Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories from the volume Best American Short Stories 2025, selected by guest editor Celeste Ng.  In “An Early Departure,” by Jessica Treadway, a family r...

Host Meg Wolitzer presents two humorous stories about marriages not made in heaven.In James Thurber’s classic “The Breaking Up of the Winships,” a long-married couple fall out over Do...

In this bonus feature, host Meg Wolitzer talks with author Louise Edrich about “The Big Cat,” her craft, and her Native American roots. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See p...

Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories with unlikely scenarios, rare events that have, at least fictionally, come to pass.Naomi Kritzer uses the idea of “The Little Free Library”—one ...

Host Meg Wolitzer presents three stories in which reality contrasts with the dreams, perceptions, and actions of the characters.In “The Leap,” by Louise Erdrich, a mother’s unusual sk...

In this bonus feature, host Meg Wolitzer talks with actor Denis O’Hare about his craft, and his approaches to readings of the two very different stories on this program. Hosted by Sim...

This story is one from our archives, by Paul La Farge. Pay attention because the author delivers lots of little hints about what is happening behind the scenes—to the protagonist, and...

Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories by the extraordinary Japanese writer Haruki Murakami that demonstrate the breadth of his emotional imagination over a career of 35 years.  In an...

This week on SELECTED SHORTS, guest host DeRay Mckesson presents four works that consider the Black experience in America from bold perspectives.  Former Congresswoman Shirley Chishol...