Robert Sean Leonard
    “Serial Monogamy,” by Nora Ephron, performed by Mary Kay Place
    Madame Bovary (excerpt), by Gustave Flaubert, performed by Christina Pickles

  • 07/03/2014

    Dogs and Dates
    GUEST HOST: PARKER POSEY

    “Sir Henry,” by Lydia Millet, performed by John Lithgow
    “Some Contemporary Characters,” by Rick Moody, performed by Mike Birbiglia and Aya Cash

  • 06/26/2014

    A Tribute to David Rakoff
    GUEST HOST: DAVID SEDARIS

    “Cryptology,” by Leonard Michaels, performed by David Rakoff
    “Gomez Palacio,” by Roberto Bolano, performed by David Rakoff

  • 06/19/2014

    Love and Longing
    GUEST HOST: CYNTHIA NIXON

    “Fires,” by Rick Bass, performed by Ted Marcoux
    “A Singer's Romance,” by Willa Cather, performed by Marian Seldes
    “What Do We Have in Our Pockets?” by Etgar Keret, performed by David Rakoff

  • 06/12/2014

    Illusions
    GUEST HOST: NEIL GAIMAN

    “Miracle Polish,” by Steven Millhauser, performed by Paul Hecht
    “The Open Window,” by Saki, performed by Tandy Cronyn

  • 06/05/2014

    We're So Excited
    GUEST HOST: HOPE DAVIS

    “Chablis,” by Donald Barthleme, performed by Bobby Cannavale
    “The Slaves of New York,” by Tama Janowitz, performed by Anna Chumsky
    “After the Denim,” by Raymond Carver, performed by Michael Cerveris
    “Snow,” by Ann Beattie, performed by Mary Stuart Masterson

  • 05/29/2014

    Heroes and Villains
    GUEST HOST: HOPE DAVIS

    “ReBoot Me,” by Larry Doyle, performed by Chip Kidd
    The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
    (excerpt), by Michael Chabon, performed by Aya Cash
    “I am Not a Jew,” by John Biguenet, performed by David Strathairn

  • 05/22/2014

    The Stories of Alice Munro: Daughter and Father
    GUEST HOST: HOPE DAVIS

    “The Moons of Jupiter,” by Alice Munro, performed by Holly Hunter
    “She Unnames Them,” by Ursula K. Le Guin, performed by Joanna Gleason

  • 05/15/2014

    The Stories of Alice Munro: Young Love
    GUEST HOST: HOPE DAVIS

    “How I Met My Husband,” by Alice Munro, performed by Amy Ryan
    “The Meeting,” by Aimee Bender, performed by Paul Hecht

  • 05/08/2014

    Out of the Kitchen with Lucky Peach
    GUEST HOST: HOPE DAVIS

    “Gaming at Winnie’s,” by Rosie Schaap, performed by Gaby Hoffmann
    “Crab Rangoon,” by Peter Meehan, performed by Peter Meehan
    “Seville Orange Marmalade,” by Kevin West, performed by Gaby Hoffmann
    “The South Pole Cook: Jase Grimm,” by Christopher Sheehy, performed by David Cross
    “Supreme Cloud Ear,” by Nelly Reifler, performed by Sarah Steele
    “Pan-American,” by Marc Maron, performed by David Cross

  • 05/01/2014

    Readers and Writers
    GUEST HOST: JOHN LITHGOW

    “Ed Has His Mind Improved,” by Walter Brooks, performed by Tony Roberts
    “Exchange,” by Ray Bradbury, performed by Rochelle Oliver
    “Dreamtigers,” by Jorge Luis Borges, performed by Isaiah Sheffer

  • 04/24/2014

    Wishing and Wanting
    GUEST HOST: PARKER POSEY

    “Glittery Eyes,” by Etgar Keret, performed by Parker Posey
    “What Animal Are You?” by Etgar Keret, performed by Willem Dafoe
    “Sixty-Nine Cents,” by Gary Shteyngart, performed by Alex Karpovsky
    “Flying Carpets,” by Steven Millhauser, performed by Billy Campbell

  • 04/17/2014

    Romantic Disasters
    GUEST HOST: PARKER POSEY

    “Starting from Happy,” by Patricia Marx, performed by Kirsten Vangsness
    “Occupy Jen Street,” by Simon Rich, performed by Wyatt Cenac
    “Audio Tour,” by Patricia Marx, performed by Anna Chlumsky
    “The Swim Team,” by Miranda July, performed by Parker Posey
    “The Meeting,” by Aimee Bender, performed by Kate Burton

