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In 1987 the late Michael Rea and his wife Elizabeth established The Rea Award for the Short Story, to “foster a literary cause, to ennoble the form, and to give it prestige.” Given not for a single work but for contributions to the art of the short story, the Award honors one writer each year. In April 2007, a dazzling line up of past winners participated in a special evening at Symphony Space marking the Award’s 20th anniversary. This radio program, derived from that evening, features the authors John Edgar Wideman, Joy Williams, and Tobias Wolff reading from their works; in remarks from the stage, Wolff recalls how Michael Rea, as a young Marine, found in the short story “a way of connecting with some larger world than the one he was in.”

The second part of the program features the 2006 and 2007 winners of the Rea Award, John Updike and Stuart Dybek. Updike’s “The Orphaned Swimming Pool,” read by Campbell Scott, refracts a disintegrating suburban marriage through the fate of the couple’s pool; afterwards, Updike reflects on an era when writers could make a living from short stories. The jobless narrator of Stuart Dybek’s “Killing Time,” read by Philip Casnoff, finds relief from his dreary life in the paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago. In an interview following the story, Dybek discusses the work and the challenge to the arts in a commodotized world.

“The Orphaned Swimming Pool,” by John Updike, read by Campbell Scott
“Killing Time,” by Stuart Dybek, read by Philip Casnoff
and selections from works by John Edgar Wideman, Joy Williams, and Tobias Wolff, read by the authors.

A special commemorative CD of the Rea Award for the Short Story 20th anniversary celebration at Symphony Space is available for purchase at our website, selectedshorts.org.

For additional works featured on SELECTED SHORTS, please visit Symphony Space

We’re interested in your response to these programs. Please comment on this site or visit www.selectedshorts.org