Lost and Found

The distinguished writer Joyce Carol Oates is the queen of American gothic fiction. A quiet dread permeates many of her stories, from collections such as Where is Here?, I Am No One You Know, and her most recent, Lovely, Dark, Deep: Stories. She is a winner of The National Book Award, and the Rea Award for the Short Story among other honors.   In “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, which was a Best American Short Stories pick, a flirtatious girl with an innocent awareness of her own attractions is menaced, and you know the stakes are high. The gripping read is by two-time Tony winner Christine Baranski, whose many stage and television roles include “The Real Thing,” “Rumors,” “House of Blue Leaves,” and featured roles on “The Big Bang Theory” and “The Good Wife.” On film she has appeared most recently in “Into the Woods.”  

 In Belle Boggs’ “Havahart,” a SELECTED SHORTS original commission, there is loss of another kind: a tender-hearted librarian parts company with her feral cats. Boggs is the author of the collection Mattaponi Queen: Stories. Her work has been featured in The Paris Review, Orion, Harper’s, and Glimmer Train.  Reader Merritt Wever has a featured role on the television series “Nurse Jackie.”

The final story on this program is by George Saunders. Saunders is the recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" grant and the author of the short story collections In Persuasion Nation, Pastoralia, and CivilWarLand in Bad Decline. His most recent work is Tenth of December. He teaches at Syracuse University’s MFA program and is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker.

There’s a streak of wildness in even the shortest Saunders tale, and “Sticks” manages to convey the character of an eccentric father and his problematic relationships with his children in less than a page. It’s read by “Rent” star Anthony Rapp.

“Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, by Joyce Carol Oates, performed by Christine Baranski

“Havahart,” by Belle Boggs, performed by Merritt Wever

“Sticks,” by George Saunders, performed by Anthony Rapp

The SELECTED SHORTS theme is David Peterson's “That's the Deal,” performed by the Deardorf/Peterson Group.

For additional works featured on SELECTED SHORTS, please visit http://www.symphonyspace.org/events/series/71/selected-shorts

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