
Our greatest actors transport us through the magic of fiction, one short story at a time. Sometimes funny. Always moving. Selected Shorts connects you to the world with a rich diversity of voices from literature, film, theater, and comedy. New episodes every Thursday, from Symphony Space.
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 36 | Founded | 19 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | ArtsFictionBooks | |||

Host Meg Wolitzer presents two unconventional love stories, one classic, one contemporary, that avoid the usual tropes of “meet cute,” “opposites attract,” or “happily ever after” but are still engaging. In “Love in the Slump,” by Evelyn Waugh, clue... more
Host Meg Wolitzer presents the Wayfinder podcast. It’s a podcast about travel journeys that transform us, told through immersive stories of places, people, and moments that stay with you even once you are back home. Give it a listen, and we hope you ... more
In the second of two programs created with the podcast Death, Sex, and Money and our live event host Anna Sale, we explore issues of happiness. Host Meg Wolitzer introduces a satirical romance by Oscar Wilde (did he write any other kind?). “The Mod... more
In the first of two programs created with the podcast Death, Sex, and Money and host Anna Sale, we explore issues of identity and connection. In “Sacrament of Confession,” by Ernie Wang, a man struggles with a messy past that is affecting the presen... more
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I wish Meg would stick to a simple introduction presenting the title, author, and reader. Too much commentary.
As an avid pod listener/former big reader who has fallen out of that habit in recent years, this show is reminding me of the value in the latter - i’m LOVING it!! Was moved to leave a good review after the last story “Arrangements” in the latest episode (Modest Expectations). Richly written stories with nuances and variety, which is hard to come across in the podcast world sometimes. So good!
When there are stories, I enjoy them a lot. But can you put these interviews on another feed? They’re not what I imagine most of us are here for
The selection of stories use to be monumentally better.
It's hard to come across a story that is not cringy overperformed by the reader.
Gone are the good old days of this podcast. Farewell, good friend.
I used to listen to this podcast faithfully every week and then I’d listen to them again but not anymore. There are people out here who have an attention span of more than 7 minutes. We actually listened to the entire podcast when it was an hour long! Not anymore. You gave up quality for quantity. You lost this faithful listener. How many more did you gain?
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
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Apple Podcasts | #38 | |
Apple Podcasts | #35 | |
Apple Podcasts | #102 | |
Apple Podcasts | #154 | |
Apple Podcasts | #57 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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A curated showcase of literary short fiction brought to life by a rotating cast of celebrated actors and authors. Episodes blend live readings, dramatic performances, and thoughtful commentary, often curated in collaboration with literary communities like Belletrist. Guests range from renowned novelists and editors to stage and screen actors who perform or read excerpts, creating an intimate, theatre-like experience that ties literature to performance and culture. Noteworthy is the recurring mix of classic and contemporary stories, high-profile reading talent, and behind-the-scenes context about the production and sponsor partnerships, which gives listeners a sense of both artistry and literary community-building.
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Selected Shorts. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Selected Shorts and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
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These podcasts share a similar audience with Selected Shorts:
1. The Moth
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3. The New Yorker: Fiction
4. This American Life
5. Snap Judgment
Selected Shorts launched 19 years ago and published 36 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Selected Shorts include:
1. Richard Kind
2. Seth Fried
3. Constance Zimmer
4. Randall Park
5. Laura Harrier
6. Will Harrison
7. Emma Roberts
8. Karah Preiss
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