Selected Shorts – McSweeney’s 25th Anniversary Extravaganza

Date: August 21, 2025
Host: Meg Wolitzer (Symphony Space)
Theme: A vibrant live celebration of McSweeney’s 25th year, featuring selected short fiction from its storied history, brought to life by acclaimed performers. Quirky, heartfelt, and often hilarious, the episode honors McSweeney's influence on contemporary stories—the playful, the weird, the moving, and the unforgettable.

Episode Overview

Purpose:
Selected Shorts’ tribute to McSweeney’s—the influential indie publisher founded by Dave Eggers—marks its 25th anniversary with live readings of stories from its archives. The episode showcases McSweeney’s unconventional, witty, and sometimes poignant approach to literature. Writers like Nathan Englander, Etgar Keret, and Ernie Wong are given new voice by actors Ophira Eisenberg, Andy Richter, and BD Wong, with segments emceed by McSweeney’s stalwart John Hodgman.

Key Segments & Discussions

1. Introduction to McSweeney’s (01:06–03:56)

Host: Meg Wolitzer

• McSweeney’s is lauded as "smart, hilarious, groundbreaking, and absolutely in love with the power of stories."
• Wolitzer details the publisher's history, its founder Dave Eggers, and its hallmark literary style—"clever, funny, playful, weird and literary writing that was more than a little biting."
• Mention of McSweeney’s notable contributors (Michael Chabon, Zadie Smith), artful journals, influential magazines (The Believer), and the nonprofit 826 National.
• Highlights McSweeney’s daily online humor, e.g., the viral "decorative gourd season" piece.
• Event context: A live show at Symphony Space featuring readings by writers and fans.

Quote:

“McSweeney’s has had an incredibly clear sensibility… clever, funny, playful, weird and literary writing that was more than a little biting.” – Meg Wolitzer (01:44)

2. John Hodgman’s McSweeney’s Anecdote (03:57–04:47)

Host: John Hodgman

• Remembers being drawn in by an accidental email from Dave Eggers seeking "fiction, yes, but also reportage, humor, magazine stories… short stories that had never been finished.”
• Emphasizes McSweeney’s encouragement for writers to “create the work that we had to do for some unknown impulse.”

Quote:

"Dave and his colleagues encouraged me, and so many right from the start, to not just do the jobs that we could manage to get, but to create the work that we had to do for some unknown impulse.” – John Hodgman (04:17)

3. Live Story Performances

A. "Poor Little Egg Boy Hatched in a Shool" by Nathan Englander

Performed by: Ophira Eisenberg (05:47–10:35)

• A mother, Meryl, peels a hard-boiled egg at synagogue only to discover her son inside—a surreal transformation that her community seems to accept without question.
• The egg boy, watched by his sister, can’t resist eating a part of his own egg white. Mother wrongly blames the daughter, leading to a darkly comic family fallout.
• The egg boy, riddled with guilt and self-restraint, tries to confess days later but waits too long—his tongue has turned to bacon, and he can’t speak.

Memorable Moment:

• Surreal family dynamics blend with slapstick and Jewish humor, culminating in the absurd (a boy eating himself; a tongue turning to bacon).
• Quote (Meryl): “An egg boy. Well, I’ll be.” (06:28)
• Quote (Narration): “The egg boy ate himself, which he kind of felt, even in the moment, must be wrong.” (07:18)

B. "Crumb Cake" by Etgar Keret

Performed by: Andy Richter (11:39–27:03)

• On his 50th birthday, a man dines with his mother, craving pancakes but observing her dietary restrictions and endless motherly interference.
• The dynamic is both affectionate and suffocating: pills to organize, a lottery ticket to buy under protest, basketball games at Fat Charlie’s Diner, and an incident with a suspicious tattooed mother on the court.
• Reflections intertwine: the death of his father in a car accident, his mother’s failing health, and the careful dance of caretaking and dependency.
• Ends on a note of bittersweet connection, with the mother’s crumb cake symbolizing irreplaceable family bonds.