  • 04/10/2014

    Love and Cake
    GUEST HOST: PARKER POSEY

    “Art of Cake,” by Michael Chabon, performed by David Furr
    “True Loves,” by Mark Strand, performed by Robert Sean Leonard
    “Trash Kites,” by Justin Torres, performed by Colman Domingo

  • 04/03/2014

    Parents and Children
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “In Dreams Become Responsibilities,” by Delmore Schwartz, performed by Leonard Nimoy
    “The Lover of Horses,” by Tess Gallagher, performed by Kate Burton

  • 03/27/2014

    Complicated Relationships
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “Scenes from a Life,” by Sherman Alexie, performed by Cynthia Nixon
    “The Vow,” by Sherman Alexie, performed by Amber Tamblyn
    “People Are Becoming Clouds,” by Joe Meno, performed by Kirsten Vangsness
    “The Storm,” by Kate Chopin, performed by Jane Curtin

  • 03/20/2014

    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

  • 03/13/2014

    Compulsions
    GUEST HOST: JOHN LITHGOW

    “The Monkey’s Paw,” by W.W. Jacobs, performed by John Lithgow
    “Two Words,” by Isabel Allende, performed by Lisa Fugard

  • 03/06/2014

    Family Matters
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    A Story Lately Told (excerpt), by Anjelica Huston, performed by Anjelica Huston
    Says
    (excerpt), by Linor Goralik, translated by Anya Ulinich, performed by Nina Arianda
    “Indulgence,” by Susan Perabo, performed by Hope Davis

  • 02/27/2014

    How to Be a Man
    GUEST HOST: COLUM MCCANN

    Readings from the essay collection The Book of Men. Essays and stories by writers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Adam Haslet, Colum McCann, Ian McEwan, and Tea Obreht are performed by Gabriel Byrne, Stockard Channing, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Corey Stoll, and BD Wong.

  • 02/20/2014

    Determination
    GUEST HOST: JANE KACZMAREK

    “In the Garden of the North American Martyrs,” by Tobias Wolff, performed by Jane Curtin
    “Through the Tunnel,” by Doris Lessing, performed by James Naughton
    “Barbara Stanwyck, It's Your Time to Shine,” by Bianca Galvez, performed by Condola Rashad

  • 02/13/2014

    Finding Yourself
    GUEST HOST: JANE KACZMAREK

    “The Lone Pilgrim,” by Laurie Colwin, performed by Hope Davis
    “The Night Bookmobile,” by Audrey Niffenegger, performed by Christina Pickles

  • 02/06/2014

    Modern Fables
    GUEST HOST: STEPHEN COLBERT

    “St. George,” by Gail Godwin, performed by Jane Curtin
    “The Trickle-Down Effect,” by Annie Proulx, performed by James Naughton

  • 01/30/2014

    Challenges
    GUEST HOST: STEPHEN COLBERT

    “The Treatment,” by Daniel Menaker, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    “Palais de Justice,” by Mark Helprin, performed by Jack Davidson

  • 01/23/2014

    Things Change
    GUEST HOST: STEPHEN COLBERT

    “Where the Cluetts Are,” by Jack Finney, performed by Philip Casnoff
    “Lederhosen,” by Haruki Murakami, performed by Aasif Mandvi

  • 01/16/2014

    Eccentrics
    GUEST HOST: STEPHEN COLBERT

    “At the Anarchists Convention,” by John Sayles, performed by Jerry Stiller
    “The Falls,” by George Saunders, performed by René Auberjonois

  • 01/09/2014

    Bad Boy: Celebrating Hunter S. Thompson
    GUEST HOST: STEPHEN COLBERT

    “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Part One, Chapter 1,” by Hunter S. Thompson, performed by Alec Baldwin
    “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Part One, Chapter 3,” by Hunter S. Thompson, performed by Anthony Rapp
    “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Part One, Chapter 10,” by Hunter S. Thompson, performed by Michael Imperioli
    Including commentary by Thompson’s friends, colleagues, and literary heirs: Terry McDonell, Chuck Klosterman, and Matt Taibbi

  • 01/02/2014

    Love and Longing
    GUEST HOST: CYNTHIA NIXON

    “Fires,” by Rick Bass, performed by Ted Marcoux
    “A Singer's Romance,” by Willa Cather, performed by Marian Seldes
    “What Do We Have in Our Pockets?” by Etgar Keret, performed by David Rakoff