Writers Read 5 Minute Personal True Stories
A literary forum promoting established and emerging writers through curated live and digital performances celebrating the spoken word. It’s a high-quality platform for true personal stories—two pages and 650 words long, read aloud by the writer before an audience. Writers Read places a strong emphasis on the craft of writing—word choices, sentence structures, the arc of the narrative. Our submission-based events are developed around broad themes that invite a wide range of expression.
Episodes
What does it take to survive live television in the 1960s? For one production assistant named Jim Russek, it started with schlepping tongue sandwiches from the Stage Deli and ended with handling comedy legends like George Burns, Joan Rivers, and Sid Caesar. This is a hilarious, behind-the-scenes look at the golden age of variety TV, featuring a high-stakes, live-broadcast disaster involving 100 pounds of cue cards, a jazz diva, and...
Dressed in black, Afro-Latina dancer Mercy stood alone by the DJ booth at her first Salsa social, bypassed for lighter-skinned dancers. In this episode, we explore colorism on the dance floor and the deep West African roots of Salsa. Mercy shares how she navigated her dual identity, embraced the rhythm of La Clave, and ultimately reclaimed her space on the floor.
Her story is a beautiful reminder that Salsa isn't just a dance—i...
In honor of National Library Week, we’re celebrating the sanctuaries of story and the quiet power of the printed word.
Step inside the stacks with this special "My Library" edition of the Writers Read podcast. Moving beyond the spine and into the heart, we bring you raw, lyrical, true five-minute stories from a lineup of talented writers who explore what it means to be shaped by the books and the spaces that house them.
What lies inside the 'Pandora’s boxes' of our abandoned childhoods? This week, a writer digs through old papers to revisit a "mortifying" tenth-grade story and discovers that some dreams just aren't meant to be left in storage. Listen now for a witty and moving reflection on finishing what your younger self started.
Read Jenno Kane's first published short story, "Thanksgiving" in Arcturus, the lit...
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this special "Straight Outta Ireland" edition of the Writers Read podcast. In this episode, we move beyond the myths to bring you raw, lyrical, true five-minute stories from a a lineup of literary heavyweights:
Malachy McCourt: The legendary storyteller and author of A Monk Swimming shares a characteristically sharp and soulful reflection.
Colin Broderick: The acclaimed filmmaker and aut...
What happens when a self-described "pants and baggy sweaters" girl gets nominated for an Oscar and invited to the Academy Awards? Between an outfit that's a walking wardrobe malfunction, and a showdown with the biggest movie of all time, the red carpet beneath Lynn Ahren's shoes feels like the entrance to a bullring.
Learn about legendary lyricist and composer Lynn Ahren’s work (Ragtime, Once On This Island, Anasta...
Long-time television writer and writing workshop instructor Wendy Goldman’s story is about an increasingly fraught relationship with her therapist, and the little nudges we sometimes need to make big decisions in life.
Born in Chicago, the daughter of a funny mother, Wendy would hop the El downtown to see lots of theatre and study improvisation at the historic Second City. She was hooked. Wendy began her career as an actress in TV-f...
In her story "I Could Tell You", professional writer and editor Darcey Gohring tells us something important about her past, with all the perspective of her present.
This episode of the Writers Read podcast was produced and hosted by Edward McCann, with engineering help from Victor Scoppa.
If you’re new to the show, welcome; we’re so glad you’re here! Find and follow us on Instagram, and please email us with voice memos, pep...
What happens when your grandparents are nudists? Hunter Klein explores the surprisingly tender lessons left behind in this true personal story. For Hunter, the existential question is not so much what to wear and when, but what … not to.
Hunter Klein is a Brooklyn-based writer, producer, teacher, former little league umpire, and New York Jets fan.
This episode of the Writers Read podcast was produced and hosted by Edward McCann, wit...
As a teenager, Jack O'Connell apprenticed at A&P in 1960s suburban Long Island, where he received an education in both meat-cutting and moral compromise from a crew of seasoned butchers and petty thieves.
Native New Yorker Jack O’Connell is a working actor with dozens of credits. You may recognize him from his roles in film and TV, among them Doubt, Big Night, Inside Llewyn Davis, Mad Men, Nurse Jackie, Vinyl, and The Marve...
An aspiring journalist recounts the night her father, a Black reporter in 1960s Georgia, returned drunk and devastated from covering the execution of an innocent Black man, then sobered up to make a difference.
It’s been said that genealogy is where you confuse the dead and irritate the living. Recorded live at City Winery NYC, this episode features three true stories about ancestory from writers Rhonda Zangwill, Jai Chakrabarti, and Isaiah Hunt — Plus, a meditation on the writing life from Lynn Lauber. Listen now or anytime. • To receive the series directly to your phone or smart speaker, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:
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