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PODCAST

Shorts.

Shorts the Podcast

This is Shorts: the podcast where we talk about contemporary short stories. We’re two long distanced friends who want to talk about what we’re reading. We think that short stories can contain all the richness and excitement of a novel, and can show the world through different perspectives. Before each episode, we invite you to read a story and then we’ll talk about it together. Click the link in the show notes to download our reading list and get started today! https://shortsthepodcast.com/

fiction

All Episodes

00:25:35

ENCORE: A Visit from Saint Nicholas

Shorts. ·

2024/12/24

Happy Holidays! This year, we're revisting our first ever Christmas Episode from 2021. We are reading the timeless festive poem A Visit From Saint Nicholas, more commonly known as 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, and comparing it with a short story based on the classic narrative, by James Thurber. Curl up with a cup of mulled wine and enjoy our musings on Santa Claus, sugarplums and the demise of the kerchief. Link to Stories: A Visit from Saint Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore (or by Henry

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01:04:16

Caturday

Shorts. ·

2024/05/27

This week we are reading "Caturday" by Emma Brankin and we are THRILLED to be joined by the author herself to discuss the story, and her brand new collection Attention Seekers, which is available now.Caturday follows the story of Ash as she navigates a complicated relationship with her ex and the cat they once shared, who has become an internet sensation. Attention Seekers is Brankin's darkly comic debut collection, bringing to life characters as they stuggle with their identity,

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00:31:31

Taylor Swift

Shorts. ·

2024/02/19

This week we’re reading Taylor Swift, a piece of flash fiction by Hugh Behm-Steinberg, published by Gulf Coast Mag.In the alternate reality of the story, our narrator buys several Taylor Swift clones, whom they use to deal with their emotions over their next door neighbour and friend Tina. As the story progresses, we ask questions over the extreme commodification of celebrity, and the incomparable power of human connection. Link to story:

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00:41:27

Ophelia

Shorts. ·

2024/02/12

This week, we're reading "Ophelia" by Breanne McIvor. It was published in April 2017 on Adda, the online literary magazine of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Ophelia is a story about a young man who falls for a woman in the cast of a play he is in. As he prepares for a coffee with her - which could be their first date - he realises the distance between them, and decides he can’t go through with it. This is a story about class, about race, and how to navigate who you are. Link to

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00:52:16

How To Be An Other Woman

Shorts. ·

2024/01/29

This week, we're reading “How To Be An Other Woman” by Lorrie Moore which was first published in 1985. The story is told from the perspective of Charlene, a secretary, who has an affair with a married man. One of the most famous examples of second person narration, How to Be an Other Woman follows Charlene as she navigates her identity from carefree mistress to jealous rival. Link to Story (you need to read both parts!) Part 1 Part 2 Instagram: @shortsthepod X: @shortsthepod Produced &

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00:47:31

The Heart In The House

Shorts. ·

2024/01/15

This week, we're reading “The Heart In The House” by Aaron Muller. It was published in 2022 in Cold Signal magazine. Part comedy, part horror, this story is a surrealist dive into a woman’s relationship with the house she recently purchased, which appears to be alive. Link to Story: ⁠"The Heart in the House" by Aaron Muller Instagram: @shortsthepod X: @shortsthepod Produced & edited by Alex Crowson

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00:38:51

Lazy River

Shorts. ·

2024/01/09

This week, we're reading “The Lazy River” by Zadie Smith. It was published in December 2017 in the New Yorker. In this story, a group of British families go on holiday at an all-inclusive resort in Southern Spain. This simple premise belies extraordinary metaphors about life, materialism, and inequality. Link to Story: "The Lazy River" by Zadie Smith Link to the author reading the story: Zadie Smith Reads "The Lazy River" Instagram: @shortsthepod X: @shortsthepod Produced

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00:39:01

A Child's Christmas in Wales

Shorts. ·

2023/12/21

Merry Christmas and Welcome to Season 3 of Shorts! This season, we're kicking it off with our annual Christmas episode, and we're reading, "A Childs Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas. Written and recorded in 1952, this lyrical, alliterative, poem follows a boy's antics through Christmas Day. We recommend reading and listening to this poem, as Dylan's Welsh accent brings it to life. Link to Poem: "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas Link to

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00:27:16

The Gift of the Magi

Shorts. ·

2022/12/19

A special Christmas episode! For the second year in a row, we're reading a Christmas classic. This year, we dive into, "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry, first published in December 1905. The Gift of the Magi tells the story of the young married couple Della and Jim, and their struggle to find meaningful Christmas gifts for each other when money is tight and time is short. Link to story: "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry Twitter: @shortsthepod Instagram: @shortsthepodcast Sound editing & mix

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00:21:05

Who Am I

Shorts. ·

2022/11/28

This is a bitesized edition of Shorts - special bonus episodes where we will be focusing on very short short stories (also known as flash fiction!) Today we are reading "Who am I" by Amanda Olive Amoah which was published in Flash Fiction Ghana in 2015. In this story, our narrator wakes up and discovers she doesn't know who she is. Throughout her day, she cycles through a routine marked by reminding and forgetting. Link to story: "Who am I" by Amanda Olive Amoah Twitter: @shortsthepod Instagram:

