Great modern short stories read by speakers followed by interesting discussion. What a delight!

A lovely diversion & levity en mi vida loca.

I thought I’d long since left a review, but I guess not. Which is crazy, because this show has been part of my life since 2007. It has always been, and remains, a pretty much perfect show. It’s exactly what it says on the box, with great production values and a great host. It’s just a great premise for a show, well executed. If you like New Yorker fiction, this is a wonderful way to get more. If you like fiction at all, this is a wonderful way to hear classic stories, and learn more about fiction and writing. Thanks to the production team for making something that has genuinely enriched my life for many years!

This is my all-time favourite gateway to short fiction. Also, Deborah has a yoga-teacher voice I could listen to all day. I want her to read some stories, too! P.s. “Waaah ustaad” translates to “amazing, maestro!” in Urdu.

Love the author’s commentary on the episodes that have sound. Half of them have no sound. This is the only podcast that does this. I listen to at least 50 weekly so I know it is not on my end. It is a shame bc so many people put much work into each episode that is totally silent.

I so love this podcast, this literary podcast, that I don’t even have the words for it so I’ll just shut up now and say that this is absolutely superb and thank the New Yorker and Deborah Treisman for the wonderful work that they do. As a writer, I just eat up all this material. it’s like sitting in a very sophisticated workshop where you’re evaluating what you just read. You can’t do better than this

In my naïveté I was shocked to find some negative reviews of this podcast (but at least some of them are hilarious). What a gift it’s been through the years. A literary education. Deborah Treisman is such a good facilitator of discussion—you never feel she has any agenda but to appreciate the story and its author. I have a list of 20 favorite episodes, but I’ll spare you.

Interesting insights, great stories. Definitely recommend.

Why have you done? No story for March?

They had Sherman Alexie on in 2022, just three years after he was outed as a predator. Really strange choice. Alexie used to be one of my favorite writers. Otherwise I wouldn’t even bother leaving a review about it, but he earned this. Hope he’s not harming anymore women.

Having a female try to lower her voice to read a story from a males point of view was cringy.. kinda like how all the empowered women would freak out if a man tried to read a woman’s story and raised his voice higher .. how one sided the world has gotten.. if your gunna be so angry about one aspect be the same about another..

I am really disappointed that Sherman Alexie gave the reading in the April 2022 episode. He doesn’t deserve this platform (see articles from 2018 exposing his long history of using his fame to corner, intimidate and coerce women into s*x). He also has worked to thwart the rise and success of women in the writing industry. Instead, female Indigenous writers would be a much better group to pull from. There are many that could be invited, and as listeners, we would be much the better for it.

Unfortunately I have never found what I have been seeking in book groups. Alas, I have found it here in The New Yorker’s Fiction podcast. Everything and much more. I even take part in the post discussion, adding my 2 cents, agreements and disagreements. The richness comes in having such good guides to facilitate these discussions. Very rich, indeed.

I recently discovered TNY’s podcasts and listened to three: “Truth or Fiction,” “Waiting for Death in a Hotel,” and “Zombie.” The readings and discussions that followed offered insights and background that illuminated my experience of these literary works. The podcast is a gift because it allows me to plug into literature when I’m not able to sit still and read.

Great and sometimes profound. I’ve discovered more writers to love (Wow! Stuart Dybek!). The post-reading discussions can be incredibly insightful (Andre Alexis on Italian Calvino) and add much to my sense of the story. And you’ve gotta love Deborah’s voice.

It’s that sing-song voice that’s not acting and not singing that short story narrators and poets adopt…. But why? So unfortunate since many of the stories are fantastic.

Just a heads up that this months story is extremely graphic. Sex, violence, mutilation -I get that Apple might not be able to mark individual shows as explicit, so I wanted to alert anyone who might be checking out reviews before diving in. Yikes

The choice of story can be as interesting as the story itself. Hearing a published writer and an experienced editor interact takes each narrative to another level. This is an exceptional podcast.

