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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.

  • 12/28/2017

    I Do, I Do
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “Any Number of Little Old Ladies,” by Bruce Jay Friedman, performed by Blythe Danner and Maulik Pancholy
    “In Naples,” by Roxana Robinson, performed by Betty Buckley

  • 12/21/2017

    Christmas Guests
    GUEST HOST: ROBERT SEAN LEONARD

    “One Christmas,” by Truman Capote, performed by John Shea
    “The Loudest Voice,” by Grace Paley, performed by Linda Lavin
    “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” by James Thurber, performed by Isaiah Sheffer

  • 12/15/2017

    It’s a City of Strangers
    GUEST HOST: ROBERT SEAN LEONARD

    “The Television Helps, But Not Very Much,” by John McNulty, performed by Jason Biggs
    “Goodbye to All That,” by Joan Didion, performed by Mia Dillon
    Selections from Humans of New York, by Brandon Stanton, performed by Vanessa Aspillaga, Jason Biggs, Tracee Chimo, Lynn Cohen, Brandon J. Dirden, and Peter Francis James

  • 12/08/2017

    Discoveries
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “The Boy Detective,” by Roger Rosenblatt, performed by Michael Tucker
    “Notes from a Lady at a Dinner Party,” by Bernard Malamud, performed by David Margulies
    Poems by Billy Collins, performed by Billy Collins

  • 12/01/2017

    Trust Your Senses
    GUEST HOST: MICHAEL CERVERIS

    “Blue Waltz with Coyotes,” by Jeanne Dixon, performed by Mia Dillon
    “The Color Master,” by Aimee Bender, performed by Denis O’Hare

  • 11/24/2017

    City People
    GUEST HOST: CYNTHIA NIXON

    “A Sunday Kind of Love,” by Tom Wolfe, performed by Tracee Chimo
    “Malta Scheffer,” by Nelson Eubanks, performed by Brandon J. Dirden
    Selections from Humans of New York, by Brandon Stanton, performed by Vanessa Aspillaga, Jason Biggs, Tracee Chimo, Lynn Cohen, Brandon J. Dirden, and Peter Francis James

  • 11/17/2017

    For Better or Worse
    GUEST HOST: JOSH RADNOR

    “The Knowers,” by Helen Phillips, performed by Stockard Channing
    “Three Little Maids,” by Alix Ohlin, performed by Mia Dillon

  • 11/10/2017

    Hard Times
    GUEST HOST: DAVID STRATHAIRN

    “República y Grau,” by Daniel Alarcón, performed by David Strathairn
    “The Letter Writer,” by M.T. Sharif, performed by Joe Morton

  • 11/03/2017

    It All Depends on How You Look at It
    GUEST HOST: SONIA MANZANO

    “Blue Girl,” Elizabeth Crane, performed by Valorie Curry
    “Little Man,” by Michael Cunningham, performed by Zach Grenier

  • 10/27/2017

    Funny/Scary
    GUEST HOST: NEIL GAIMAN

    “Through the Safety Net,” by Charles Baxter, performed by Becky Ann Baker
    “Click-Clack, The Rattlebag,” by Neil Gaiman, performed by Neil Gaiman
    “Strays,” by Mark Richard, performed by Alex Hurt
    “October Tale,” by Neil Gaiman, performed by John Cameron Mitchell

  • 10/20/2017

    Through Young Eyes: Stories by Carson McCullers
    GUEST HOST: HOPE DAVIS

    “Correspondence,” by Carson McCullers, performed Emily Skeggs
    “The Discovery of Christmas,” by Carson McCullers, performed by Amanda Quaid
    “Sucker,” by Carson McCullers, performed by Michael Cerveris

  • 10/13/2017

    Fables and Fairytales
    GUEST HOST: JOSH RADNOR

    “The Appointment in Samarra,” by W. Somerset Maugham, performed by Maulik Pancholy
    “The Monster,” by Ben Loory, performed by John Cameron Mitchell
    “The Faery Handbag,” by Kelly Link, performed by Kirsten Vangsness

  • 10/06/2017

    Death, Sex, and Money
    GUEST HOST: ANNA SALE

    “Grammar Questions,” by Lydia Davis, performed by David Costabile
    “Until the Girl Died,” by Anne Enright, performed by Kathleen Chalfant
    “Animal Hospital,” by Joe Meno, performed by Becky Ann Baker
    “The Silk Handkerchief,” by Sait Faik Abasiyanik, performed by Amir Arison

