Selected Shorts

“Selected Shorts” is a series of literary readings held weekly usually in New York (Symphony Space) or Los Angeles (the Getty Center). These events consist of screen and stage actors reading classical and new fiction shorts before a live audience. The authors range from famous classics – Maupassant, Chekov, Hemingway, Brontë, Saki, Poe… – to no less famous modern writers — T.C. Boyle, David Sedaris, James Thurber, Ray Bradbury, Shirley Jackson, Kurt Vonnegut… At times some of the readers seem to represent “who-is-who” list of Hollywood, Broadway, and television — Paul Giamatti, Anjelica Huston, Stephen Colbert, Jane Curtin, John Lithgow… While other readers and writers are of less renown.

The readings began in 1985 and were hosted by Isaiah Sheffer. After Sheffer’s death in 2012, guest hosts lead the events. There is a consistent structure to each of the “Selected Shorts” readings. Each has a theme that deals with a particular topic (e.g. humor), writer (e.g. works of Edgar Allan Poe or Anton Chekov), or performer (e.g. Harvard Lampoon or Isaiah Sheffer). Several shorts are presented around each such theme.

PERSONAL NOTE:
I love the short story genre and am glad to seed these. Unfortunately, I do not have a seedbox or a superfast upstream connection. I would greatly appreciate your patience while downloading and only ask to, please, be kind to other fans of the short story genre by seeding as long as you can after the 72-hr. minimum.

For more of Selected Shorts, click on “Selected Shorts” tag next to the “Series” header (3rd line at the top of this page.)

I sincerely hope you enjoy the stories, the readers, and their readings.
// XM…

THIS UPLOAD INCLUDES:

11/05/2020
        ONLY HUMAN: ANTON CHEKHOV
GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN
“A Drama,” by Anton Chekhov, performed by Cynthia Nixon
“Rapture,” by Anton Chekhov, performed by performed by Robin Miles, Sam Underwood, Rainn Wilson, and Di Zhu
“Verotchka,” by Anton Chekhov, performed by Rainn Wilson
“Which Is Better?” by Anton Chekhov, performed by Rainn Wilson
DESCRIPTION
Guest host Jane Curtin presents works by Anton Chekhov that were part of a celebration sponsored by Columbia University and hosted by Chekhov scholar Laura Strausfeld. We’ll hear “A Drama” performed by Cynthia Nixon—an ambitious writer overwhelms her idol; “Rapture” performed by Robin Miles, Sam Underwood, Rainn Wilson, and Di Zhu—a young man enjoys his 15 minutes of fame; “Which Is Better?” performed by Rainn Wilson—Chekhov debates the merits of schools vs. pubs; and “Verotchka” performed by Rainn Wilson—a studious young man confronts romance.

11/12/2020
        LOOK AGAIN
GUEST HOST: MAULIK PANCHOLY
“The Flowers,” by Alice Walker, performed by Crystal Dickinson
“Star Food,” by Ethan Canin, performed by David Strathairn
DESCRIPTION
Guest host Maulik Pancholy presents two stories in which young protagonists have their lives altered by acts of perception. A ten-year old girl takes a carefree walk in the woods in Alice Walker’s “The Flowers,” but the blossoms she finds conceal something darker. The reader is Crystal Dickinson. Ethan Canin’s “Star Food,” read by David Strathairn, is a coming-of-age story involving a boy at the edge of manhood, his parents, the family store–and the cosmos. We always like David for stories that need to take their time.

11/19/2020
        EXTENDED FAMILIES
GUEST HOST: JANE CURTIN
“They Tell Me, Now I Know,” by Shay Youngblood, performed by Viola Davis
“A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness,” by Jai Chakrabarti, performed by Bhavesh Patel
DESCRIPTION
Guest host Jane Curtin presents two stories featuring unconventional families. A young girl is raised by a group of warmhearted “mamas” in Shay Youngblood’s touching coming-of-age story, “They Tell Me, Now I Know,” read by Viola Davis. In Jai Chakrabarti’s “A Small Sacrifice for An Enormous Happiness,” a forbidden love affair and a marriage of convenience promise two different futures. The reader is Bhavesh Patel.

11/26/2020
        MODERN FABLES
GUEST HOST: KIRSTEN VANGSNESS
“A Wild Swan,” by Michael Cunningham, performed by Valorie Curry
“Fox 8” excerpt, by George Saunders, performed by John Cameron Mitchell
DESCRIPTION
Guest host Kirsten Vangsness presents two contemporary fables. First, Michael Cunningham re-imagines the Hans Christian Andersen classic “A Wild Swan,” in a reading by Valorie Curry. Next, an excerpt from George Saunders’ touching and hilarious novella Fox 8, read by John Cameron Mitchell.

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