"Ron Carlson is a widely respected author whose accolades include a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship and a Ploughshares Cohen Prize. Return to Oakpine spins a story of growing up and growing old as four high school friends and former bandmates reconnect 30 years after graduating. When they learn that one of them is dying, it feels like getting the band back together might be the most important thing they can do."
"Well known for his short stories, critically acclaimed author Ron Carlson has been featured in the New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, Esquire, and Best American Short Stories. Carlson has also won a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction, a National Society of Arts and Letters Literature Award, and the 1993 Ploughshares Cohen Prize. Here he captivates audiences with a compelling novel no listener will soon forget."
"A collection of poignant, romantic and funny tales performed by Academy Award-winning actor William Hurt. This collection includes a bonus track of an exclusive interview with William Hurt. Hurt's readings are thoughtful, tender, romantic, and resonant. A treasure.
Stories in this set include:
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Aleksandar Hemon's 'Blind Josef Pronek' - A Bosnian man struggles to make a new life in America
- Richard Ford's 'Communist' - A teenage boy's relationship to his single mother and her new boyfriend against the background of the stark Montana landscape
- Ron Carlson's 'Towel Season' - A tender story of a scientist and his wife's rocky moments as he works on a tough math proof
- Tobias Wolff's 'Nightingale' - A bullying father suddenly has doubts on his drive with his stoic son to military school to 'toughen up' the boy
Selected Shorts is an award-winning, one-hour program featuring readings of classic and new short fiction, recorded live at New York's Symphony Space. One of the most popular series on the airwaves, this unique show is hosted by Isaiah Sheffer and produced for radio by Symphony Space and WNYC Radio."
"Beloved story writer Ron Carlson's first novel in thirty years, Five Skies is the story of three men gathered high in the Rocky Mountains for a construction project that is to last the summer. Having participated in a spectacular betrayal in Los Angeles, the giant, silent Arthur Key drifts into work as a carpenter in southern Idaho. Here he is hired, along with the shiftless and charming Ronnie Panelli, to build a stunt ramp beside a cavernous void. The two will be led by Darwin Gallegos, the foreman of the local ranch who is filled with a primeval rage at God, at man, at life.As they endeavor upon this simple, grand project, the three reveal themselves in cautiously resonant, profound ways. And in a voice of striking intimacy and grace, Carlson's novel reveals itself as a story of biblical, almost spiritual force. A bellwether return from one of our greatest craftsmen, Five Skies is sure to be one of the most praised and cherished novels of the year."
"Selected Short's most popular volume! Over three hours of stories to tickle your funny bone.
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Nicholson Baker's 'Subsoil'
performed by Thomas Gibson
A darkly comic thriller about a tractor historian besieged by man-eating potatoes.
- David Schickler's 'Jamaica'
performed by Isaiah Sheffer
A man with his head stuck between the banisters has no choice but to listen in on his wife's 'Gorgon Book Club.'
- Neil Gaiman's 'Chivalry'
performed by Christina Pickles
A delicious tale of an elderly British matron who buys the Holy Grail at a rummage sale.
- Leonard Michaels' 'