Selected Shorts

Last November, a story of mine, “Milestones,” was broadcast on public radio’s Selected Shorts, an award-winning, one-hour program featuring readings of classic and new short fiction by great actors from stage, screen and television, recorded live at New York’s Symphony Space. My story was read by Laurie Anderson, and afterwards I was interviewed by the long-time host of Selected Shorts, Isaiah Sheffer. I’ve been a fan of the show ever since 1994, when I would listen during my commute from one job, working in a bookstore, to the next, waiting tables all night. At the time it was a real literary life-line for me, so you can imagine how excited I was to meet Isaiah in person. To fans of the short story, Isaiah is as famous as Elvis, and I found him to be just as charming in person as he is over the radio. Despite my nervousness, we had some fun. Now Isaiah and Kathy Minton, the director of Selected Shorts, have asked me to come on board as a commentator for the show, which means each week I’ll be interviewing writers and talking about the stories produced. The first episode will air this coming weekend, a special edition featuring “Safari” by Jennifer Egan, a fantastic piece that is included in her novel A Visit from the Goon Squad. For WNYC listeners, the show will air Saturday at 10 pm on FM 93.9 and Sunday at 1 pm on AM 820. For WGBH (Boston), the show will air Saturday at 9:30 pm on 89.7 FM. Selected Shorts is carried on over 300 stations nationwide, so to find your local NPR station, you can go here, or to listen to podcasts, go here. Thanks for all the good wishes people have been sending since word has dropped. It’s a real honor to be joining this show. A part of me is still pinching myself, hoping not to wake up and have to work that extra shift at the diner.