Meg Wolitzer

Most gardens deliver those disappointments.

Alan behaves as if her produce is a family of underachieving children.

I am not a gardener myself, but I think I know what kind I would be.

When people give me flowers, they don't last long.

I cut the stems on a diagonal, and I add the little packet of whatever they give you.

Is it salt?

So if you're ever going to give me something, I am really a fan of good olive oil.

I'm also a fan of Jenny Allen.

And we know one place to look for her if we need her.

Outdoors in her garden, doing her best.

Our second work, Borders, is by prolific Indigenous writer Thomas King, whose titles include Indians on Vacation and Sufferance.

This work was first published in 1993 in King's collection One Good Story, That One, and then adapted into a critically acclaimed graphic novel.

Borders presents the idea of nature in a very different context and on a very different scale from Jenny Allen's playful essay.

In this powerful piece that joins family dynamics with identity politics, the vast Canadian landscape is both a goal and a witness to conflict.

Reader Kimberly Guerrero is making her Selected Shorts broadcast debut with this piece, which was also presented as part of our Logan, Utah live show with Cash Arts and Utah Public Radio.

She was also the host and reminded her audience of her work in shows such as Seinfeld, Reservation Dogs, and the animated series Spirit Rangers.

Kimberly Guerrero performed Borders by Thomas King.

I'm Meg Wolitzer.

King tackles big subjects here.

Indigenous rights, tribal pride, bureaucratic red tape, family dynamics.