Chapter 1: What themes does Anna Sale explore in Death, Sex, and Money?
Death, sex, money, things we think about a lot and that are the turf of podcast host Anna Sale. This week on Selected Shorts, stories she chose are read by actors including Amy Ryan and Richard Kind. Your choice? Stay with me, Meg Wolitzer. You're listening to Selected Shorts, where our greatest actors transport us through the magic of fiction, one short story at a time.
Anna Sale was a political reporter at WNYC when she had an epiphany. Death, sex, and money were the subjects that everyone thought about and wanted to be brave enough to talk about. She provides that opportunity in her emotionally generous podcast, now in its 12th year.
Chapter 2: How does the collaboration with Selected Shorts enhance storytelling?
In the podcast, she connects with real people and their stories. But these are also themes we see addressed time and again in fiction. Selected Shorts partnered with SAIL a few years ago, and we were delighted to have that opportunity again at a recent live show.
For this program, we chose stories that engage directly with the core ideas at the heart of her show, how we navigate our relationships, our losses, and our desires, and how money and mortality shape the choices we make. Together, these stories reflect the shared human concerns that inspired this collaboration. Here's Anna Sale speaking from the stage at Symphony Space.
Hello, good evening. Welcome to Selected Shorts. I am your host this evening. My name is Anna Sale. I'm so glad to be here. In addition to hosting Selected Shorts this evening, I host the Slate podcast, Death, Sex, and Money. Yes. We have been making this show since 2014. Our team, we say it's the show about the things we think about a lot and need to talk about more.
It's also a show about basically the things that short stories are written about.
Chapter 3: What is the significance of starting over in the stories presented?
In fact, like the name of the show is kind of a short story. In our very first episode, I was interviewing the musician Bill Withers, and he said, death, sex, and money. If you reverse it, that's the story of rock and roll right there. Something special about the stories written tonight, they're all written by human beings.
And each of them has at least one moment of deep cringe, like deep feelings of pathetic, feeling pathetic, feeling like a clumsy screw-up, feeling so, so alone. And reading them and hearing them tonight, you're going to feel that. And then you'll feel how at the end, just having touched that, you'll feel lighter. You'll feel light cracking through that cringe, feeling that awe of connection.
That is what you can go to when you have that feeling and you want to go to a keyboard. Just pull a short story off the shelf. It's as quick an emotional fix as ChatGPT. I want to just quickly acknowledge this is my second time hosting Selected Shorts.
Chapter 4: Who is the main character in 'The Sacrament of Confession' and what is his struggle?
I'm so glad to be here. All of our performers here this evening have been on the Selected Shorts stage before. And speaking of regulars on Selected Shorts, I just want to take a moment and just appreciate this institution. I feel so honored to be a part of this show. I remember being a kid listening to Selected Shorts on West Virginia Public Radio when I was growing up.
And we are coming to the end of a year where so much of how we connect and share stories has been upended, cut, totally wiped away, and it feels so good to be here together with you, with these incredible performers, celebrating this institution with such staying power, Selected Shorts at Symphony Space. Thank you for coming.
That was Death, Sex and Money host Anna Sale speaking from the stage. While Sale's overall themes can wrap themselves around many stories, the two works on this show also share a common element, the idea of starting over. In one, a man hopes to live down a seedy past. In the second, the afterlife turns out to be a lot like life. Our first work, The Sacrament of Confession, is by Ernie Wong.
Wong's short fiction and essays have been published in magazines including McSweeney's Quarterly and Penn America, and he was the recipient of Penn's Robert J. Dow Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers.
Chapter 5: What humorous elements are found in Ernie Wong's story?
This story was commissioned by Selected Shorts for our comedy project. Reader Richard Kind is a theatrical polyglot with a broad resume. His Broadway productions include The Big Knife. On film, you'll know him from roles in Argo and others. On television, he can be seen in shows like Only Murders in the Building. We're delighted that in recent years, he's added shorts to his portfolio.
Here he is with The Sacrament of Confession by Ernie Wong.
Before I begin, there is a character on a computer. His moniker or his screen name is Jim Hero, and that's spelled G-Y-M, not J-I-M. And when you read it, you can see, but when you're hearing it, it might cause a question. Years ago, in a time before Toby Beckham, assistant pastor at St. John's Episcopal,
had surrendered his life to Jesus Christ before he took up his cross and chose a life of penance and prayer, he was quite the skank hoe who could not get enough of the attention of women. Man bacon Beckham, his fraternity brothers would call him. and he would finesse pomade through his powerful curly hair before they would strut to the college rec to lift weights and admire their gains.
Weekends consisted of socials with sorority sisters, a saunter through campus meant stopping frequently to chat with friends passing by. And generally speaking, life was really vigorous and amazing. Toby scratches his thinning hair and thinks about the unencumbered life he once enjoyed. And while he can't definitively say he wishes he could go back, he admits that he recalls these days wistfully.
At 38 years old, he feels his body beginning to grind down.
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Chapter 6: What does Toby Beckham reflect on during his confession?
