A young woman is drawn into a social charade in Joyce Carol Oates' "Nairobi," read by Alison Pill. Best friends re-examine their relationship in Amy Hempel's "The Most Girl Part of You," read by Kate Burton. And Rick Moody follows two brothers from childhood to maturity in "Boys," read by BD Wong.
First, a young woman is drawn into a social charade in Joyce Carol Oates' "Nairobi." Oates' fiction is often dark, violent, and gothic--her many published works include the novels We Were the Mulvaneys, Blonde, Bellefleur, The Gravedigger's Daughter, The Book of American Martyrs, and The Hazards of Time Travel. Her short story collections include Lovely, Dark, Deep, High Lonesome, and I Am No One You Know: Stories. Among her many awards are the National Book Award and the Rea Award for the Short Story.
"Nairobi," is not a chiller, but a delicate and secretive social comedy of manners, and its qualities are surfaced in this reading by Alison Pill, from The Getty Center in Los Angeles. Pill has appeared on the television series “The Book of Daniel,” “In Treatment,” “The Pillars of the Earth,” and “The Newsroom.” She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in “The Lieutenant of Inishmore.” Other stage credits include “Night of the Iguana,” “Wait Until Dark, and “Three Tall Women.” Recent films include “Zoom,” and “Vice.”
In our second story, by Amy Hempel, BFF's re-examine their relationship in "The Most Girl Part of You," read by Kate Burton. Hempel is a contemporary master of short fiction. Her collections include At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom, The Dog of the Marriage,The Collected Stories, and her first new collection in a decade, Sing to It. She is also a Rea Award winner, and has been honored as well with the PEN/Malamud Award for Short Fiction.
Kate Burton is a multiple Tony-nominated stage and television actor whose many credits include Broadway productions of “The Constant Wife,” “Hedda Gabler,” “The Elephant Man,” “The Cherry Orchard,” and “Present Laughter.” Her television work has included featured roles on “Grimm,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” and “Supergirl.” She will also appear in the forthcoming film “Where’d You Go, Bernadette.”
Our final story reads more like a poem. In "Boys," Rick Moody compresses the lives of two brothers from childhood to maturity. Moody is a skilled creator of both coming-of-age and mid-life crisis narratives in novels like Garden State, The Ice Storm and Hotels of North America. His fiction collections include The Ring of Brightest Angels Around Heaven, Demonology, and Right Livelihoods.
Reader BD Wong is a Tony- Award winner for his performance in “M. Butterfly.” Other Broadway appearances include revivals of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown,” and “Pacific Overtures.” Wong’s extensive television portfolio includes featured roles on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Oz,” “Awake,” and “Mr. Robot.”
