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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.

  • Nixon Cynthia Credit Maarten De Boer

    12/30/2021

    Runs In The Family
    GUEST HOST: Cynthia Nixon

    “The Cruise,” by Alix Ohlin, performed by Laura Benanti
    “A Permanent Member of the Family,” by Russell Banks, performed by Zach Grenier

  • Bio Meg Wolitzer

    12/23/2021

    Holidays with Mom
    GUEST HOST: Meg Wolitzer

    “And Two Eyes Made Out of Coal,” by Augusten Burroughs, performed by Michael Cerveris
    “Live Wires,” by Thomas Beller, performed by Jane Curtin

  • Jane Kaczmarek Ss Blog 952X597

    12/16/2021

    The Best American Short Stories 2021 with Jesmyn Ward
    GUEST HOST: Jane Kaczmarek

    “Playing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain,” by Jamil Jan Kochai, performed by Leo Solomon
    “Biology,” by Kevin Wilson, performed by Mike Doyle

  • Davis Hope

    12/09/2021

    Child’s Play
    GUEST HOST: Hope Davis

    “The Baby,” by Simon Rich, performed by Jason Mantzoukas
    “Buttony,” by Fiona McFarlane, performed by Jin Ha
    “Crumb Cake,” by Etgar Keret, performed by Andy Richter
    With an introduction by Aimee Bender

  • Roxane Gay

    12/02/2021

    Make A Meal Of It
    GUEST HOST: Roxane Gay

    “Three Great Meals,” by Donald Barthelme (published under the pseudonym William White), performed by Nate Corddry
    “Simple Recipes,” by Madeleine Thien, performed by Cindy Cheung
    “Lamb to the Slaughter,” by Roald Dahl, performed by Catherine O'Hara

  • Levar Burton Ss Blog 952X597

    11/25/2021

    Safe Distance
    GUEST HOST: LeVar Burton

    “The Elevator Dancer,” by N. K. Jemisin, performed by Laura Gómez
    “Marigolds,” by Eugenia W. Collier, performed by Sharon Washington
    “The Wife’s Story,” by Ursula K. Le Guin, performed by Joanna Gleason

  • Jane Kaczmarek Ss Blog 952X597

    11/18/2021

    Shared Realities
    GUEST HOST: Jane Kaczmarek

    “Fairness,” by Chinelo Okparanta, performed by Chinasa Ogbuagu
    “Little Nightmares, Little Dreams,” by Rachel Simon, performed by Maria Tucci

  • Nixon Cynthia Credit Maarten De Boer

    11/11/2021

    Children and Their Parents
    GUEST HOST: Cynthia Nixon

    “No Bikini,” by Ivan E. Coyote, performed by Becca Blackwell
    “The World with My Mother Still in It,” by Kathryn Chetkovich, performed by Phillipa Soo
    “At the Zoo,” by Caitlin Horrocks, performed by Kate Walsh
    With an introduction by Celeste Ng

  • Approaching Peace

    11/04/2021

    Remember Me
    GUEST HOST: Hope Davis

    “The Rememberer,” by Aimee Bender, performed by Marian Seldes
    “Rumors About Me,” by Yasutaka Tsutsui and translated by Andrew Driver, performed by Kennedy Kanagawa
    “The Orange,” by Benjamin Rosenbaum, performed by John Cameron Mitchell (podcast only)

  • Quiet Revelations

    10/28/2021

    Quiet Revelations
    GUEST HOST: Michael Cerveris

    “Yours Truly,” by A.M. Homes, performed by Beth Malone
    “Omakase,” by Weike Wang, performed by Jennifer Lim

  • Gay Roxane Bass

    10/21/2021

    Survival Skills
    GUEST HOST: Roxane Gay

    “Loose Change,” by Andrea Levy, performed by Eve Best
    “Anyone Can Do It,” by Manuel Muñoz, performed by Monica Raymund

  • Etgar Joyce Ss Ss Blog 952X597

    10/14/2021

    Embracing Disaster: Joyce Carol Oates and Etgar Keret
    GUEST HOST: Cynthia Nixon

    “Fly Already,” by Etgar Keret, performed by Liev Schreiber
    “Where Are You?” by Joyce Carol Oates, performed by Dianna Agron
    “One Gram Short,” by Etgar Keret, performed by Ira Glass
    “Assassin,” by Joyce Carol Oates, performed by Becky Ann Baker

  • Approaching Peace

    10/07/2021

    Approaching Peace
    GUEST HOST: Hope Davis

    “Break,” by Rabih Alameddine, performed by Pooya Mohseni
    “Your Mother And I,” by Dave Eggers, performed by David Rakoff
    “Silver Water,” by Amy Bloom, performed by Linda Lavin

  • Ss Motherhood With Celeste Ng And Mary Karr Main 1 Symphony Space

    09/30/2021

    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

  • Outcasts In Love

    09/23/2021

    Outcasts in Love
    GUEST HOST: Maulik Pancholy

    “Tandolfo the Great,” by Richard Bausch, performed by Michael Ian Black
    “A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud,” by Carson McCullers, performed by Lance Reddick

