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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.

  • For Better Or Worse

    12/26/2019

    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

  • Christmas Day Christmas Presents 1337684

    12/19/2019

    Christmas Spirits High and Low
    GUEST HOST: CYNTHIA NIXON

    “O Holy Night, or The Year I Ruined Christmas,” by Laurie Notaro, performed by Kirsten Vangsness
    “Spirit of Christmas,” by Jeanette Winterson, performed by Christina Pickles

  • Carson Mccullers

    12/12/2019

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

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

  • Mckean Retta Cameron Ss Blog 952X597

    12/05/2019

    Facts and Legends
    GUEST HOST: JANE KACZMAREK

    “A Case for Remaining Indoors,” by Samantha Irby, performed by Retta
    “Everything We Know About the Bomber,” by Rebecca Makkai, performed by John Cameron Mitchell
    “The Hoaxer,” by Walter Kirn, performed by Michael McKean

  • Trust Your Senses

    11/28/2019

    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

  • Family Matters

    11/21/2019

    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

  • Motherhood

    11/14/2019

    Motherhood with Celeste Ng & Mary Karr
    GUEST HOST: KATE BURTON

    “Looking for a Thief,” by Danielle Lazarin, performed by Heather Burns
    “I Stand Here Ironing,” by Tillie Olsen, performed by Kate Burton

  • Josh And Someone Ss Blog 952X597

    11/07/2019

    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

  • Levar Burton Ss Blog 952X597

    10/31/2019

    An Evening with LeVar Burton
    GUEST HOST: LEVAR BURTON

    “Friends,” by Lucia Berlin, performed by Lydia Gaston
    “Control Negro,” by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, performed by LeVar Burton

  • Halloween Hauntings

    10/24/2019

    Hauntings for Halloween
    GUEST HOST: KATE BURTON

    “The Caul,” by Russell Banks, performed by Richard Masur
    “The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe
    “The Lamp,” by Agatha Christie, performed by Rita Wolf
    “An Imperial Message,” by Franz Kafka, performed by Kaneza Schaal

  • It All Depends On How You Look At It

    10/17/2019

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

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

  • Baldwin James Main

    10/10/2019

    Celebrating James Baldwin
    GUEST HOST: LEVAR BURTON

    “My Dungeon Shook,” by James Baldwin, performed by Christopher Jackson
    Giovanni's Room (excerpt), by James Baldwin, performed by Anthony Rapp
    Go Tell It on the Mountain
    (excerpt), by James Baldwin, performed by Charlayne Woodard
    With remarks by Lisa Lucas, executive director of the National Book Foundation

  • Fables And Fairy Tales

    10/03/2019

    Fables and Fairy Tales
    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

  • Words Without Borders Logo Ss Blog 952X597

    09/26/2019

    Words Without Borders
    GUEST HOST: KATE BURTON

    “Detour,” by Évelyne Trouillot, performed Arian Moayed and Rita Wolf
    “Woman Striker Has Killer Left Foot,” by Réka Mán-Várhegyi, performed by Adina Verson
    “Muzaffer and Bananas,” by Yalçın Tosun, performed by Arian Moayed

  • Ss Nimoy And Rakoff 952 X 597 1920

    09/19/2019

    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

  • Larger Than Life

    09/12/2019

    Larger Than Life
    GUEST HOST: JANE KACZMAREK

    “The Wisdom of Eve,” by Mary Orr, performed by Stana Katic
    “The Leap,” by Louise Erdrich, performed by Elizabeth Reaser
    Introductions by Sarah Thyre and Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

  • On Being

    09/05/2019

    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

  • Under The Surface

    08/29/2019

    Under the Surface
    GUEST HOST: JANE KACZMAREK

    “Patriots,” by Patrick Dacey, performed by Wendie Malick
    “Sea Monster,” by Seth Fried, performed by Natasha Rothwell
    “The Mistress,” by Gina Berriault, performed by Jane Kaczmarek

  • Curious Courtships

    08/22/2019

    Curious Courtships
    GUEST HOST: MAULIK PANCHOLY

    “First Person Shooter,” by Charles Yu, performed by Tony Hale
    “The Portable Mrs. Tillson,” by Whitfield Cook, performed by Laura Grey and Jordan Klepper
    “Gertrude the Governess: or, Simple Seventeen,” by Stephen Leacock, performed by Sonia Manzano

