The New Yorker
235 episodes listed below
Deborah Treisman and a guest writer read and dissect one archival short story monthly.
The New Yorker: Fiction is a literary reading series built around short stories from the magazine’s archive. Deborah Treisman frames each selection with a writer guest, then lets the story occupy the center before returning to questions of structure, influence, memory, and style.
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The New Yorker: Fiction is a monthly interview-and-reading show hosted by Deborah Treisman, the magazine's fiction editor, who appears in every episode. Each installment brings on a working fiction writer — the sample includes Valeria Luiselli, Bryan Washington, Daniyal Mueenuddin, Tessa Hadley, Miriam Toews, and Adam Levin — who chooses a short story from the New Yorker archive, reads it in full, and then discusses it with Treisman. The stories chosen span decades and traditions: Cortázar's 1967 'The Night Face Up,' Yiyun Li's 2017 'A Small Flame,' Peter Taylor's 1963 'Two Pilgrims,' John McGahern's 1980 'Gold Watch,' Raymond Carver's 1986 'Elephant,' and Wallace's posthumous 'Backbone.' Post-reading conversation centers on craft — how an opening scene sets up a later revelation, how a writer withholds or discloses information, how translation shapes tone — rather than plot summary alone. Guests often link the chosen story to their own biography, for example drawing a parallel between Southern American fiction and Pakistani feudal structures, or between a Carver narrator's debts and the guest's own early financial hardship. Recurring themes across episodes include tyrannical or emotionally withholding fathers, moral evasion, self-discipline and self-denial, and the gap between memory and self-knowledge. The show also carries literary-historical detail: translation credits, posthumous manuscripts, and the circumstances under which a given story was written or first published. Episodes run long-form, typically over an hour, and prioritize unhurried literary criticism over news or promotion. Mid-episode breaks occasionally advertise other New Yorker-affiliated audio, including Bon Appetit Bake Club and The New Yorker Radio Hour. The format suits listeners already reading the stories or familiar with the authors discussed rather than newcomers seeking plot summary alone.
Made for: Serious readers, writing students, and MFA-level listeners interested in close analysis of short story craft.
What sets it apart: Each episode is anchored to a single archival New Yorker story read aloud in full by a guest author before the craft discussion, rather than general book chat.
A monthly reading and conversation with the New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · June 2026
A writer-led reading and discussion series that lets literary short stories be heard before they are analyzed.
The New Yorker: Fiction sits on the literary end of the Fiction beat. A writer chooses a story from the magazine's archives, reads it, then discusses it with Deborah Treisman, Fiction Editor at The New Yorker.
You want a New Yorker story read aloud before the book-club brain kicks in.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Karen Russell reads Erdrich's stone-haunted tale with a patience that makes its mythic strangeness feel intimate.
Karen Russell's reading of Louise Erdrich's "The Stone" gives the episode a strange, patient gravity. A woman's life bends around a stone, and the stone, too, seems to acquire a history, a presence, and a kind of dignity.
A spare, unsettling reading in which a toy store's ordered world gives way to a child's fear.
Souvankham Thammavongsa reads Samanta Schweblin's "The Size of Things" as a story of ordinary objects becoming charged with dread. The toy store begins in careful color and order, all display cases, aisles, shelves, and miniature promises, before Enrique's fear unsettles the…
Edwidge Danticat reads Zadie Smith's village story and traces how welcome can turn into danger.
Edwidge Danticat returns to The New Yorker: Fiction with Zadie Smith's "Two Men Arrive in a Village," a story that begins in motion and alarm: strangers come by foot, motorbike, tank, helicopter, and the village has to understand what kind of arrival this is.
Yiyun Li reads William Trevor's remarriage story as a quiet study of love, substitution, and the first wife's lingering claim.
Yiyun Li returns to William Trevor on The New Yorker: Fiction with "The Piano Tuner's Wives," a story that begins with a clean hurt: Violet married the piano tuner when he was young, Belle when he was old, after he had once chosen Violet over her.
Jennifer Egan reads Margaret Atwood's "Cat" as a cool, cramped study of appetite, taste, and confinement.
Jennifer Egan's choice of Margaret Atwood's "Cat" gives this Fiction Podcast episode a crisp double perspective: a story first published in 1990, read now by someone who says it has stayed with her since that decade.
A family search for Olivia's cave turns grief into something briny, blunt, funny, and unsettling.
Louise Erdrich's reading of Karen Russell lands in a family search that keeps swerving away from neat grief. Wallow and the narrator pore over Olivia's old drawings of the Glowworm Grotto, trying to match a child's marks to the island's shoreline, until Granana wanders in and…
Sedaris gives Saunders' uneasy political letter a quiet pressure that builds through restraint.
David Sedaris reads George Saunders' "Love Letter," a story framed as intimate counsel under political pressure. The voice of the letter keeps circling the same hard problem: how to tell someone you love what to do when action may be dangerous and silence may be its own kind of…
Nathan Englander frames Chris Adrian's 1997 story as a mournful walk through wartime Washington, rich in grief, charity, and street-level detail.
