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In the stories on this program, two fathers have very different impacts on the lives of their children. 

Interesting characters at eateries—a working man’s lunch spot, and an Irish pub—link these two stories, one an early work by an American master, the other a contemporary tale by an Irishman.

At this holiday season of gathering and homecoming, we’re offering two funny tales about families. 

This program is given over to one remarkable story, Junot Diaz's tale of tough love in the Jersey suburbs, “Wildwood.”

“Man walks into a bar,” is the start of many tales and seemed a good premise for a live evening of SELECTED SHORTS at Symphony Space.

Two stories from the new media venture Electric Literature are featured on this program. 

Master storyteller Edna O’Brien on muses on love, death, and regret in two stories and a twisty tale from Robert Coover condenses the meaning of life.

Literary boyfriend trouble, and a lie comes to life in two stories from an evening at Symphony Space hosted by the protean fantasy writer Neil Gaiman. 

Two stories from SELECTED SHORTS annual season at the Getty Center in Los Angeles go to extremes. 

The new season of SELECTED SHORTS begins with a program devoted to the darkly humorous Israeli writer Etgar Keret, whose playful but subversive stories, in which harsh reality often topples into fantasy, have earned him an international following.  His story collections include The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God, The Girl on the Fridge, and The Nimrod Flipout.

Four tales of loss and recovery in the past and present make up this varied program.

Tim O’Brien’s stirring and poignant tale of foot soldiers in the Vietnam War shapes this entire program.

A pair of vampires, and a rare heron, represent the world after dark.

This special program recognizes the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the character of New York City. "UFO in Kushiro" by Haruki Murakami will be read by Ken Leung and "Lost and Found" by Colson Whitehead will be read by Alec Baldwin.

Look out! Mayhem! Cops and robbers in a hard-boiled classic, and a comic take on burglary make zesty listening. That's for this week's episode of SELECTED SHORTS, featuring "Double Check" by Thomas Walsh, read by James Naughton and "False Alarm" by Dave Barry, read by Larry Keith.

On this program, we get to know a multi-faceted contemporary writer up close, with a story, some poems, and good talk.

This program is devoted to two classic tales of terror by two masters of the genre. "Dracula’s Guest" by Bram Stoker is read by Aasif Mandvi and "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe is read by Fionnula Flanagan.

Unexpected revelations, emotions, and plot twists in three tales ranging from contemporary to crime classic.

A traveling salesman lost in a snow storm finds himself, and a farm family dreams of an excursion to town in two stories by this American master.