  • Lovers And Gangsters

    08/15/2019

    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

  • Someones Listening

    08/08/2019

    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

  • Dynamic Duos

    08/01/2019

    Dynamic Duos
    GUEST HOST: DENIS O'HARE

    “The Trip,” by Bruce Jay Friedman, performed by Santino Fontana and Julie Halston
    “Foes,” by Lorrie Moore, performed by Joan Allen and Kyle MacLachlan

  • Forgiving And Forgetting

    07/25/2019

    Forgiving and Forgetting
    GUEST HOST: ROBERT SEAN LEONARD

    “Initials Etched on a Dining Room Table, Lockeport, Nova Scotia,” by Peter Orner, performed by Maulik Pancholy
    “Ollie’s Back,” by Lynn Sloan, performed by Nate Corddry
    “Light,” by Lesley Nneka Arimah, performed by Crystal Dickinson

  • Seeking Love

    07/18/2019

    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

  • Laugh Or Cry

    07/11/2019

    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

  • Mending Families2

    07/04/2019

    Mending Families
    GUEST HOST: MAULIK PANCHOLY

    “Paddle to Canada,” by Heather Monley, performed by Jenna Ushkowitz
    “A Family,” by Jamel Brinkley, performed by Brandon J. Dirden

  • Stonewall At 50

    06/27/2019

    Shout It Out: The Stonewall Uprising at 50
    GUEST HOST: DENIS O'HARE

    Including selections from The Stonewall Reader, edited by The New York Public Library: Stonewall memories from Jayne County, Mark Segal, Lucian Truscott IV, and Holly Woodlawn
    “We Did It!” by Perry Brass, performed by Ivory Aquino and Kate Bornstein
    “Wedding,” by Gary Eldon Peter, performed by John Benjamin Hickey
    “Song for the Kicked Out” (poem), by Kay Ulanday Barrett, performed by Kay Ulanday Barrett

  • Clarice Lispector 1345848 960 720

    06/20/2019

    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

  • Womens Roles

    06/13/2019

    Women's Roles
    GUEST HOST: KATE BURTON

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

  • Thurber

    06/06/2019

    Make 'Em Laugh: A Celebration of James Thurber
    GUEST HOST: JANE KACZMAREK

    “I Break Everything I Touch,” by James Thurber, performed by Keith Olbermann
    “The Macbeth Murder Mystery,” by James Thurber, performed Michael McKean and Susannah Rogers
    “The Tortoise and the Hare,” by James Thurber, performed by Kristine Nielsen
    “The Peacelike Mongoose,” by James Thurber, performed by Keith Olbermann
    “The Flaw in the Plan,” by James Thurber, performed by Keith Olbermann
    “The Moth and the Star,” by James Thurber, performed by Susannah Rogers
    “Many Moons,” by James Thurber, performed by Michael McKean
    Introduction by Roz Chast

  • Learn From Your Mistakes

    05/30/2019

    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

  • Front Lines

    05/23/2019

    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

  • Dance in America Podcast

    05/16/2019

    Dance in America
    GUEST HOST: JANE KACZMAREK

    “My Mother Explains the Ballet to Me,” by Jesse Eisenberg, performed by Patricia Kalember
    “Léonide Massine,” by Janet Collins, performed by Carmen de Lavallade
    “The Cape,” by Ben Loory, performed by Tony Yazbeck
    “Tango,” by Kurt Vonnegut, performed by Tony Shalhoub

  • I Did It My Way

    05/09/2019

    I Did It My Way
    GUEST HOST: Kirsten Vangsness

    My Way of Life (excerpt), by Joan Crawford, performed by Cole Escola
    “Crazy They Call Me,” by Zadie Smith, performed by Karen Pittman
    “Interview,” by Will Eno, performed by Will Eno
    “I Am Narcissus,” by Elizabeth Olmstead, performed by Bebe Neuwirth

