Selected Shorts

Forsaking All Others

Host Meg Wolitzer presents two works about love and marriage.  In Amy Silverberg’s “Have You Met Husband?” two men and a dog vie for this title.  The reader is Molly Bern

Tim Curry Performs "Ziggurat" by Stephen O'Connor

British actor Tim Curry died on August 26th at the age of 80. Celebrated for his infamous portrayal of Frank-N-Furter in the musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show, his de

Building Worlds, with N.K. Jemisin

Host Meg Wolitzer presents three works of speculative fiction curated by best-selling author N.K. Jemisin.  In John Scalzi’s “When the Yogurt Took Over” a popular breakfa

Up in the Air with Radiolab

SELECTED SHORTS host Meg Wolitzer presents four works that were read as part of our live evening with WNYC’s Radiolab and hosts Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser.The theme was

Seeing is Believing

Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories about perception and the relationship between what we see and what we believe.  In “Heart of a Champion,” T.C. Boyle gives the chil

Romance of the Summer

Host Meg Wolitzer presents three lively stories about the allure—or not—of summer.  Italian writer Massimo Bontempeli creates a magical beach inside an apartment in “The

Shifting Identities

Host Meg Wolitzer presents two works about shifting identities.  In “Voices”, by German writer Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Carol Brown Janeway, a computer technician’s

Picture Perfect

Host Meg Wolitzer presents three works about idealized lives, and ideas about what constitutes an ideal life.  “Boy Meets Girl” is Jen Kim’s humorous version of a Hollywo

Walking on Eggshells

Host Meg Wolitzer presents two works about being careful.  The title says it all in George Saunders’ “Lars Farf, Excessively Fearful Father and Husband,” as the central c

Lost and Found

Host Meg Wolitzer presents two works about losing something, but finding something revealing to take its place.  In “Light,” by Lesley Nkeka Arimah, parents differ about

Too Hot For Radio: Erin Somers "Washing Up"

Erin Somers is an author we've featured twice on Too Hot in the past, making her the first three-timer in the history of Too Hot! She's the author of the novels Stay Up w

Too Hot For Radio: Jonathan Lethem "The King of Sentences"

Today's story is all about what happens when you become infatuated with someone you don't really know. And what strange or scary things you might do in order to make real

Tell Me More: Jodi Kantor

In a wide-ranging and fascinating discussion, the two authors sit down to discuss journalism, the #MeToo movement, the Supreme Court, and what it takes to tell a good sto

Meg Wolitzer Talks with Louise Erdrich

In this bonus feature, host Meg Wolitzer talks with author Louise Edrich about “The Big Cat,” her craft, and her Native American roots. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz

Meg Wolitzer Talks with Denis O'Hare

In this bonus feature, host Meg Wolitzer talks with actor Denis O’Hare about his craft, and his approaches to readings of the two very different stories on this program.

Too Hot For Radio: Paul La Farge "Another Life"

This story is one from our archives, by Paul La Farge. Pay attention because the author delivers lots of little hints about what is happening behind the scenes—to the pro

Too Hot For Radio: Carmen Maria Machado "Persephone Rides at the End of Days"

Written by Carmen Maria Machado, the dark, inventive and sensual writer behind the collection Her Body and Other Parties, and the memoir In the Dream House, this story, “

Bonus: Etgar Keret and Ira Glass

Symphony Space was thrilled to host an evening with Israeli writer Etgar Keret, whose stories we’ve featured many times on Selected Shorts. He was interviewed by his long

Meg Wolitzer Talks to Author Michael Cunningham

Meg Wolitzer sits down with her friend, writer Michael Cunningham. Michael is an American novelist, screenwriter, and educator. He is best known for his novel The Hours,

Tell Me More: Kathryn Nicolai

The host of Selected Shorts, Meg Wolitzer launches the spin-off podcast, Tell Me More. If you know Selected Shorts you know that we're obsessed with stories. This new sho