He is aware of the extra beat it takes to rise from bed, that he needs more rest after a workout, and how he sometimes forgoes prayer before breakfast. Anyway, he is reminded of this because his penitent, 74-year-old Mabel Rogerson, his first grade teacher, has occupied the confession booth for the last 20 minutes and is confessing the heck out of her transgressions from when she was in college.
Toby cannot recall the last time he saw Mabel at church, and though he would never try to rush her out of the confession booth, he wonders why she chose today of all days to spill these secrets. His attention is drifting, and his patience is wearing thin. And then, after Herbert, came Clyde, Mabel continues. Now, Clyde was a real gentleman, and his butt was like a cement truck.
Oh, Lord, forgive me. I'm getting so hot and bothered. Through the veiled lattice, Toby hears Mabel smacking her lips. Toby says, let's stick with the confessions. It is a sweltering Monday afternoon and he is hungry and tired. A rap on the far end of the booth. Joltz told me awake. Hey, hey, hey, you done yet? A young man's muffled voice calls out. There's a long line out here.
You wait your turn, Eric Hamill. Mabel snaps. I'm very busy. Oh, crap. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you, Mrs. Rogerson. Where was I, Mabel asked Toby. Clyde and his rock-hard butt. Oh, yes, oh, yes, Mabel cries. This is so exciting. Actually, I'm not sure you've been told correctly what's supposed to happen in a confessional. Ropping with Clyde at the swimming pool was the best.
With him, I never felt alone.
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Chapter 7: How does 'You Again' by Seth Fried address themes of identity?
Toby quickly says, let's go to the part where I absolve you of your sins. Now these things happened a long time ago, so actually you're good. You're forgiven. You can go. He checks his watch. Well, I wasn't quite done. After Clyde, they were totally forgiven. You may go in peace. How about you, Toby? Toby senses Mabel pressing her face into the veil.
It strikes him that what separates the sinner from the confessor is a flimsy, germ-infested cloth. Don't you ever want to share your feelings, she says? Communication is a two-way street, you know. Well, that's not how this works. And also, we really shouldn't be addressing each other by name during hogwash, Mabel says. I've known you since you wore diapers. You can share anything with me.
Mabel draws open the veil as if it were a curtain, a window curtain and peers at Toby through the lattice. Upon making eye contact, she waves enthusiastically. No, no, no, you can't do that, Toby exclaims, quickly sliding the veil shut.
Chapter 8: What lessons can be learned about love and second chances in the stories?
Mrs. Rogerson, please, you're stressing me out. Mabel draws open the veil. Tell me your darkest, freakiest secrets. Yes. Didn't they call you man bacon back in the day? What? No. Toby slides the veil shut. Mabel draws open the veil. Don't you lie to me, Daddy Beckham. Go on now. It's Father Beckham. He sighs. He will not be leaving any time soon, not at this rate.
He cares for his congregation on most days. He tolerates his job. enjoys it even, but sometimes he just wants to go home and lock the bedroom door and shut out the world. And this is what he does that night. Alone in his apartment, Marta is working her second job, though he doesn't want to think about that.
He scarfs down his dinner, retreats into the second bedroom and boots up his deteriorating laptop. Toby's dark, freaky secret that he will confess to nobody, not Mabel, not God, certainly not Marta, is his obsession with 21-year-old Hermione Harrow, future internet sensation. With a can of ginger ale by his side, he heads straight to her live stream.
Besides her wizarding robe and her wand that she keeps by her side, she dons a bright purple wig, and her makeup is lovely, her glasses large. There are six other viewers. Hermione leans forward in her chair and waves. "'Bacon Boy!' she exclaims. "'Welcome! I missed you! How was your day?' She lifts her wand and casts a magic spell on Toby. The stress from his day is alleviating already.
Is he ashamed? Well, of course he is. Will he do the right thing and stop visiting her streams? Well, let's not go crazy. Plus, he recently subscribed to her channel for another 24 months. Well, my day was magical, Hermione continues. We were discussing Jim Hero's girlfriend problems. In the chat box, Jim Hero types a sad face. Why are we talking about him again, Toby mutters.
He has gathered that Jim Hero recently graduated from high school and has convinced Hermione that he is handsome, which Toby doubts. Now you listen to me, Jim Hero, Hermione says sternly, waving her wand at the screen. You are attractive, athletic, and compassionate, and you deserve to be with somebody who appreciates you. Jim Hero fills the chat box with an array of hand-heart emojis.
Little shit. Toby grouses. Have I ever mentioned I was the captain of my wrestling team? Toby types, unable to stop himself. Hermione claps her hands with delight. Well, that's wonderful, Bacon Boy, she exclaims. I knew you were an athlete. Was that the girls' wrestling team? Jim Hero types. Toby fumes. But he's terribly slow with comebacks, so instead, he takes a defiant sip of his ginger ale.
Now, Jim Hero, let's stay away from jokes of that nature, Hermione admonishes him. Her face clouds with disappointment. Oh, no. Oh, we lost two viewers. Can you please stop fighting, you two? We should all get along. Fine. Jim Hero types, fine Toby types. Hermione retrieves her ukulele from underneath her desk and strums beautiful, harmonious chords.
La la la la, she sings.
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