  • Levar Burton Ss Blog 952X597

    09/16/2021

    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

  • Whats Left Behind

    09/09/2021

    What’s Left Behind
    GUEST HOST MEG WOLITZER

    “Funeral Platter,” by Greg Ames, performed by Michael McKean and Annette O’Toole
    “Liberty,” by Julia Alvarez, performed by Laura Gómez
    “The Dog of the Marriage,” by Amy Hempel, performed by Joan Allen

  • Riverhead Books 952X597

    09/02/2021

    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

  • Personal Politics

    08/26/2021

    Personal Politics
    GUEST HOST: BARON VAUGHN

    “Parent Night at Confidence Academy,” by Kiley Reid, performed by Juliana Canfield
    “A Little Fable,” by Alfred Döblin, translated by Damion Searls, performed by Kate Burton
    “Shouting Wenkie,” by Peter Orner, performed by Liev Schreiber

  • Out Of Control

    08/19/2021

    Out of Control
    GUEST HOST: CYNTHIA NIXON

    “Hello?,” by Dmitry Biriukov, performed by Mike Doyle
    “How to Tie-Dye,” by Jenny Allen, performed by Jane Curtin
    “From the Diary of a Hot-Tempered Man,” by Anton Chekhov and translated by Peter Constantine, performed by Sam Underwood

  • Punching In

    08/12/2021

    Punching In
    GUEST HOST MAULIK PANCHOLY

    “Bayonne,” by John Cheever, performed by Mary Kay Place
    “Alvin the Typesetter,” by Lydia Davis, performed by David Rakoff
    “OBF, Inc.,” by Bernice L. McFadden, performed by Teagle F. Bougere

  • Words Without Borders Logo Ss Blog 952X597

    08/05/2021

    Words Without Borders
    GUEST HOST: KATE BURTON

    “Detour,” by Évelyne Trouillot, performed by 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

  • It Takes Two Ss Blog 952X597

    07/29/2021

    It Takes Two
    GUEST HOST: MEG WOLITZER

    “Once,” by Lauren Groff, performed by Cynthia Nixon
    “Slow and Steady,” by Rachel Khong, performed by Hettienne Park
    “Something Shiny,” by Elizabeth Crane, performed by Kate Walsh

  • Mckean Retta Cameron Ss Blog 952X597

    07/22/2021

    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

  • True Confessions

    07/15/2021

    True Confessions
    GUEST HOST: BARON VAUGHN

    “As a 28-Year-Old Latino, I’m Shocked My New Novel, Memoirs of a Middle-Aged White Lady, Has Been So Poorly Received,” by Carlos Greaves, performed by Anthony Ramos
    “1,000-Year-Old Ghosts,” by Laura Chow Reeve, performed by Jennifer Lim
    “The Rise and Fall of Mortimer Scrivens,” by A. A. Milne, performed by Michael Cerveris, Jane Curtin, Peter Francis James, James Naughton, and Rita Wolf

  • Dynamic Duos

    07/08/2021

    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

  • New York Stories

    07/01/2021

    New York Stories
    GUEST HOST: KATE BURTON

    "The Lower East Side of Manhattan," by Victor Hernández Cruz, performed by Sonia Manzano
    “Dessert,” by Colum McCann, performed by F. Murray Abraham
    “Home to Flatbush,” by Vinson Cunningham, performed by Wyatt Cenac
    “Recognition,” by Victor LaValle, performed by Karen Pittman
    Jazz
    (excerpt), by Toni Morrison, performed by Anika Noni Rose

  • Larger Than Life

    06/24/2021

    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

  • Word Power

    06/17/2021

    Word Power
    GUEST HOST: DYLAN MARRON

    "The Dancing Mind," by Toni Morrison, performed by Joe Morton
    “How to Pronounce Knife,” by Souvankham Thammavongsa, performed by Deborah S. Craig
    “My Purple Scented Novel,” by Ian McEwan, performed by Denis O’Hare

  • Under The Surface

    06/10/2021

    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

  • Uncanny

    06/03/2021

    Uncanny
    GUEST HOST: KATE BURTON

    "Cat Pictures Please," by Naomi Kritzer, performed by Nia Vardalos
    “There Will Come Soft Rains,” by Ray Bradbury, performed by Kathleen Chalfant
    “The Eyes of the Soul,” by Michel Faber, performed by Sam Underwood
    “Sci-Fi,” by Tracy K. Smith, performed by Valorie Curry

  • Curious Courtships

    05/27/2021

    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

  • Fame And Infamy Blog Image 952 X 597 2021

    05/20/2021

    Fame & Infamy
    GUEST HOST: DYLAN MARRON

    "The South Asian Speakers Series Presents the Archeologist and Adventurer Indiana Jones," by Tania James, performed by Bryan Cranston
    “Today, You’re a Black Revolutionary,” by Jade Jones, performed by Moses Ingram
    “On a Day That Tammy Had Not Eaten Enough Yellow,” by Kenneth Calhoun, performed by Michelle Buteau, John Cameron Mitchell, and Miriam Shor

