When I was a young PR rep for a New York City public radio station, I helped promote a program new to radio. It was called “Selected Shorts,” a production of Symphony Space, which featured actors from stage and screen bringing to life great stories from well-known and emerging writers. It was a joy to do, and it was well received by our radio listeners, and is now in its fortieth year!
Over that time, the public radio program broadened its reach and is available in audio collections, via national tours, while it continues on-stage at the venue located at Broadway and 95th Street. It’s even got its own podcast series.
Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar (Photo Credit: Carlos Alayo)
This summer, for example, there was a Selected Shorts program with the theme “Sibling Revelry,” read by real-life sisters, Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar. The two women collaborate frequently, having co-authored two books about their humorous experiences, and anecdotes of modern-day racism. The stories they read that evening featured works by Jesse Eisenberg, Jess Walter, Joanne Harris, and Hannah Kingsley-Ma, all focused on the joys and challenges of the sibling world: something our performers could easily identify with.
The literary programming team for the program casts each show and selects the stories to be read. Past readers this season included Jason Alexander, Julianna Margulies, Richard Kind, and Martin Short. If you’re looking to get a taste of what the Selected Shorts is all about, recent shows are available for replay on their website.
There’s an extensive calendar of events for the upcoming Fall season including readings from the Best American Short Stories of 2025 and a night to celebrate 250 Years of Jane Austen with Hugh Dancy. There are film series, and evenings with writers and entertainers. If you love cats, there’s even a Cat Film Festival (yes, you read that right). Plus, evenings scheduled with Judd Apatow, and Cameron Crowe.
Top photo, left to right: Nathan Hinton, Michel Gill, Jayne Atkinson, Amber Ruffin, Lacey Lamar, Marin Ireland
Photo credit: Carlos Alayo
