I am absolutely in love with this show, Select Shorts and generally listen to the podcast every week. Their description of the show is as follows:
“Its story time for adults with PRI’s award-winning series of short fiction read by the stars of stage and screen. Recorded live at Peter Norton Symphony Space in NYC and on tour. A co-production of Symphony Space and WNYC Radio.”
This week’s show was especially good. The first reading by Amy Ryan was of Lauren Groff’s , At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners, a tale of a sensitive boy growing up in a house full of snakes. Her imagery was as delicious as the story was captivating.
The second reading which starts about 33:30 was intense, and of more than general interest as I spent 3 years in Jackson, MS. I recognized many of the landmarks he referenced. It is a coming of age story in the racist South by writer Kiese Laymon. The essay, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, is read by Brandon J. Dirden. I found it very intense, and emotional. It is an essay that lingers as you maul over injustices in our nation.