Selected Shorts this week features two stories about difficult women: “Beyond the Pale” by Joseph Epstein, performed by our own Isaiah Sheffer, and “Ma, A Memoir” by Lynn Freed, performed by the great Marian Seldes. Seldes has been on stage, screen, TV and radio. She once famously had her Tony Award for Albee’s “A Delicate Balance” stolen, and last year, when she won the Lifetime Achievement Award, she got up, said nothing, and left. Most recently she has starred in the video for “Burn My Shadow” by the band UNKLE (see above), which also serves as a trailer for the documentary: The Third Act of Marian Seldes. A difficult woman? Yes–and also positively brilliant. To hear for yourself, go here.