  • 09/29/2017

    Family Matters
    GUEST HOST: HOPE DAVIS

    “My Brother at the Canadian Border,” by Sholeh Wolpé, performed by Maulik Pancholy
    “A Guide to Fooling Yourself,” by Lauren Schenkman, performed by Kaneza Schaal
    “Reunion,” by John Cheever, performed by Bruce Altman
    “Black-Eyed Women,” by Viet Thanh Nguyen, performed by Jennifer Ikeda

  • 09/22/2017

    Quiet Time
    GUEST HOST: DAVID SEDARIS

    “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” by Raymond Carver, performed by Leonard Nimoy
    “A Summer’s Reading,” by Bernard Malamud, performed by David Rakoff

  • 09/14/2017

    Growing Up
    GUEST HOST: CYNTHIA NIXON

    “Resistance,” by Stephan Enter, performed by Michael Cerveris
    “Gorilla My Love,” by Toni Cade Bambara, performed by Hattie Winston

  • 09/07/2017

    Reality Checks
    GUEST HOST: JOSH RADNOR

    “Evening on the Côte d’Azur,” by Richard Yates, performed by Edie Falco
    “Offloading for Mrs. Schwartz,” by George Saunders, performed by Josh Radnor

  • 08/31/2017

    Needy People
    GUEST HOST: JOSH RADNOR

    “You Can Find Love Now,” by Ramona Ausubel, performed by Martin Short and Amy Ryan
    “The Alaska of Giants and Gods,” by Dave Eggers, performed by Kate Burton
    “Loser,” by Aimee Bender, performed by Linda Emond

  • 08/24/2017

    Social Studies
    GUEST HOST: DAVID STRATHAIRN

    “Dissed Fish,” written and performed by Calvin Trillin
    “Best American Term Paper Assignment,” by Kurt Vonnegut, performed by BD Wong
    “The Breakup Ceremony,” by Toure, performed by Maulik Pancholy
    “The Frenchman,” by Seth Fried, performed by Tate Donovan

  • 08/17/2017

    Magic and Realism: Clarice Lispector
    GUEST HOST: SONIA MANZANO

    “Remnants of Carnival,” by Clarice Lispector, performed by Carolina Ravassa
    “The Obedient Ones,” by Clarice Lispector, performed by Denis O’Hare
    “Happy Birthday,” by Clarice Lispector, performed by Lynn Cohen
    With commentary by Porochista Khakpour and Idra Novey

  • 08/10/2017

    Love 2.0
    GUEST HOST: KATE BURTON

    “My Date with Neanderthal Woman,” by David Galef, performed by Giullian Yao Gioiello
    “Edna in Rain,” by Marie-Helene Bertino, performed by Colby Minifie
    “Leak,” by Sam Ruddick, performed by Peter Sagal
    “The Little Heidelberg,” by Isabel Allende, performed by Kathleen Turner

  • 08/03/2017

    Lovers and Gangsters: Richard Price Favorites
    GUEST HOST: JOSH RADNOR

    “The King,” by Isaac Babel, performed by Maggie Gyllenhaal
    “A Love Affair,” by Lucia Berlin, performed by Rita Wolf
    “Lost & Found,” by Colson Whitehead, performed by Alec Baldwin

  • 07/27/2017

    Parallel Lives
    GUEST HOST: RUBEN SANTIAGO-HUDSON

    “The Appropriation of Cultures,” by Percival Everett, performed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
    “We Was Twins,” by Fiona Maazel, performed by Cory Michael Smith
    “The Epiphany Branch,” by Mary Gordon, performed by Mary Cleere Haran

  • 07/20/2017

    Curiouser and Curiouser: A Celebration of Alice in Wonderland
    GUEST HOST: CYNTHIA NIXON

    “The Pool of Tears,” by Lewis Carroll, performed by Ari Graynor
    “The Mock Turtle’s Story,” by Lewis Carroll, performed by Sonia Manzano
    “Humpty Dumpty,” by Lewis Carroll, performed by Dan Stevens

  • 07/13/2017

    On Being
    GUEST HOST: KRISTA TIPPETT

    “The Strength of God, Concerning the Reverend Curtis Hartman,” by Sherwood Anderson, performed by James Naughton
    “The Universe as Primal Scream,” by Tracy K. Smith, performed by Tracy K. Smith
    “The Universe: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack,” by Tracy K. Smith, performed by Tracy K. Smith
    “Everything Is Waiting for You,” by David Whyte, performed by Julie White
    “You Must Be This Happy to Enter,” by Elizabeth Crane, performed by Claire Danes
    “An Enigmatic Nature,” by Anton Chekhov, performed by Fionnula Flanagan

