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:

10/01/2020
        Home Cooking with Food52
GUEST HOST: HOPE DAVIS
“Feeding the Fussy,” by Laurie Colwin, performed by Tracee Chimo
“Home Turf,” by Kiran Desai, performed by Angel Desai
“Watkyn, Comma,” by Joan Aiken, performed by Sonia Manzano
Description
Guest host Hope Davis presents three works curated with the online food and cooking community Food52. The late Laurie Colwin has hot tips about how to feed picky eaters in “Feeding the Fussy,” read by Tracee Chimo. Indian novelist Kiran Desai remembers her childhood—and a temperamental chef—in “Home Turf,” performed by Angel Desai. And a mysterious presence haunts an old mill in classic children’s writer Joan Aiken’s “Watkyn, Comma,” performed by Sonia Manzano.

10/08/2020
        Hard Choices
GUEST HOST: KIRSTEN VANGSNESS
“Trivial Pursuit,” by Jac Jemc, performed by Jordan Klepper
“Baghead,” by Renée Jessica Tan, performed by Karen Chee
“Spanish Winter,” by Jennifer Egan, performed by Melora Hardin
Description
Guest host Kirsten Vangsness presents three stories about hard choices. In Jac Jemc’s “Trivial Pursuit,” a husband and wife run the gamut of odd couples while trying to construct a social life. Jordan Klepper kills it. Renée Jessica Tan offers a thought-provoking response to racial stereotyping with the brilliant father-daughter story “Baghead,” performed by Karen Chee. And a recent divorcée has nothing to lose in her “Spanish Winter,” but what does she have to gain? Melora Hardin performs this strong piece by Jennifer Egan.

10/15/2020
        Improbable Dreams
GUEST HOST: HOPE DAVIS
“The Orange,” by Benjamin Rosenbaum, performed by John Cameron Mitchell
“The Man, the Restaurant, and the Eiffel Tower,” by Ben Loory, performed by Stana Katic
“I, Gentile,” by David Gordon, performed by Michael Urie
Description
Guest host Hope Davis presents three improbable stories: in “The Orange” by Benjamin Rosenbaum, a citrus fruit rules the world. The reader is John Cameron Mitchell. In “The Man, The Restaurant, and the Eiffel Tower,” by Ben Loory, performed by Stana Katic, a father’s children conspire to make him happy. In “I, Gentile,” by David Gordon, performed by Michael Urie, a reluctant Jew falls in love with the wrong girl.

10/22/2020
        Redemption
GUEST HOST: DAVID SEDARIS
“Sibyl,” by Carys Davis, performed by Jane Kaczmarek
Beloved (excerpt), by Toni Morrison, performed by Andre Braugher
Goodbye, Vitamin (excerpt), by Rachel Khong, performed by Jennifer Ikeda
Description
Guest host David Sedaris presents three stories about recollection and redemption. In “Sibyl,” by Carys Davies, read by Jane Kaczmarek, two lonely vacationers are brought together. Andre Braugher performs an excerpt from Toni Morrison’s master work, Beloved. And a daughter returns home to help her aging father in an excerpt from Rachel Khong’s bittersweet novel Goodbye, Vitamin, performed by Jennifer Ikeda.

10/29/2020
        It’s a Sign
GUEST HOST: MAULIK PANCHOLY
“Story of a Parrot,” by Ana Menéndez, performed by Jacqueline Kim
“In Paris,” by Ivan Bunin, performed by René Auberjonois
Description
Guest host Maulik Pancholy presents two stories in which unexpected encounters and visitations result in new love. In Ana Menéndez’s “Story of a Parrot,” a colorful bird revives a gray marriage. The reader is Jacqueline Kim. Russian Nobel Laureate Ivan Bunin penned a delicate story of an unexpected romance between a man with “a wound in his soul” and a waitress. The late, great René Auberjonois was meant for this reading of “In Paris.”

.