Guest host Tayari Jones presents stories about rites of passage between childhood and adulthood. In Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector’s lyrical “The First Kiss,” a young boy has his first brush with the sensual. Pepe Nufrio is the reader. A fiery country girl...

Guest host Cynthia Nixon presents stories from New York Magazine’s online portal “The Cut,” which combines art, journalism, and the kind of fresh contemporary fiction that speaks to us. On this show, a woman tries on different identities, as well as clothes, in a dress shop...

Guest host Denis O’Hare introduces two stories about outsiders. A tutor finds her privileged teenage client mystifying in Kyle McCarthy’s “Ancient Rome,” read by Tavi Gevinson. In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “The Thing Around Your Neck,” a young...

Guest host David Sedaris presents three stories about love and constraints. Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” conjures up a tough but loving mother in a humorous laundry list of dos and don’ts. She’s brought to life by Hattie Winston. George Saunders’...

Humor writer Simon Rich reimagines a classic joke for The New Yorker. After the reading by actor Michael Urie, Rich talks to host Aparna Nancherla about how this hilarious, and somewhat dirty piece, made it to print and went viral.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get lost in the moment as some of the most talented actors from the stage, screen, and television bring short stories to life. This award-winning series presents a compelling work of short fiction each week, recorded live at New York’s Symphony Space. Classic authors and bold new writers are showcased equally, from Chekhov, Hemingway, and Updike to Alice Walker and Pulitzer Prize-winner Jhumpa Lahira. Produced by Symphony Space.