  • 07/06/2017

    Finding Your Way in the Dark
    GUEST HOST: ROBERT SEAN LEONARD

    “I Go Adventuring,” by Helen Keller, performed by Maggie Siff
    “The Secrets of Bats,” by Jess Row, performed by Heather Goldenhersh

  • 06/29/2017

    Someone's Listening
    GUEST HOST: KRISTA TIPPETT

    “The Doctor and the Rabbi,” by Aimee Bender, performed by Ellen Burstyn
    “Spirituality; With or Without a Prayer,” by Elmore Leonard, performed by Julie White
    “The History of Everything Including You,” by Jenny Hollowell, performed by Kyra Sedgwick
    “The God Who Loves You,” by Carl Dennis, performed by Tracy K. Smith
    “Poetry,” by Pablo Neruda, performed by Tracy K. Smith

  • 06/22/2017

    Seeking Love
    GUEST HOST: SONIA MANZANO

    A dramatic reading of OK Cupid profiles, performed by Giullian Yao Gioiello and Colby Minifie
    “Ad,” by Elizabeth Crane, performed by Jill Eikenberry
    “The Littoral Zone,” by Andrea Barrett, performed by Becky Ann Baker and Dylan Baker

  • 06/15/2017

    Nothing Good Gets Away: Readings from Letters of Note
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    A wonderful selection from the popular blog and bestselling book include letters by Mick Jagger, Katherine Hepburn, Jack the Ripper, and Queen Elizabeth II, among others. Readers include Jane Curtin, Kate Mulgrew, Phylicia Rashad, Jeremy Shamos, and Sam Underwood.

  • 06/08/2017

    Laugh, or Cry
    GUEST HOST: DAVID SEDARIS

    “I Live on Your Visits,” by Dorothy Parker, performed by Celeste Holm
    “Snakebite,” by Arthur Bradford, performed by John Benjamin Hickey

  • 06/01/2017

    True Confessions
    GUEST HOST: DAVID STRATHAIRN

    “Isn’t It Romantic?” by David Rakoff, performed by Harris Yulin
    “More Alarms at Night,” by James Thurber, performed by Colin Quinn
    “Août,” by Meg Wolitzer, performed by Jill Eikenberry

  • 05/25/2017

    Front Lines: A Memorial Day Special
    GUEST HOST: KATE BURTON

    “Dear Boys,” by Chris Cohoes, performed by Matthew Modine
    “A Soldier for the Crown,” by Charles Johnson, performed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
    “Mother in the Trenches,” by Robert Olen Butler, performed by Kathleen Chalfant
    “Peace and War,” by Moacyr Scliar, performed by Michael Cristofer

  • 05/18/2017

    Brief Lives
    GUEST HOST: MICHAEL CERVERIS

    Selected excerpts, 1979-1985 from The Andy Warhol Diaries by Andy Warhol, performed by Denis O’Hare
    “The Young Painters,” by Nicole Krauss, performed by Heather Burns
    “The Burning Palms,” by Claire Keegan, performed by Patricia Kalember

  • 05/11/2017

    Women’s Roles
    GUEST HOST: KATE BURTON

    “There Was Once,” by Margaret Atwood, performed by Jane Kaczmarek, René Auberjonois, and Zach Grenier
    “A Leading Role,” by Tove Jansson, performed by Jane Kaczmarek
    “Treasure State,” by Smith Henderson, performed by Michael Shannon

  • 05/04/2017

    Uncharted Territories
    GUEST HOST: SONIA MANZANO

    “The Different One,” by John Updike, performed by Michael Emerson
    “Coming Soon,” by Steven Millhauser, performed by David Morse
    “Youth From Every Quarter,” by Kirstin Valdez Quade, performed by Sonia Manzano

  • 04/27/2017

    The Pursuit of Happiness
    GUEST HOST: ROBERT SEAN LEONARD

    “The Proxy Marriage,” by Maile Meloy, performed by Patricia Kalember
    “The Worm and the Apple,” by John Cheever, performed by Anne Meara

  • 04/20/2017

    Learn from Your Mistakes
    GUEST HOST: DAVID SEDARIS

    “Mortals,” by Tobias Wolff, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    “Reading Lessons,” by Edwidge Danticat, performed by Marsha Stephanie Blake

  • 04/13/2017

    Laugh Riot: The Best of The Harvard Lampoon
    GUEST HOST: KATE BURTON

    Guest host Kate Burton presents a cornucopia of funny pieces from the volume The Best of The Harvard Lampoon. A fine cast of readers were matched up with these funnies: Wyatt Cenac, Michael Emerson, Erinn Hayes, Richard Masur, Alysia Reiner, and Zuzanna Szadkowski.

