People with Problems
A gifted child transforms a community with her cooking, and a neurotic meets his match.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
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David Schickler (Martha Schickler)
“‘Find the chef,’ the groom called.
‘To the kitchen!’, the bride said.
‘To the kitchen!’ the crowd chanted.
Like a horde they rose to their feet and surged towards the Amerigos, wearing dangerous smiles.”
—David Schickler, “Wes Amerigo’s Giant Fear”
A gifted child transforms a community with her cooking, and a neurotic meets his match.
David Schickler, an alumnus of Columbia University's MFA Writing Program and the author of Kissing in Manhattan, among other books, is well known for his tales of unexpected love and grace in unlikely settings. In the first story on this program, “Wes Amerigo's Giant Fear,” a family catering business veers into the surreal, and a gifted child proves that home cooking really does have special properties. This delicious tale was read at Edith Wharton’s home, The Mount, in Lenox, Mass., by Shorts host Isaiah Sheffer.
The Schicker tale is all about food, and for dessert we present Miranda Mellis’s short tale about a bizarre psychotherapist, “The Doctor of Mental Health.” It is read with just the right touch of peevish bemusement by the actor and humorist David Rakoff, author of Don’t Get too Comfortable and a contributor to “This American Life.”
“Wes Amerigo’s Giant Fear,” by David Schickler, read by Isaiah Sheffer “The Doctor of Mental Health,” by Miranda Mellis, read by David Rakoff For additional works featured on Selected Shorts, please visit Symphony Space
‘To the kitchen!’, the bride said.
‘To the kitchen!’ the crowd chanted.
Like a horde they rose to their feet and surged towards the Amerigos, wearing dangerous smiles.”
—David Schickler, “Wes Amerigo’s Giant Fear”
A gifted child transforms a community with her cooking, and a neurotic meets his match.
David Schickler, an alumnus of Columbia University's MFA Writing Program and the author of Kissing in Manhattan, among other books, is well known for his tales of unexpected love and grace in unlikely settings. In the first story on this program, “Wes Amerigo's Giant Fear,” a family catering business veers into the surreal, and a gifted child proves that home cooking really does have special properties. This delicious tale was read at Edith Wharton’s home, The Mount, in Lenox, Mass., by Shorts host Isaiah Sheffer.
The Schicker tale is all about food, and for dessert we present Miranda Mellis’s short tale about a bizarre psychotherapist, “The Doctor of Mental Health.” It is read with just the right touch of peevish bemusement by the actor and humorist David Rakoff, author of Don’t Get too Comfortable and a contributor to “This American Life.”
“Wes Amerigo’s Giant Fear,” by David Schickler, read by Isaiah Sheffer “The Doctor of Mental Health,” by Miranda Mellis, read by David Rakoff For additional works featured on Selected Shorts, please visit Symphony Space
About Selected Shorts
Selected Shorts features some of the finest artists of the American theater reading contemporary and classic short fiction-the most distinguished works of the early masters such as Chekhov, Maupassant, Malamud and dozens of others.
To listen to this program, and other recent programs, subscribe to the Selected Shorts podcast
Hosted by Isaiah Sheffer
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Comments [1]
I would love to hear "people with problems" short story again. How can I?
I look forward to hearing from you
From the producer:
Selected Shorts broadcasts are repeated the year following their first release, so you can look forward to hearing this again on the radio in the Spring of 2009. Currently, it should still be available as part of the SHORTS podcasts on iTunes; and And write to shorts@symphonyspace.org to inquire about forthcoming CD collections, in which selected stories from previous seasons are featured.
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