  • Forgiving And Forgetting

    05/13/2021

    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
    Introduction by Lesley Nneka Arimah

  • Revise The Rules

    05/06/2021

    Revise the Rules
    GUEST HOST: ROXANE GAY

    "Miss Laura’s School for Esquire Men," by Carmen Maria Machado, performed by Emily Skeggs
    “Rubberdust,” by Sarah Thankam Mathews, performed by Purva Bedi
    “Sir Henry,” by Lydia Millet, performed by John Lithgow

  • Mending Families2

    04/29/2021

    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
    Introduction by Roxane Gay

  • Reading The Russians

    04/22/2021

    Reading the Russians with George Saunders
    GUEST HOST: KATE BURTON

    "After the Theatre," by Anton Chekhov translated by Constance Garnett, performed by Donna Lynne Champlin
    “The Porcelain Doll,” by Leo Tolstoy translated by Aylmer Maude, performed by BD Wong
    “Bobok,” by Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Constance Garnett, performed by Becca Blackwell, Peter Jay Fernandez, Santino Fontana, Zach Grenier, Ann Harada, Peter Mark Kendall
    Introductions by George Saunders

  • Thurber

    04/15/2021

    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 by Michael McKean and Susannah Rogers
    “Many Moons,” by James Thurber, performed by Michael McKean
    “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
    Introduction by Roz Chast

  • Test The Waters

    04/08/2021

    Test the Waters
    GUEST HOST: HOPE DAVIS

    "It’s Not You," by Elizabeth McCracken, performed by Hope Davis
    “In the Basement,” by Isaac Babel translated by Walter Morison, performed by Richard Masur
    Introductions by Curtis Sittenfeld and George Saunders

  • Afterlife

    04/01/2021

    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

  • Gravitational Forces

    03/25/2021

    Gravitational Forces
    GUEST HOST: HOPE DAVIS

    "What a Thought," by Shirley Jackson, performed by Andrea Martin
    “Magnificent Desolation,” by Jess Walter, performed by Bobby Cannavale
    “Draft Day,” by Rattawut Lapcharoensap, performed by BD Wong

  • No Place Like Home

    03/18/2021

    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

  • Gay Roxane Bass

    03/11/2021

    Little Rebellions
    GUEST HOST: ROXANE GAY

    "On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning," by Haruki Murakami, performed by Randall Park
    “The Golden Darters,” by Elizabeth Winthrop, performed by Ann Dowd
    “The Accountant,” by Robert Sheckley, performed by Nate Corddry

  • Shorts Blog Post Image Lit 1819

    03/04/2021

    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

  • Theres More To The Story

    02/25/2021

    There’s More to the Story
    GUEST HOST: MAULIK PANCHOLY

    "Riding Solo," by Simon Rich, performed by Maulik Pancholy
    “The Cult of Mary,” by Laura van den Berg, performed by Colby Minifie
    “The Eyes Have It,” by Philip K. Dick, performed by Paul Giamatti
    “Everyday Use,” by Alice Walker, performed by Carmen de Lavallade

  • Courtship And What Comes After

    02/18/2021

    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

  • Unexpected Endings

    02/11/2021

    Unexpected Endings
    GUEST HOST: KEVIN KWAN

    "A General in the Library," by Italo Calvino, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
    “Roman Fever,” by Edith Wharton, performed by Bebe Neuwirth

  • Not Quite Human

    02/04/2021

    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

  • Roxane Gay

    01/28/2021

    Distance Learning
    GUEST HOST: ROXANE GAY

    "The Adventure of a Skier," by Italo Calvino, performed by James Naughton
    “New York Day Women,” by Edwidge Danticat, performed by Laurine Towler
    “Notes for a Hypothetical Novel,” by James Baldwin, performed by Brandon J. Dirden

  • Sex And Vanity

    01/21/2021

    Sex and Vanity
    GUEST HOST: KEVIN KWAN

    "Little Miss International Goodwill," by Doretta Lau, performed by Annie Q
    “The Duchess and The Jeweller,” by Virginia Woolf, performed by Michael Urie
    Excerpt from Sex and Vanity, by Kevin Kwan, performed by Melora Hardin

  • Jordan Klepper Hero Template

    01/14/2021

    On The Trail
    GUEST HOST: JORDAN KLEPPER

    "A Presidential Candidate," by Mark Twain, performed by Roy Wood, Jr.
    “Our Boy George,” by Molly Ivins, performed by Samantha Bee
    Excerpt from Unbought and Unbossed, by Shirley Chisholm, performed by Crystal Dickinson
    “Waiting for Pivot,” by Alexandra Petri, performed by Paul Giamatti, Jordan Klepper, Aasif Mandvi, and Alexandra Petri
    Excerpt from Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72, by Hunter S. Thompson, performed by Jordan Klepper

  • Tc Boyle Am Homes

    01/07/2021

    Truth and Consequences with A.M. Homes and T.C. Boyle
    GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN

    "Top of the Food Chain," by T.C. Boyle, performed by Zach Grenier
    “A Prize for Every Player,” by A.M. Homes, performed by Jane Curtin