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Selected Shorts
Below is the schedule for upcoming and previous Selected Shorts episodes.
Our most recently released shows are available for audio streaming HERE.
12/29/2022
“The Martians Claim Canada,” by Margaret Atwood, performed by Jane Kaczmarek
“Options,” by Lesley Nneka Arimah, performed by Zainab Jah
“Chivalry,” by Neil Gaiman, performed by Christina Pickles
12/22/2022
“Interview with God,” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, performed by James Naughton and Jayne Atkinson
“Heidi Is Dead,” by Sherrie Flick, performed by Adina Verson
“Christmas Is a Sad Season for the Poor,” by John Cheever, performed by Teagle F. Bougere
12/15/2022
“A Happy Dream,” by Steve Almond, performed by Phil LaMarr
“A Brief Note on the Translation of Winter Women, Written by the Collective Dead, Translated by Amal Ruth,” by Rivers Solomon, performed by TL Thompson
“Saying Goodbye to Yang,” by Alexander Weinstein, performed by Tony Hale
12/08/2022
“Almost Everything,” by Etgar Keret, performed by Liev Schreiber
“Conquistadors, on Fairchild,” by Jacob Guajardo, performed by Michael Hartney
“Ice Man,” by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel, performed by Jane Curtin
12/01/2022
“Audience Instructions for Our Immersive/Experimental Theatre Production In An Abandoned Middle School In Bushwick,” by Rachel Klein, performed by Santino Fontana
“Our Mutual (Theater) Friend,” by Amber Sparks, performed by Krystina Alabado
“Solo on the Drums,” by Ann Petry, performed by Peter Francis James
“He and She,” by Anton Chekhov, performed by Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes
11/24/2022
“Beauty and the Beast,” by Simon Rich, performed by Arian Moayed
“Bedtime Story,” by Victor LaValle, performed by Dion Graham
“Exposure,” by Percival Everett, performed by Denis O’Hare
11/17/2022
“Dandelions,” by Ben Loory, performed by Wyatt Cenac
“Cane and Roses: A Manifesto,” by Edwidge Danticat, performed by Anika Noni Rose
“The Laurel and Hardy Love Affair,” by Ray Bradbury, performed by Tate Donovan
11/10/2022
“The Adventure of a Skier,” by Italo Calvino, translated by Ann Goldstein, 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
11/03/2022
“The Frog Prince,” by Robert Coover, performed by Parker Posey
“Chasing Birds,” by Cristina Henríquez, performed by Maryann Plunkett
10/27/2022
“Muzaffer and Bananas,” by Yalçın Tosun, translated by Abby Comstock-Gay, performed by Arian Moayed
“Take Pills and Wait for Hips,” by Anya DeNiro, performed by Pooya Mohseni
“Goodbye to the Road Not Taken,” by A.M. Homes, performed by Jane Kaczmarek and Tony Shalhoub
10/20/2022
“Unicorn Me,” by Elizabeth Crane, performed by Miriam Shor
“Unicorn Me” (song), created by Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler and performed by Maddie Corman, Zina Goldrich, and Matt Scharfglass
“The Double Life of the Cockroach’s Wife,” by Helen Phillips, performed by Sarah Steele
“iPhone SE,” by Weike Wang, performed by Dawn Akemi Saito
10/13/2022
“Women Like Us,” by Edwidge Danticat, performed by Lynne Thigpen
Heartburn (excerpt), by Nora Ephron, performed by Joan Allen
“New Bees,” by Claire Luchette, performed by Joanna Gleason
10/06/2022
“Isabella’s Garden,” by Naomi Kritzer, performed by Jane Kaczmarek
“My Dear You” (adapted), by Rachel Khong, performed by Annie Q.