  • Uncharted Territories

    05/02/2019

    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

  • Modern Fables

    04/25/2019

    Modern Fables
    Guest Host: Kirsten Vangsness

    “A Wild Swan,” by Michael Cunningham, performed by Valorie Curry
    Fox 8
    (excerpt) by George Saunders, performed by John Cameron Mitchell

  • The Best Of The Harvard Lampoon Cover Noauthor Selected Shorts Blog

    04/18/2019

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

    Selections from the anthology The Best of Harvard Lampoon, including works by Jonathan Adler, Patricia Marx, and B.J. Novak, and others, performed by Wyatt Cenac, Michael Emerson, Richard Masur, and Alysia Reiner, among others.

  • Courtship And What Comes After

    04/11/2019

    Courtship and What Comes After
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “Prince Amilec,” by Tanith Lee, performed by Gildart Jackson
    “Be Mine,” by A.M. Homes, performed by Sanjit De Silva and Adina Verson
    “The Idea of Marcel,” by Marie-Helene Bertino, performed by Jenna Ushkowitz

  • 952X597 Blog Podcast

    04/04/2019

    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

  • Afterlife

    03/28/2019

    Afterlife
    GUEST HOST: JOHN DARNIELLE

    “My Last Duchess,” by Robert Browning, performed by John Darnielle
    “No More Loves,” by Javier Marías, performed by Molly Ringwald
    “When We Went to See the End of the World by Dawnie Morningside, Age 11 ¼,” by Neil Gaiman, performed by Kirsten Vangsness
    “Le Miroir,” by Robert Aickman, performed by Kathryn Erbe

  • Riverhead Books 952X597

    03/21/2019

    Riverhead at 25
    GUEST HOST: MAULIK PANCHOLY

    “Alarm,” by Aja Gabel, performed by Hettienne Park
    “Flower Hunters,” by Lauren Groff, performed by Maria Dizzia
    “Tempo,” by R.O. Kwon performed, by Hettienne Park
    “Buck Boy” by James McBride, performed by Teagle F. Bougere

  • Twice Told Tales

    03/14/2019

    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

  • Rituals

    03/07/2019

    Rituals
    Guest Host: Hope Davis

    “The Luncheon,” by Jeffrey Archer, performed by Jefferson Mays
    “Love Is Not A Pie,” by Amy Bloom, performed by Hope Davis

  • Longing And Secrets

    02/28/2019

    Longing and Secrets
    GUEST HOST: DAVID STRATHAIRN

    “American Dreams,” by Peter Carey, performed by David Strathairn
    “Night Calls,” by Lisa Fugard, performed by Lisa Fugard

  • Against The Odds

    02/21/2019

    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

  • Selectedshorts Blog

    02/14/2019

    Not Quite Human
    GUEST HOST: John Darnielle

    “Moses and Gaspar,” by Amparo Dávila, performed by Peter Jay Fernandez
    “The Pitch,” by Dennis Etchison, performed by Michael Shannon

  • Overcome A Valentines Day Special

    02/07/2019

    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

  • No Place Like Home

    01/31/2019

    No Place Like Home: Best American Short Stories 2018
    Guest Host: Maulik Pancholy

    “Suburbia!” by Amy Silverberg, performed by Martha Plimpton
    “Everything Is Far From Here,” by Cristina Henríquez, performed by Zabryna Guevara

  • Growing Pains

    01/24/2019

    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

  • Dangerously Funny

    01/17/2019

    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

  • Moving On

    01/10/2019

    Moving On
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    “The Gold Lunch,” by Ron Carlson, performed by Sean Astin
    “The Women,” by Tom Barbash, performed by Michael Imperioli
    “The Other Wife,” by Colette, performed by Barbara Barrie

  • Morality Tales 2

    01/03/2019

    Morality Tales
    GUEST HOST: ROBERT SEAN LEONARD

    “The Five-Pound Burrito,” by T.C. Boyle, performed by Santino Fontana
    “Love (or Live Cargo),” by Nancy Jooyoun Kim, performed by Valorie Curry
    “OIF,” by Phil Klay, performed by Brandon J. Dirden
    “The Tablecloth of Turin,” by Ron Carlson, performed by Edi Gathegi