Nathan Englander chooses Chris Adrian's "Every Night for a Thousand Years," a New Yorker story from October 1997, for reasons he names as empathetic, political, personal, and poetic.
Fantasy fiction, performed with literary patience.
Azeroth news from the Lazy Turnip.
Love, masks, murder, and reckoning.
Power grows in silence and suspicion.
A man wakes under a motorcycle.
Daniyal Mueenuddin reads Peter Taylor's 1963 story 'Two Pilgrims' on the New Yorker Fiction Podcast and discusses it with editor Deborah Treisman.
Tessa Hadley reads John McGahern's 1980 story 'Gold Watch' on the New Yorker Fiction Podcast and discusses it with fiction editor Deborah Treisman.
Bryan Washington reads Yiyun Li's 2017 story 'A Small Flame' on the New Yorker Fiction Podcast and discusses it with fiction editor Deborah Treisman.
Miriam Toews reads Raymond Carver's story 'Elephant' on the New Yorker Fiction Podcast and discusses it with fiction editor Deborah Treisman.
Backbone gets the room it needs.
The stone has its own gravity.
Deborah Treisman opens with the show's familiar invitation.
Deborah Treisman opens the door back to Elizabeth Hardwick.
A store turns disastrous.
A village waits under pressure.
Yiyun Li picks William Trevor's quietly bruising story.
A promise of change opens the selection.
Paul Theroux chooses V.
Anne Enright chooses a story.
Jennifer Egan chooses Margaret Atwood.
Tessa Hadley's unease creeps in quietly.
Dina calls herself a revolver.
A flag on the moon.
The selected story moves through a strange family memory of loss, summer hunger, and a grandmother's hard old survival.
Deborah Treisman sets up the show's familiar format.
Deborah Treisman sets up the reading.
Alice Munro gets a focused tribute.
Deborah Treisman sets up a French double reading with a light, precise hand.
Deborah Treisman starts with the show's familiar ritual.
Safari leads.
Sterling Holywhite Mountain picks Roberto Bolaño's Labyrinth.
Rivka Galchen reads and discusses Aleksandar Hemon's story 'The Bees, Part 1,' exploring a father's obsession with truth, displacement from Bosnia to Canada, and the use of beekeeping as a metaphor for family and loss.
Teju Cole reads and discusses Anne Carson's story 'One Equals One,' exploring themes of genre dissolution, ethical dilemmas in a suffering world, and the metaphor of swimming.
Margaret Atwood reads and discusses Mavis Gallant's story 'Varieties of Exile,' exploring themes of displacement, wartime refugees, and autobiographical fiction.
Deborah Treisman hosts Lucinda Rosenfeld for a discussion of Annie Ernaux's story 'Returns,' exploring themes of mother-daughter dynamics, social class, and the boundaries between fiction and memoir.
Deborah Treisman interviews Andrew O'Hagan about Donald Antrim's short story 'An Actor Prepares,' discussing its transgressive themes, comedic elements, and literary techniques.
David Means reads and discusses Lorrie Moore's 2020 story 'FaceTime,' which depicts a daughter's FaceTime calls with her dying father during the early pandemic.
Deborah Treisman hosts George Saunders to discuss Claire Keegan's story 'So Late in the Day,' exploring its themes of misogyny, tension, and character complexity.
Deborah Treisman hosts author Ottessa Moshfegh, who reads and discusses David Means' short story 'Two Ruminations on a Homeless Brother.' They analyze its second-person narration, circular structure, and themes of homelessness, addiction, and brotherly relationships, exploring how the story blurs reality and fiction.
Jonas Hassen Khemiri reads and discusses Vladimir Nabokov's short story 'A Slice of Life,' exploring themes of emigre displacement, grief, and Nabokov's unique narrative techniques.
Deborah Treisman hosts author Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, who reads and discusses Samuel Beckett's 'Ill Seen, Ill Said.' They explore Beckett's influence, the story's themes of grief and memory, and its ambiguous narrative style, with Saïd sharing personal connections to the text.
David Remnick announces The New Yorker's acquisition of the investigative podcast In the Dark, interviewing hosts Madeline Barron and Samara Fremark about their groundbreaking work.
Deborah Treisman interviews Claire-Louise Bennett about Maeve Brennan's story 'Family Walls,' exploring its gothic domestic themes, character dynamics, and Brennan's literary style.
Clare Sestanovich reads and discusses Alice Munro's story 'The Moons of Jupiter,' exploring themes of family, choice, and emotional distance.
Gary Shteyngart discusses Weike Wang's short story 'Omakase', exploring themes of immigrant identity, interracial relationships, and humor.
Ling Ma reads and discusses Nicole Krauss's story 'Seeing Ershadi,' which explores how a film character impacts two women's lives during periods of transition.
Jamil Jan Kochai discusses Yiyun Li's story 'All Will Be Well,' exploring themes of storytelling, grief, and truth.
Madeleine Thien reads and discusses Yoko Ogawa's story 'The Cafeteria in the Evening and a Pool in the Rain,' exploring themes of isolation, memory, and psychological states.