Featuring an interview with Rachel Khong
09/29/2022
“The Frog and the Bird,” by Ben Loory, performed by Mike Doyle
“Town of Birds,” by Heather Monley, performed by Yetide Badaki
“The Mating Call,” by Mikkel Rosengaard, performed by BD Wong
With commentary from Amy Tan
09/22/2022
“Books You Read,” by Joe Meno, performed by Joan Allen
“Escape Pod W41” (song), composed by Lakecia Benjamin and performed by Yunie Mojica
“Escape Pod W41,” by J. Robert Lennon, performed by Stephen Lang
“Infidelity,” by Jac Jemc, performed by Kathleen Chalfant
09/15/2022
“(She Owns) Every Thing,” by Anne Enright, performed by Mary-Louise Parker
“Clothes on the Ground: A Conversation with Leap, A Garment Worker in Cambodia,” by Julia Wallace, performed by Jennifer Lim
“Faith and Hope Go Shopping,” by Joanne Harris, performed by Lois Smith
09/08/2022
“Nightlife,” by Lisa Ko, performed by Vanessa Kai
“The Hole,” by Patrick Cottrell, performed by Becca Blackwell
“Home,” by Elizabeth Strout, performed by Mia Dillon
09/01/2022
“Cultural Relativity,” by Charles Johnson, performed by Regina King
“The Lazy River,” by Zadie Smith, performed by Zadie Smith
“The Hope Chest,” by Jean Stafford, performed by Dana Ivey
08/25/2022
“Sea Monster,” by Seth Fried, performed by Natasha Rothwell
“Death by Printer,” by Mira Jacob, performed by Rita Wolf
“Period Piece,” by Maile Meloy, performed by Kelli O’Hara
08/18/2022
“Great Writers Steal,” by B.J. Novak, performed by Aasif Mandvi and B.J. Novak
“Creative Writing,” by Etgar Keret, translated by Miriam Shlesinger, performed by Alex Karpovsky
“Foes,” by Lorrie Moore, performed by Joan Allen and Kyle MacLachlan
08/11/2022
“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
08/04/2022
“A World Without Selfie Sticks,” by Etgar Keret, translated by Sondra Silverston, performed by Tate Donovan
“On the Honeymoon,” by Javier Marías, translated by Margaret Jull Costa, performed by Ivan Hernandez
“The Cult in My Garage,” by Duncan Birmingham, performed by Michaela Watkins
07/28/2022
“Any Other,” by Jac Jemc, performed by Helen Hong
“Noseless,” by Namwali Serpell, performed by Krystina Alabado, Deborah S. Craig, Zach Grenier, and Calvin Leon Smith
“Such Small Islands,” by Lauren Groff, performed by Crystal Dickinson
“Such Small Islands” (song), performed by Laura Gibson
07/21/2022
“This Is It,” by Sigrid Nunez, performed by Christina Pickles
“I Love Girl,” by Simon Rich, performed by Michael Ian Black
07/14/2022
“Fully Zipped,” by Shelly Oria, performed by Katja Blichfeld
“Bad Latch,” by Curtis Sittenfeld, performed by Justine Lupe
“Future Cat,” by Xuan Juliana Wang, performed by Parker Posey
07/07/2022
“City,” by Kurt Vonnegut, performed by Bhavesh Patel and Sarah Steele
Another Country (excerpt), by James Baldwin, performed by Nathan Hinton
“The Long Voyage,” by Leonardo Sciascia, translated by Simon Carnell & Erica Segre, performed by John Turturro
“Three Hours Between Planes,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, performed by Stephen Colbert
06/30/2022
“What Animal Are You?” by Etgar Keret, performed by Willem Dafoe
“Nothing Can Come Between Us,” by Rumaan Alam, performed by Nathan Hinton
“Who’s Irish?” by Gish Jen, performed by Frieda Foh Shen
06/23/2022
“Lumberjack Mom,” by Carribean Fragoza, performed by Roberta Colindrez
“Fun with a Stranger,” by Richard Yates, performed by Marian Seldes
06/16/2022
“Unpopular Gals,” by Margaret Atwood, performed by Ann Harada
“A Way with Bea,” by Shanteka Sigers, performed by Pascale Armand
“The Yellow Wallpaper” (abridged), by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, performed by Carrie Coon
With commentary from host Mona Eltahawy
06/09/2022
“My Mother,” by Jamaica Kincaid, performed by Laurine Towler
“Lessons,” by Laura van den Berg, performed by Emily Skeggs
06/02/2022
“Thank You, Mr. Nixon,” by Gish Jen, performed by Cindy Cheung
“Playing Ping-Pong with Pontius Pilate,” by Greg Ames, performed by Nate Corddry
“Captain Ahab: A Novel by the White Whale,” by Paul West, performed by Diane Venora
05/26/2022
“Letter Home,” by Kurt Vonnegut, performed by Jordan Klepper
“Red,” by Maile Meloy, performed by Keith Szarabajka
“The Cruise of the Jolly Roger,” by Kurt Vonnegut, performed by Teagle F. Bougere
05/19/2022