  • 04/06/2017

    Untrue Love
    GUEST HOST: MICHAEL CERVERIS

    “La Sainte-Vierge,” by Daphne du Maurier, performed by Kathryn Erbe
    “Pilgrimage to Earth,” by Robert Sheckley, performed by Paul Giamatti

  • 03/30/2017

    The Kids Aren’t All Right
    GUEST HOST: ROBERT SEAN LEONARD

    “On the Hill,” by Elizabeth Spencer, performed by Robert Sean Leonard
    “Modern Girls,” by Teju Cole, performed by Zainab Jah

  • 03/23/2017

    Dangerously Funny: George Saunders & Carrie Brownstein
    GUEST HOST: JOSH RADNOR

    Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl (excerpt), by Carrie Brownstein, performed by Carrie Brownstein
    “My Chivalric Fiasco,” by George Saunders, performed by BD Wong
    “Sticks,” by George Saunders, performed by Anthony Rapp

  • 03/16/2017

    Three Boys and a Girl
    GUEST HOST: JANE KACZMAREK

    Stuart Little (excerpt), by E.B. White, performed by David Hyde Pierce
    “Araby,” by James Joyce, performed by Malachy McCourt
    “The Palmist,” by Andrew Lam, performed by James Naughton
    “Flying,” by Stephen Dixon, performed by Thomas Gibson

  • 03/09/2017

    Growing Pains
    GUEST HOST: DAVID SEDARIS

    “Nairobi,” by Joyce Carol Oates, performed by Alison Pill
    “The Most Girl Part of You,” by Amy Hempel, performed by Kate Burton
    “Boys,” by Rick Moody, performed by BD Wong

  • 03/02/2017

    Twice Told: Stories Inspired by Books
    GUEST HOST: MICHAEL CERVERIS

    “Best Worst American,” by Juan Martinez, performed by Cristin Milioti
    “Double Men,” by Namwali Serpell, performed by Nikki James
    “The Metamorphosis,” by Seth Fried, performed by Jennifer Mudge
    “Kafka’s Houses,” by Dino Buzzati, performed by Tony Roberts

  • 02/23/2017

    Women in Clothes (Part 2)
    GUEST HOSTS: HEIDI JULAVITS & LEANNE SHAPTON

    “Covet Diary,” by Leanne Shapton, performed by Justin Vivian Bond
    “Conversation: You Don’t Know What I Deal With,” by Ramou Sarr, performed by Sonia Manzano
    “Conversation: I’m Always on the Floor and Working,” by Mona Kowalska, performed by Sonia Manzano
    “The Hat of My Mother,” by Max Steele, performed by Paul Hecht

  • 02/16/2017

    Queens and Babies
    GUEST HOST: CYNTHIA NIXON

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

  • 02/09/2017

    Overcome: A Valentine’s Day Special
    GUEST HOST: MICHAEL CERVERIS

    “Chainsaw Apple,” by Arthur Bradford, performed by Josh Radnor
    “First Love,” by Vladimir Nabokov, performed by Edward Herrmann
    “The Getaway,” by Dorothy Thomas, performed by Mia Dillon

  • 02/02/2017

    Art and Artists
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “The Minimalist,” by Stacey Richter, performed by Parker Posey
    “Varengeville,” by William Boyd, performed by Dan Stevens
    “Honey I Twisted,” by Helen Phillips, performed by Heather Burns
    “Timeshare,” by Dolan Morgan, performed by Rita Wolf

  • 01/26/2017

    Coming and Going: Best American Short Stories
    GUEST HOST: CYNTHIA NIXON

    “The Suitcase,” by Meron Hadero, performed by Renée Elise Goldsberry
    “Bridge,” by Daniel J. O’Malley, performed by Joan Allen
    “The Great Silence,” by Ted Chiang, performed by Elizabeth Rodriguez

  • 01/19/2017

    Guilty Consciences
    GUEST HOST: DAVID SEDARIS

    “The Juniper Tree,” by Lorrie Moore, performed by Jill Eikenberry
    “The Possibility of Evil,” by Shirley Jackson, performed by Dana Ivey

  • 01/12/2017

    Against the Odds
    GUEST HOST: JANE KACZMAREK

    “At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners,” by Lauren Groff, performed by Amy Ryan
    “How To Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: A Remembrance,” by Kiese Laymon, performed by Brandon J. Dirden

  • 01/05/2017

    New Beginnings
    Host: Cynthia Nixon

    “Waiting for the Miracle,” by Lara Vapnyar, performed by David Costabile
    “Beyond Lies the Wub,” by Philip K. Dick, performed by Denis O’Hare