Podcast Summary: Selected Shorts — "Intervention"

Date: December 4, 2025
Host: Meg Wolitzer
Stories by: Simon Rich, Langston Hughes, Miranda July
Read by: Ophira Eisenberg, Pauletta Washington, Parker Posey

Overview

This episode of Selected Shorts is themed around "Intervention"—not of the dire, life-or-death variety, but of friends, family, and strangers edging into each other's well-worn habits, nudging (or pushing) each other toward new possibilities or hard truths. Meg Wolitzer guides the listener through three short stories, each exploring some flavor of stepping in, whether to rescue, to rescue from oneself, or to create community from loneliness.

Introduction (01:07–04:00)

• Host Meg Wolitzer prompts reflection on the small interventions we consider in everyday life, like asking a friend to be more present, and frames the stories ahead as explorations of "interventions of a sort."
• The three literary selections by Simon Rich, Langston Hughes, and Miranda July are introduced, each bringing a distinct genre: satire, classic literature, and whimsical modern fiction.

Story One: "Relapse" by Simon Rich, read by Ophira Eisenberg

(Begins 04:00)

Summary

• Premise: Zoe, a once-somewhat-famous musician, has settled into suburban family life and suppressed her artistic side. A new song and a pull toward music triggers concern from her family and friends, culminating in a tongue-in-cheek "intervention" to keep her from relapsing into her old dreams.
• Tone: Satirical, sharp, yet compassionate.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Zoe’s Past Life and Present Malaise:
  Once in a band with a single minor hit, Zoe now plays the role of mother and partner, sidelining her musical aspirations ([04:00–10:42]).
• The Ghost of Artistic Ambition:
  Even among fellow “retired” artists, Zoe finds herself drawn back to songwriting, realizing that the creative urge isn’t as dead as she thought ([10:42–13:25]).
• The "Intervention":
  Co-conspirators, including her friends, husband Tom, and fellow musician Rusty, surprise Zoe under the pretense of meeting a manager, revealing instead a staged intervention against her making art ([16:44–18:41]).
• Addiction as Metaphor:
  Rich equates the pursuit of art with addiction—complete with a rehab center for artists, prescribed "wine to control the cravings," and an earnest but absurd Dr. Jensen, a former poet ([21:26–25:12]).
• Guilt, Resentment, and Family:
  Family claims Zoe’s creativity risks neglecting her daughter ("We used to play balloons. Now we don’t have time to do balloons" [22:28]), and Zoe’s attempts at bargaining are rebuffed ([23:25]).
• Bleak Resolution:
  Zoe submits, entering "treatment," her individuality and passion dulled but her family delighted with her new "grocery list journaling" ([26:43–28:47]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On fan encounters:
  • "Her fans were too old for selfies, she would shoot Tom an eye roll to conceal the thrill these encounters secretly gave her." ([04:00])
• The Interveners' Logic:
  • Dr. Jensen: "The people in this room love you like crazy, but they’re scared to death of losing you. And that’s why we’re here. This is an intervention. We know you’ve been making art again." ([17:49])
  • Tom: "We just don’t want you to get hurt." ([18:41])
• The Satirical Sting:
  • Dr. Jensen: "I spent 10 years writing poetry…. I was $95,000 in debt. I was mailing submissions to Ploughshares once a month… But by the end it got so bad I was doing open mics and sometimes the guy before me would be a stand-up comedian. So when I came out and read my poems, people would laugh, thinking I was making some kind of weird joke, and I’d have to be like, 'No. Stop laughing. This poem I wrote, it’s supposed to be serious.'" ([23:41–24:24])
• The Parodic "Recovery":
  • "She was significantly calmer, way less inclined to have creative thoughts…. She still had a Misfits tattoo on her ankle that would never go away, but for the first time in her life, she looked less like a rock star than a mom." ([26:43–28:33])
• Dark Hilarity:
  • Dr. Jensen: "There’s things you can do to dull the urges. For example, I do drugs. Every day. I take like a ton of painkillers." ([25:12])

Story Two: "Thank You Ma'am" by Langston Hughes, read by Pauletta Washington

(Begins 30:55)