I have tried reading Carver any number of times. The fault (for not finding the work engaging) is mine: Between my own two ears the stories fall flat. After listening to this—that is, having the story read to me—I said, and nearly out loud, ‘Wow. I get it now. This is amazing.’ The commentary afterwards made it all the more enjoyable. I’ll go back to Carver now, see if I can read him properly.

Jen Gish episode....May have been a good story but it is unlistenable. Sounds like talking in a tin can.

Top shelf stories from great authors and Deborah has the most pleasant voice I may have ever heard…

Thanks to Deborah for this captivating podcast! Love to hear the female writers. Superb story “The Proxy” Appreciation to Meloy!

Listening to the discussion post the reading is like sitting in on a college Lit class, and always makes me dig deeper into the material. Love Deborah Treisman, and was introduced to this podcast during my college course on short stories with Mary Gaitskill. Haven’t stopped listening since!

I love the concept and the stories are great but the host and most of the guests sound like Molly Shannon and Alec Baldwin in the Schweaty(?) Balls SNL sketch. Their voices are so prim and soft and stilted that it is almost beyond parody.

Great podcast but the Sherman Alexie story should have carried a warning that it featured graphic sexual content. I was listening with my elderly mother and it was quite a shock and very unpleasant.

One of my favorite podcasts- you get a story and thoughtful discussion. DT is a great host. One of my favorite readers is Ben Lerner. They have a great rapport.

A unique podcast with an engaging program. My only nitpick is that Deborah can be a tad stiff with the guests. Sometimes she doesn’t meet them halfway during discussions. Other than that, I appreciate the story analyses from both parties. And I love the readings by the guest, especially if the story is a particularly good one (some of the stories can be quite a miss).

I just listened to Chang-Rae Lee reading Millhauser. The reading itself was clear but Lee sounded muffled in the conversation and some of it was inaudible.

Getting such wonderful writers to choose and read a story they love and discuss it afterwards with Deborah T is so enjoyable This is the best podcast Love Deborah’s voice too, soft, thoughtful and insightful!

I recently completed a very ambitious house painting project, if it were not for this podcast I would have given up. Somehow the hours and days spent painfully perched on a ladder are remembered fondly as ‘my story time’. Thank you for filling the world and smart phones with really really good stories and thoughtful discussions.

Outstanding opportunity to hear an author read a short story they have chosen from The New Yorker archives and to hear an intimate discussion about the story between the guest author and the New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman. I love this Podcast.😊

The sound is terrible. When I turn it up it’s a loud whisper! Muffed vocals! Speak up and pronounce the words. Wicked annoying voice!!!

Great podcast. The discussions between the guest and host are enlightening and intelligent. Deborah Treisman is a gem.

This is for the true literature lovers out there - not for those faint of heart that need something vaguely entertaining or uplifting. Deborah Treisman is excellent and the story selections are so good. I’ve found many new favorites and purchased several books from authors I’ve discovered on here.

Deborah twice in the discussion brought up the capitalistic system as being a cause of some of the undesirable situations in this story. It seemed to me that she is trying to push a socialist agenda which is unsuitable for a literary discussion.

Dear all, great program - but PLEASE make sure that we can hear the readers... It is painful.

The listeners shouldn’t have to strain to hear what is being said by the guest. The audio quality is terrible.

Please master your track volumes! It’s insane at this level in the game to not care about audio quality and consistency - this is mainly bc artists are submitting remote recordings - but man send them a mic and mic that track ! I only wish this was a bi-monthly podcast. It’s my absolute favorite, I’ve listened to every story.

.....is absolutely god awful. Content is great which is the most important part and so 4 stars. But I don’t understand why the sound is so low and why the hosts voice is so much louder than her guests. With covid it’s become worse and I know nothing about sound mixing but it comes off like no one is even trying to even them out. And even before covid, unlike every other podcast I listen to, if I’m listening in the car I have to turn it up really loud to hear the podcast and then get screamed at by my GPS. Again, I don’t experience this with any other podcast and can’t understand why they are not aware of this and trying to fix it. FIX IT, PLEASE!