“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
05/12/2022
“The Project,” by Susan Perabo, performed by Michael Shannon
“The King of Bread,” by Luis Alberto Urrea, performed by Javier Muñoz
05/05/2022
“Trip In A Summer Dress,” by Annette Sanford, performed by Mia Dillon
“Palaver,” by Bryan Washington, performed by Petronia Paley and Michael Potts
04/28/2022
“A Lamp in a Window,” by Truman Capote, performed by Arian Moayed
“What Do You Say?” by Molly Giles, performed by Parker Posey
“Crazy They Call Me,” by Zadie Smith, performed by Karen Pittman
04/21/2022
The White Album (excerpt), by Joan Didion, performed by Jill Eikenberry
“Goodbye to All That,” by Joan Didion, performed by Mia Dillon
04/14/2022
“Doggy-Dog World,” by Hilary Leichter, performed by Sarah Mezzanotte
“Horror Story,” by Carmen Maria Machado, performed by Molly Bernard
“Sister Godzilla,” by Louise Erdrich, performed by Cynthia Nixon
04/07/2022
“Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut, performed by Becky Ann Baker
“The Kid Nobody Could Handle,” by Kurt Vonnegut, performed by Dylan Baker
With commentary from Jordan Klepper
03/31/2022
“oh she gotta head fulla hair,” by Ntozake Shange, performed by Tamara Tunie
“Half a Day,” by Naguib Mahfouz, performed by Bruce Altman
“Fenstad’s Mother,” by Charles Baxter, performed by Edie Falco
03/24/2022
“How to Talk To A Hunter,” by Pam Houston, performed by Mia Dillon
“Pat + Sam,” by Lisa Ko, performed by Jennifer Ikeda
03/17/2022
“The Briefcase,” by Rebecca Makkai, performed by Victor Garber
“Paradise,” by Yxta Maya Murray, performed by Tanis Parenteau
03/10/2022
“Audience Instructions for Our Immersive/Experimental Theatre Production In An Abandoned Middle School In Bushwick,” by Rachel Klein, performed by Santino Fontana
“Our Mutual (Theater) Friend,” by Amber Sparks, performed by Krystina Alabado
“Solo on the Drums,” by Ann Petry, performed by Peter Francis James
“He and She,” by Anton Chekhov, performed by Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes
03/03/2022
“Women Like Us,” by Edwidge Danticat, performed by Lynne Thigpen
Heartburn (excerpt), by Nora Ephron, performed by Joan Allen
“New Bees,” by Claire Luchette, performed by Joanna Gleason
02/24/2022
“Sibyl,” by Carys Davies, performed by Jane Kaczmarek
An excerpt from Beloved by Toni Morrison, performed by Andre Braugher
An excerpt from Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong, performed by Jennifer Ikeda
02/17/2022
“The First Kiss,” by Clarice Lispector, performed by Pepe Nufrio
“Hellion,” by Julia Elliott, performed by Donna Lynne Champlin
02/10/2022
“Trivial Pursuit,” by Jac Jemc, performed by Jordan Klepper
“Baghead,” by Renée Jessica Tan, performed by Karen Chee
“Spanish Winter,” by Jennifer Egan, performed by Melora Hardin
02/03/2022
“The Mathematician,” by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Carol Brown Janeway, performed by
BD Wong
“Hobbits and Hobgoblins,” by Randall Kenan, performed by Jeffrey Wright
01/27/2022
“Girl,” by Jamaica Kincaid, performed by Hattie Winston
“Lars Farf, Excessively Fearful Husband and Father,” by George Saunders, performed by James Naughton
“A Domestic Dilemma,” by Carson McCullers, performed by Joanna Gleason
01/20/2022
“Little Astronaut,” “Prank Calls From Fish,” “Body, I Never Knew I Could Love You,” and “Wean,” by J. Hope Stein, performed by J. Hope Stein
“I Love My Marriage” and “Slice of Life,” by Mike Birbiglia, performed by Mike Birbiglia
“The Cat and the Baboon,” by David Sedaris, performed by Carmen Lynch
“When I Tell My Husband I Miss the Sun, He Knows,” by Paige Lewis, performed by Jane Kaczmarek
“Rain, New Year’s Eve,” by Maggie Smith, performed by Kaneza Schaal
“New Client,” by Simon Rich, performed by Mike Birbiglia and Andrea Martin
“What I Didn’t Know Before,” by Ada Limón, performed by Carmen Lynch
“Praise the Rain,” by Joy Harjo, performed by Kaneza Schaal (podcast only)
“Grand Union,” by Zadie Smith, performed by Kaneza Schaal
01/13/2022
“Nayla,” by Youmna Chlala, performed by Rita Wolf
“Life Off My E,” by Susan Perabo, performed by Hope Davis
01/06/2022
“y = mx+b,” by Andrew Altschul, performed by Peter Mark Kendall
“I Happy Am,” by Jamel Brinkley, performed by Karen Pittman
With commentary from Claire Messud and James Wood