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00:27:43

This Is How You Fail To Ghost Him

Shorts. ·

2022/10/23

This is our very first bitesized edition of Shorts - special bonus episodes where we will be focusing on very short short stories (also known as flash fiction!) Today we are reading This Is How You Fail To Ghost Him by Victoria McCurdy, which was published in Monkeybicycle in 2017. In this story a young, dating-weary narrator goes on a first date with a man she’s met on the apps. Link to story: This Is How You Fail To Ghost Him by Victoria McCurdy Twitter: @shortsthepod Instagram:

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01:15:41

The Direction of the Road - with Completely Arbortrary

Shorts. ·

2022/04/14

For this special bonus episode, Lizzie and Jen join Completely Arbortrary, a podcast that deep dives into all things TREE, to discuss The Direction of the Road by Ursula K. Le Guin. This short story is told from the perspective of a single oak tree on the Oregon State Highway, and through its gaze, we discover something about ourselves, too. Together with Completely Arbortrary co-hosts Casey Clapp and Alex Crowson we discuss the story, the tree and the extraordinary Ursula K. Le Guin. Link to story:

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00:58:38

The Cheater's Guide to Love

Shorts. ·

2022/02/21

For the Season Finale of Season 2, we are running Shorts a bit differently. We're reading, “The Cheater’s Guide to Love,” by Junot Diaz published in the New Yorker in 2012. It is also the final story in Diaz’s 2012 short story collection, This is How You Lose Her, which was a finalist for the US national book award. However today, we're discussing the relationship between the reader and the writer. Today we will be focusing on the tricky and murky question of: how do the actions of a writer impact

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00:40:58

Dear Sophie

Shorts. ·

2022/02/13

Dear Sophie by Emma Brankin was published in X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine in July 2020. In a brief series of emails, Amy attempts to craft the perfect message to send to her friend Sophie on her wedding day. In this very modern, witty piece, we see Amy grapple with the guilt of missing her friend’s wedding day, the shame and comparison created by social media, and how to congratulate someone you care about when your own life is in shambles. Link to story: Dear Sophie by Emma Brankin Twitter:

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00:30:16

Mass Effect

Shorts. ·

2022/02/06

Mass Effect is the story of Eddie and Ivan, two long-term boyfriends grappling with Ivan’s sudden diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. The story begins and ends during a getaway the two take to a cabin, with Eddie’s perspective leading us through the history of their relationship, the struggles and pain, the inside jokes and play, and his powerlessness as he watches his partner deteriorate. Mass Effect was shortlisted for the 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Link to story: Mass Effect by Joshua

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00:48:57

It Ends With A Kiss

Shorts. ·

2022/01/30

"It Ends With A Kiss" by Riddhi Dastidar is a coming-of-age story set in a dystopian world ravaged by an unknown toxin. The story follows Kajri, a sixteen year old girl, who falls for Tara, who lives in the same "colony" as her. Through their story, we come to learn more about Kajri's family, their lives before the world changed, and begin to understand the pain, loss and fear in the society that surrounds her. The story was shortlisted for the 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Link to story: It

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00:48:40

How To Marry An African President

Shorts. ·

2022/01/23

This week we're reading "How To Marry An African President" by Erica Sugo Anyadike. This story follows the relationship between a secretary and the President of an unnamed African country from the beginning of their courtship. Through a second person narrative, we see their relationship develop and their power corrupt. The story was shortlisted for the 2019 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, the Queen Mary Wasafiri Writing prize and the AKO Caine Prize for African writing. Link to story: How To Marry

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00:57:33

Needs

Shorts. ·

2022/01/17

Welcome to Season Two! Today we are reading, "Needs" by Karen Brown, published in the Atlantic. Set in the 1960's in the USA, "Needs" is told from the perspective of a housewife whose neighbor is mysteriously murdered one afternoon. It's a fun, dark, edge of your seat mystery with an ending that will surprise even the most seasoned reader. Link to story: Needs by Karen Brown Twitter: @shortsthepod Instagram: @shortsthepodcast Sound editing & mix by Nikola Vasovic

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00:25:35

A Visit From Saint Nicholas

Shorts. ·

2021/12/21

A special Christmas episode! Today we are reading the timeless festive poem A Visit From Saint Nicholas, more commonly known as 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, and comparing it with a short story based on the classic narrative, by James Thurber. Curl up with a cup of mulled wine and enjoy our musings on Santa Claus, sugarplums and the demise of the kerchief. Link to stories: A Visit From Saint Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore (or by Henry Livingston Junior) A Visit From Saint Nicholas (in the

en

00:34:25

Light

Shorts. ·

2021/09/12

In our last episode of Season 1 we discuss Light by Lesley Nneka Arimah. In this story we follow a Nigerian father and daughter and explore the fragility of their bond amidst the complex reality of raising a girl today. Arimah asks us to question what expectations and limitations we put on girls and young women, and how parents fight to navigate this in the best interests of their child. This story won the 2015 Regional Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa. Link to story: Light by Lesley Nneka

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