About this episode
This episode features stories about characters facing life-altering choices.
Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories about characters who find themselves in a place in which they need to make a choice, something that will affect them for the rest of their lives. In Ursula K. Le Guin’s classic, “Direction of the Road,” an ancient being has to make hard choices in its role as a guardian and a force of nature. The reader is Nikki M. James. In Helen Schulman’s “The Shabbos Goy,” a divorcee and a rabbi develop an interesting relationship around their mutual love of poetry. The reader is Jessica Hecht.
People in this episode
Host: Meg Wolitzer
Topics covered
- choices
- relationships
- poetry
- literature
- life decisions
Keywords
- choices
- literature
- poetry
- Ursula K. Le Guin
- Helen Schulman
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Direction of the Road, The Shabbos Goy
More episodes of Selected Shorts
- Nothing to Do with Love · June 11, 2026 · 58 min
- The Pursuit of Happiness with Death, Sex and Money · June 4, 2026 · 58 min
- Death Sex Money · May 28, 2026 · 58 min
- Modest Expectations · May 21, 2026 · 60 min
- Save the Date with Belletrist Book Club · May 14, 2026 · 59 min
- Elements of Nature · April 30, 2026 · 57 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Selected Shorts podcast page.