It’s the pandemic, month 10. I read the news every day. I subscribed to this podcast and the first three episodes I tried are all terribly depressing. A child with a congenital defect who is abandoned by his parents, the breakdown of a relationship and another sad plot line I’ve thankfully already blocked out. The concept and production value of this podcast are great. Is there any chance of featuring more uplifting writing - especially at this time? Also, could you consider including an “uplifting / depressing score” in the description of the episode so one can more easily avoid more sad content? Thanks.

Liked the story and discussion but was distracted by the mispronunciation of the word egret. The accent is on the first long sound of e. There’s a perfect pronunciation on line for this remarkably beautiful bird. Thanks!

Deborah Treisman’s conversations about the stories with the narrators are a joy to listen to. Their insights into the stories are fascinating.

I love New Yorker’s fiction podcasts. Excellent listening and insight from authors and editor. PLEASE consider more frequent broadcasts. In this stressful time I rely on this outlet for a positive, thoughtful escape. Thank you very much. If I wanted focus of a donation to this podcast only, is that possible? Mary5523

It is a pleasure to have these stories read, a pleasure made more interesting by having another author do so. The introduction to the story, and then more detailed explanation, do inform, though it’s just their opinion. This concept of short chiseled prose with the added contrast of another author, and the discussions, is a podcast present.

I had no intention of writing a review, but after reading the recent ones, it seemed necessary. The complaints and the overall rating of this podcast don’t do it justice. The kind of analysis and the brilliant choices of stories are immensely entertaining and the material has a certain freedom to it, since it’s decided by writers that have a passion for a specific author/piece. That grants us free entrance to their excitement!! For people complaining that these authors are not professional podcasters, it seems silly and like the point is being missed. They aren’t meant to be perfect. This podcast is more similar to sitting next to a passionate writer on a settee, while they share a story they care about (immensely). Deborah does a magnificent job of leading constructive analysis. It doesn’t fit an agenda, and it also isn’t meant to hold the listener’s hand. The New Yorker attracts a certain type of crowd, and I would wager that the majority of us aren’t bigots or individuals that would glorify sexual violence (responding directly to those complaints about failing to address sexual violence or the racial context of these stories). We see the analysis of the other topics against the backdrop of those more difficult themes, and I’m actually quite satisfied that the discussion doesn’t have to descend into a lecture. I appreciate that we’re expected to understand those issues. And when they’re less obvious, the discussion usually highlights them. Give this podcast a chance. It will broaden your horizons, expand your tastes, and teach you to think even more critically than before!

The last few episodes have been poor choices for this time in our history. I was so looking forward to listening to new stories but was grossed out at the content. Why all the bizarre sex stuff? Surly there are more entertaining entries to your magazine at this depressing juncture. Also, please stop having story tellers with such horrifically unlistenable vocal fry! I was not alone in this criticism by the way. It is grating and again, I turned it off. I have always enjoyed your selections and the authors who read their own, so this is all too disappointing.

The complaining about readers is useless unless you clearly identify. Also, get over your complaints about vocal fry. Those who use it don’t hear it.

I’m in my mid 60’s and have lived and worked in many parts of the world, but I’m still often astonished by the diversity and depth of feeling I encounter in these great short stories! I generally come away with new insights and perspectives that I can chew on for many days. Thank you to Deborah and the entire New Yorker family.

I’ve listened to this podcast for years and I look forward to episodes each month. The July 2020 episode heavily features racist portrayals of black individuals in Louisiana. Is this the view of the characters, the author, or the podcast creators? It’s hard to know, but I’m not inclined to be generous when neither Treisman or the guest analyze the portrayals. In an hour long podcast, it somehow doesn’t come up. The New Yorker has been a purveyor of ‘taste’ for decades, a powerful voice in fiction which has helped to produce the fiction tropes that are still so common (ex: black people as part of the landscape, white people as subjects). In the stories it has and has not chosen to tell (and then has or has not chosen to interrogate in this podcast) it demonstrates complicity in racist systems. Another theme, less present this week, is the abundance of episodes with sexual violence that are not discussed as such. I would like to be able up recommend this podcast, but at this point I can not.

I listen on the elliptical. Seems to flow into my brain so much more smoothly. Excellent!