Podcast
Selected Shorts
Hosted by Symphony Space · EN
Spellbinding short stories by established and emerging writers take on a new life when they are performed by stars of the stage and screen. Listen free on your computer or mobile device. Symphony Space, the home of Selected Shorts, was founded almost 40 years ago in the belief that the arts bring people together, transcend barriers, and celebrate both our similarities and our differences. That belief remains our guiding principle and is more important now than ever. Your generosity during the Covid19 crisis will help us continue to provide great programs free of charge. Thank you for your support.
25episodes
Episodes
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Homewreckers
Mar 1900:58:48Summary readyHost Meg Wolitzer presents two humorous stories about marriages not made in heaven. In James Thurber’s classic “The Breaking Up of the Winships,” a long-married couple fall out over Donald Duck. The reader is Kristine Nielsen. And in Louise Erdrich’s “The Big Cat,” read by Keir Dullea, two powerful wives, a bemused husband, and a symphony of bone-jarring snores. The program also features an interview with Erdrich.
SummaryWhat Are the Odds?
Mar 1200:59:24Tap to summarizeHost Meg Wolitzer presents two stories with unlikely scenarios, rare events that have, at least fictionally, come to pass. Naomi Kritzer uses the idea of “The Little Free Library”—one of those impromptu structures that facilitate the swapping of books—to imagine an exchange of quite a different sort. The reader is Melora Hardin. And Ling Ma imagines how winning the lottery—292.2 million to one—actually plays out. “Winner” is read by Cindy Cheung.
Transcribe →Reality Checks
Mar 500:59:05Tap to summarizeHost Meg Wolitzer presents three stories in which reality contrasts with the dreams, perceptions, and actions of the characters. In “The Leap,” by Louise Erdrich, a mother’s unusual skill set changes the outcome of events. The reader is Elizabeth Reaser. In “Death and the Lady,” by Ben Loory, even the Grim Reaper harbors illusions. And his parents’ damaged marriage haunts an adult child in Delmore Schwartz’s “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities.” Both the Loory and the Schwartz are read by multi-talented actor Denis O’Hare, and Wolitzer talks to him about his craft.
Transcribe →Meg Wolitzer Talks with Denis O'Hare
Mar 500:16:01Tap to summarizeMeg Wolitzer Talks with Denis O'Hare by Symphony Space
Transcribe →Selected Shorts Goes to the Movies with the Tribeca Film Festival
Feb 22, 2024Tap to summarizeSelected Shorts Goes to the Movies with the Tribeca Film Festival by Symphony Space
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