Quote:

“My dad died in a car accident on the way home, a long time ago when I was still in my mother’s womb. So go figure.” (13:17)
“You know what the chances are of winning the lottery? One in a million? Even less.” – Meryl, Mother (13:04)
“But tell me the truth, sweetie. Do you know anyone else in the whole wide world who can make a crumb cake as delicious as mine?” (26:54)

C. "Stay Brave, My Hercules" by Ernie Wong

Performed by: BD Wong (30:27–58:27)

• An inside-looking-out account from Jeremy, who plays Hercules at Disney World, emotionally balancing his costumed day job, a relationship with a much older partner Jay battling terminal cancer, and the script-bound limitations of spreading strength and kindness.
• The humor and heartbreak of being “one of Disney’s 18 Herculeses”—with their “nicknames for each other”—folds into poignant moments: a young boy seeking strength, a clash with familial secrets exposed in public, and, later, a Make-a-Wish child, Cody.
• The script—the literal binder of responses—is tested by the chaos and ambiguity of real-life encounters.
• Jeremy’s relationship with Jay is depicted with honesty and warmth; their conversation about the future is cut short in favor of intimacy over actuarial calculations.
• The closing memory: Jeremy taking Cody on Peter Pan’s Flight, rising above their limitations for a moment of wonder. The story closes with a yearning to hold onto hope and connection, even as Jay’s illness looms.

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• “All of Disney’s 18 Herculeses have nicknames for each other. Mine is Baby Face Hercules… and everybody’s favorite, Grandpa Hercules. Grandpa Hercules is literally a grandpa…” (30:57)
• “Hercules, the boy repeats, how do I become strong like you? ...‘Young man... I want you to be strong, I want you to be brave, and I want you to listen to your parents...’” (36:44)
• On facing unscripted reality: “That binder doesn’t cover everything, after all. They don’t pay us enough for this shit, Zach says.” (38:01)
• On taking Cody on a flight:

  "We flew over Tower Bridge and Big Ben before rising to clouds of wispy white fluff... I looked at Cody. His face was spellbound as we glided and swooped over mountain peaks and into the heart of Neverland.” (56:40)
  “That was way better than Minecraft,” Cody sighed, after their shared flight on Peter Pan’s ride. (57:36)

Episode Tone & Language

Throughout, the tone is quintessentially McSweeney’s: arch, affectionate, irreverent, but deeply compassionate. The hosts and narrators veer effortlessly between laughter, tenderness, and surreal invention. The performances are filled with keen observations, dark wit, and authentic emotional resonance.

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 01:06: Meg Wolitzer introduces McSweeney’s legacy
• 03:57: John Hodgman’s memoir of McSweeney’s beginnings
• 05:47–10:35: Ophira Eisenberg performs “Poor Little Egg Boy Hatched in a Shool”
• 11:39–27:03: Andy Richter performs “Crumb Cake”
• 30:27–58:27: BD Wong performs “Stay Brave, My Hercules”
• 58:33: Meg Wolitzer brings the celebration to a close

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• "Dave and his colleagues encouraged me… to not just do the jobs that we could manage to get, but to create the work that we had to do for some unknown impulse.” —John Hodgman (04:17)
• "What kind of little boy would eat himself? She wanted to know. Little brothers, the daughter said, do worse." —Nathan Englander/Ophira Eisenberg (08:01)
• "We have a better chance of being killed in a car accident on the way home than you do of winning… My dad died in a car accident on the way home, a long time ago when I was still in my mother's womb. So go figure." —Etgar Keret/Andy Richter (13:04/13:17)
• "That binder doesn't cover everything, after all. They don’t pay us enough for this shit, Zach says." —Ernie Wong/BD Wong (38:01)
• "We flew over Tower Bridge and Big Ben before rising to clouds of wispy white fluff…" —Ernie Wong/BD Wong (56:40)

Conclusion

The McSweeney’s 25th Anniversary Extravaganza on Selected Shorts is a joyous, multilayered homage to a publisher that has made weirdness normal and heartache humorous. With wit and warmth, the episode invites listeners into the club—you don’t need to be an insider, just a lover of audacious, humane storytelling.

Celebratory Sign-off:

“May the playfulness, determination and spirit of community on display in McSweeney’s enterprises help inspire and entertain us in the next quarter century too.” – Meg Wolitzer (58:33)