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 episode of Selected Shorts, “The New American West,” actors Tate Donovan and John Benjamin Hickey perform...
10/01/2026

On this week’s episode of Selected Shorts,
“The New American West,” actors Tate Donovan and John Benjamin Hickey perform two stories that reassess and redefine our ideas of “the West.” The stories are written by Louise Erdrich and Rick bass. Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Images: Tate Donovan and John Benjamin Hickey stand onn the stage in front of a music stand and microphone, reading a story.

(Photos by Rahav Segev.)

Last week, Cynthia Nixon hosted our first Selected Shorts of the season, with readings from Bobby Cannavale, Sam Kebede,...
10/01/2026

Last week, Cynthia Nixon hosted our first Selected Shorts of the season, with readings from Bobby Cannavale, Sam Kebede, Sonia Manzano, and Shirley Rumierk. Thank you to this incredible group of actors, and everyone who joined us for a fantastic night!

Photo Credit: Sean Sime

On this week’s episode of Selected Shorts, “Love and UFOS,” actors Sonia Manzano and Javier Muñoz perform two stories th...
09/24/2026

On this week’s episode of Selected Shorts, “Love and UFOS,” actors Sonia Manzano and Javier Muñoz perform two stories that combine different sorts of unknowables: unidentified—or hard to identify—flying objects, and romantic love. The stories are written by Ben Loory and Haruki Murakami. Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts.

(Photo of Sonia Manzano by Kevin Yatarola. Photo of Javier Muñoz by Stefanie Candelario.)

Images: Sonia Manzano and Javier Muñoz stand on the stage in front of a music stand and microphone, reading a story.

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.'"

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