"Remarkable how the nursery caught the telepathic emanations of the

children's minds...The children thought lions, and there were lions..."

-From The Veldt by Ray Bradbury

By turns funny, moving, romantic and surreal, and filled with unexpected twists and turns, each of the tales on this lineup has a magical element.

Andrew Lam's

The Palmist

performed by James Naughton

A chance encounter on a bus between a fortune-teller and a teenage boy

Ray Bradbury's

The Veldt

performed by Stephen Colbert

A room which can take you anywhere in the world - sometimes with dangerous consequences

W.W. Jacobs'

The Monkey's Paw

performed by John Lithgow

A wonderful ghost story about a trinket with terrible powers

Saki's

The Occasional Garden

performed by Daniel Gerroll

If you can't grow a garden; poof! - you can rent one

Donald Barthelme's

The Balloon

performed by Maria Tucci

There's something suddenly in the sky in midtown Manhattan...

Kevin Brockmeier's

The Year of Silence

performed by Anthony Rapp

What if everything went quiet?

Jonathan Safran Foer's

The Sixth Borough

performed by Jerry Zaks

Yes, New York had a Sixth Borough, but it drifted away...

Aimee Bender's

Drunken Mimi

performed by Bernadette Quigley

A romance between a mermaid and an imp

Haruki Murakami's

The Little Green Monster

performed by Dana Ivey

A piece of Murakami magic: Is this a monster I see before me?

T.C. Boyle's

Swept Away

performed by René Auberjonois

This story's weather forecast: Very windy and very funny

Selected Shorts is an award-winning, one-hour program featuring readings of classic and new short fiction, recorded live at New York's Symphony Space. One of the most popular series on the airwaves, this unique show is hosted by Isaiah Sheffer and produced for radio by Symphony Space and WNYC Radio.