Summary

• Premise: A young would-be thief, Roger, tries to snatch Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones’s purse, but she surprises him with strength, candor, and unexpected generosity.
• Tone: Warm, wise, laced with tough love.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Immediate Accountability:
  Mrs. Jones is unflinching, physically overpowering Roger then dragging him to her home to literally and figuratively clean him up ([30:58–35:07]).
• Empathy Over Punishment:
  Instead of turning him over to police, she shares her own hardship, provides a meal, and listens to him ([36:07–38:48]).
• Lesson Beyond Lecture:
  Mrs. Jones understands the desire for something unattainable; she resists moralizing but makes an impression through kindness ([36:07–36:59]).
• Dignity Restored:
  Before letting Roger go, she gives him money for the shoes he coveted, charging him to behave better without any righteousness ([39:06]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On accountability and nurture:
  • Mrs. Jones: "When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Louella Bates Washington Jones." ([33:44])
  • "I have done things too, which I would not tell you, son—neither tell God if he didn’t already know." ([36:07])
• The Final Emotional Beat:
  • “The boy wanted to say something else other than 'Thank you, Ma’am' to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn’t do so… and he never saw her again.” ([39:35–39:56])

Story Three: "The Swim Team" by Miranda July, read by Parker Posey

(Begins 44:10)

Summary

• Premise: The narrator recalls a lonely year in a tiny, nondescript town—where, to ease isolation, she invents a swim team for three elderly locals, conducted entirely on her kitchen floor with bowls of salt water.
• Tone: Offbeat, bittersweet, deeply human.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Invented Identities and Small Communities:
  The narrator lets the townspeople believe her name is Maria; small errors grow into accepted narratives ([46:07–46:42]).
• Creative Intervention for Connection:
  By offering "swimming lessons" without water, she forges meaningful ritual and community for herself and her elderly students ([47:16–53:46]).
• Absurdity Anchored by Need:
  The sessions are playful yet poignant. The narrator lies that Olympic swimmers sometimes train like this, highlighting how far people will go for belonging ([50:36]).
• Change and Loss:
  The story is recounted in hindsight, colored by loss and nostalgia as the narrator reflects on her breakup and the certainty that her "swim team" members must now be gone ([56:46–56:59]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "I can teach you how to swim, and we don’t need a pool." ([49:36])
• "We were four people lying on the kitchen floor kicking it loudly, as if angry, as if furious, as if disappointed and frustrated and not afraid to show it." ([50:36])
• "If I can say this without being immodest, I was insistent. Instead of the water. I kept everything going. I was talking constantly, like an aerobics instructor, and I blew the whistle in exact intervals, marking off the sides of the pool." ([52:59])
• "I was the coach of a swim team… If I thought this would be at all interesting to you, I would have told you earlier and maybe we would still be going out." ([55:52–56:05])
• "You seem incredibly far away to me, like someone on the other side of a lake. ... Who I miss now tonight is Elizabeth, Calda, and Jack Jack. They are dead. Of this I can be sure. What a tremendously sad feeling. I must be the saddest swim coach in all of." ([56:28–56:59])

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Host Meg Wolitzer on Interventions:
  • "These stories are about people who have fallen into a certain pattern of behavior, and about others in their immediate orbit who recognize the pitfalls of those ingrained habits." ([03:43])
• On Empathy in Intervention
  • "Love, not punitive jail time, conquers all." — Meg Wolitzer, reflecting on Hughes’s story ([40:06])
• On Small, Eccentric Connections:
  • "A bowl of water and a little imagination create a new community." ([42:14])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:07 — Meg Wolitzer introduces the theme and stories.
• 04:00 — "Relapse" by Simon Rich begins (read by Ophira Eisenberg)
• 30:55 — "Thank You Ma’am" by Langston Hughes begins (read by Pauletta Washington)
• 44:10 — "The Swim Team" by Miranda July begins (read by Parker Posey)
• 57:28 — "The Swim Team" ends; Parker Posey closes
• 58:46 — Meg Wolitzer’s closing reflections

Concluding Insights

• Theme Threading:
  Each story in this episode approaches "intervention" differently: satirical resistance to second chances, loving but tough caretaking, and self-created community as an intervention against loneliness.
• Final Words:
  Meg Wolitzer underscores the importance of "leading with love and a little bit of whimsy," closing with, "maybe consider asking your friend to tuck their phone somewhere way out of sight." ([58:46])

Overall Tone and Takeaway

By blending humor with heartbreak and earnestness with absurdity, the episode reminds listeners that sometimes the best interventions come from unexpected places: a spouse, a stranger with a generous heart, or even a made-up swim coach in a kitchen. The stories celebrate small acts of care and the complicated beauty of change, leaving us with laughter, a little lump in the throat, and the feeling that reaching out—however clumsily—can matter deeply.