Selected Shorts

Selected Shorts Spellbinding short stories by established and emerging writers take on a new life when they are perfo

On this week’s Selected Shorts episode, "Shifting Identities,” actors David Costabile and Yetide Badaki perform stories ...
08/05/2026

On this week’s Selected Shorts episode, "Shifting Identities,” actors David Costabile and Yetide Badaki perform stories about characters who reckon with shifting identities, first impressions, and what happens when the selves they thought they knew begin to fracture or transform. These works are by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Carol Brown Janeway, and Chika Unigwe. Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts.

[Photo of Yetide Badaki by Kevin Yatarola.]

Images: The first image is of Yetide Badaki standing on stage in front of a microphone, reading a story. The second is a headshot of David Costabile.

This week, Madeline, our Director of All Write! is Dreams of Trespass, by Fatima Mernissi. She tells us, "Through the ...
07/31/2026

This week, Madeline, our Director of All Write! is Dreams of Trespass, by Fatima Mernissi. She tells us, "Through the eyes of its feisty young protagonist, it took me behind the walls of a harem in Fez Morocco in the 1940s. The home of an extended family where all the women - wives, aunts, children, servants - were cloistered inside, they dreamed of "trespassing" out of the house and into the world. Often this was accomplished via their imaginations, especially the children's, through storytelling and staging plays. The writing, by an acclaimed Muslim feminist, was insightful and entrancing. I learned a lot!! (Fun fact: she was a graduate student at Brandeis University when I was an undergraduate. Sadly, we never met.)" Have a book you love? Let us know in the comments!

07/30/2026

Something extraordinary is on the horizon—and Symphony Space members are first in line! Today, our member presale opens for a thrilling season ahead.

Be among the first to reserve your seats for an exceptional lineup featuring Casey McQuiston, a celebration of Coltrane at 100, Gary Gulman, King Solomon Hicks, Marie-Helene Bertino, The Hot Sardines, The Klezmatics, and many more artists, authors, and performers who will inspire you throughout the season.

Not a member? Join today to secure the best seats for these events, and get early access to other incredible shows, special member ticket prices, and even more perks throughout the year. https://bit.ly/4x9Vthp

On this week's Selected Shorts episode, Picture Perfect, we feature three works about idealized lives, and ideas about w...
07/28/2026

On this week's Selected Shorts episode, Picture Perfect, we feature three works about idealized lives, and ideas about what constitutes an “ideal” life. Actors Tony Hale, Anne Meara, and Claire Danes perform works by Jen Kim, John Cheever, and Vanessa Cuti. Take a listen at https://bit.ly/3TK4oYt or wherever you get your podcasts.

(Photos by Ellen Qbertplaya and Rebecca J Michelson)
Images: Actors Tony Hale and Claire Danes stand on the stage in front of a microphone, reading a story.

This week, our Manager of Administration, Amy, is Keith McNally's I Regret Almost Everything. She tells us, "It's a go...
07/22/2026

This week, our Manager of Administration, Amy, is Keith McNally's I Regret Almost Everything. She tells us, "It's a good read, especially for those in NY throughout the 80s and 90s—capturing a lost time, the restaurant scene, his navigation of all that, his life then and now. He has an active and sometimes unfiltered IG that's fun to follow. As a long time New Yorker, for me a fun read. His son George is opening a new restaurant this year—Faux. Should be interesting!"

On this week's Selected Shorts episode, Walking on Eggshells, the title says it all in George Saunders’ “Lars Farf, Exce...
07/21/2026

On this week's Selected Shorts episode, Walking on Eggshells, the title says it all in George Saunders’ “Lars Farf, Excessively Fearful Father and Husband,” as the central character goes to greater and greater extremes to protect his family from—everything. The reader is BD Wong. And a couple tiptoe toward love in Lily King’s “Five Tuesdays in Winter,” read by Justin Kirk. Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts.

(Photos by Nile Hawver and Kyle Espeleta)
Images: BD Wong and Justin Kirk stand on the stage in front of a microphone, reading a story.

This week, our Manager of Education Programs, Regina, is The Correspondent. Regina says, "To quote Ann Patchett 'This ...
07/18/2026

This week, our Manager of Education Programs, Regina, is The Correspondent. Regina says, "To quote Ann Patchett 'This novel is a portrait of a small life expanding. Virginia Evans shows how one woman changes at a point when change had seemed impossible. That change turns out to be a cause for celebration.'"

There's a new episode of Selected Shorts: Too Hot For Radio! Featured is Miriam Shor (Pluribus, The Americans) reading E...
07/17/2026

There's a new episode of Selected Shorts: Too Hot For Radio! Featured is Miriam Shor (Pluribus, The Americans) reading Erin Somers' story about a mom doing not seemingly very mom-like things. Fun fact: Erin Somers is an author we've featured twice on Too Hot for Radio in the past, making her the first three-timer in the history of the show! Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts or at https://bit.ly/4faszGE

Image: A headshot of Miriam Shor is featured against a black background.

07/14/2026

Did you miss Ann Patchett's night launching her electrifying new novel, Whistler, at Symphony Space in June? Now you can take part in her conversation with Amor Towles, and hear a reading from the novel performed by Becky Ann Baker (Girls). Enjoy! https://bit.ly/4f2RxJa

On this week's Selected Shorts episode, Lost and Found, we feature stories about losing something, but finding something...
07/14/2026

On this week's Selected Shorts episode, Lost and Found, we feature stories about losing something, but finding something revealing to take its place. Actors Crystal Dickinson and Edie Falco perform pieces by Lesley Nkeka Arimah and Taryn Bowe. Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts.
(Photos by Kevin Yatarola and Ellen Qbertplaya)
Images: Crystal Dickinson and Edie Falco stand on the stage in front of a microphone, reading a story.

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