Elif Batuman reads and discusses Sylvia Townsend Warner's 1961 story 'Truth and Fiction', exploring themes of imagination, reality, and storytelling.
Deborah Treisman hosts author André Alexis, who reads and discusses Italo Calvino's early story 'Waiting for Death in a Hotel.' They explore Calvino's influences, structural techniques, and why this autobiographical work might have embarrassed him later in his career.
Akhil Sharma discusses Joyce Carol Oates's story 'Zombie,' which explores the mind of a serial killer inspired by Jeffrey Dahmer.
Rachel Kushner reads and discusses Edna O'Brien's 1962 story 'Come Into the Drawing Room, Doris,' exploring themes of women's autonomy, innocence, and landscape.
Deborah Treisman interviews author Camille Bordas about Saul Bellow's 1955 story 'A Father to Be,' exploring its stream-of-consciousness narrative, themes of fatherhood and masculinity, and Bellow's descriptive prowess.
Sherman Alexie reads and discusses Raymond Carver's short story 'Where I'm Calling From,' exploring themes of alcoholism, recovery, and personal connection.
Gish Jen reads and discusses Grace Paley's 1979 story 'Friends,' which follows three women visiting a dying friend, exploring themes of motherhood, grief, and female friendship.
Alejandro Zambra discusses his discovery of Bruno Schulz's work and reads Schulz's story 'Loneliness' from the New Yorker archives.
Kevin Barry discusses his initial prejudice against V.S.
Will Mackin discusses his experience in a writing seminar with George Saunders and reads Saunders' story 'The Falls' from the New Yorker archives.
Ben Lerner discusses his selection of Julio Cortázar's short story 'In the Name of Bobby' for the New Yorker Fiction Podcast, exploring its themes of dreams and childhood.
Host Deborah Treisman and guest Donald Antrim read and discuss Donald Barthelme's short story 'The Balloon' from the New Yorker archives.
Fiction editor Deborah Treisman and guest Rebecca Curtis discuss and read Haruki Murakami's story 'Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey'.
Host Deborah Treisman and author Ann Patchett discuss Miley Molloy's short story 'The Proxy Marriage' from The New Yorker archives.
Deborah Treisman hosts a reading and conversation with author Susan Choi about Jennifer Egan's short story 'Found Objects'.
Deborah Treisman and Ben Okri discuss and read Franz Kafka's short fiction pieces from the New Yorker archives.
Deborah Treisman and guest Stuart Dybeck discuss and read Stephen Milhauser's short story 'Miracle Polish' from the New Yorker archives.
Fiction editor Deborah Treisman and guest Roddy Doyle discuss and read Laurie Moore's short story 'Community Life' from The New Yorker archives.
Deborah Treisman and guest Tessa Hadley discuss and read John Updike's short story 'New York Girl' from the New Yorker archives.
Deborah Treisman and guest Kate Wahlberg read and discuss Stuart Dybeck's short story 'Pet Milk' from the New Yorker archives.
Deborah Treisman and guest Atessa Moschveg discuss Sheila Hetty's short story 'My Life is a Joke' from The New Yorker archives.
A reading and discussion of Margaret Atwood's short story 'Stone Mattress' with author A.M.
Deborah Treisman and guest Hari Kunzru read and discuss Robert Coover's short story 'The Colonel's Daughter' from the New Yorker archives.
A monthly podcast where a writer reads and discusses a classic New Yorker fiction story with the fiction editor.
Deborah Treisman and guest Laurie Moore read and discuss Antonia Nelson's short story 'Naked Ladies' from the New Yorker archives.
Host Deborah Treisman interviews author Colin Barrett about his choice of a Joy Williams short story for discussion.
Deborah Treisman and David Sedaris discuss and read the short story 'Leopard' by Wells Tower, exploring its themes and the author's craft.
Deborah Treisman re-releases a 2012 episode where David Sedaris reads and discusses Miranda July's story 'Royce Bivey'.
Deborah Treisman hosts a reading and discussion of Yi-Yun Lee's short story 'Extra' with author Sarah Swan-Yen Bynum.
Deborah Treisman and Lauren Groff discuss Shirley Hazard's short story 'In These Islands' and her literary style.
Deborah Treisman and guest Matthew Clam read and discuss John Updike's story 'Twin Beds in Rome'.
Curtis Sittenfeld discusses and reads Tessa Hadley's short story 'The Surrogate' from the New Yorker archives on this literary podcast episode.
Akhil Sharma discusses his selection of Jeffrey Eugenides' short story 'Baster' from the New Yorker archives, exploring its energetic writing and comedic elements.
Gabe Hudson discusses his selection of Robert Coover's short story 'The Frog Prince' from the New Yorker archives and shares how studying with Coover transformed his writing career.
Colm Tóibín discusses his selection of Mary Lavin's 1961 New Yorker story 'In the Middle of the Fields' and shares personal memories of meeting Lavin in 1970s Dublin.
Rachel Kushner discusses her choice to read Thom Jones's story 'The Black Lights' from the New Yorker archives, reflecting on his recent death and the mythologizing nature of his obituary.