A few weeks ago there was a great interview in New York Times Magazine with J.J. Abrams, talking about his new movie, Super 8, and his early love of magic stores. In particular, Abrams discussed the magic of the Mystery Box. A box that you would buy and not open. NOT knowing what is inside the box, Abrams said, creates the magic, because it engages the imagination. In this way, mystery can sometimes be more important than knowledge. To hear Abrams’s Ted Talk on this, and how it affected his storytelling technique, go here. But if you’d like to create some magic of your own, then listen to this week’s Selected Shorts, which includes wonderful stories that contain their own mysteries: “The Palmist” by Andrew Lam, performed by James Naughton; “The Occasional Garden” by Saki, performed by Daniel Gerroll; “The Balloon” by Donald Barthelme, performed by Maria Tucci; and “The Little Green Monster” by Haruki Murakami, performed by Dana Ivey. All of these stories are also available on the new CD by Selected Shorts, “A Touch of Magic.” For your time/station, or to download a podcast of this episode, go here.
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Hannah,
Thanks so much for the Abrams TED Talk , I had no idea he would be hilarious … shared.
“Mystery box”, so obvious (now), so brilliant …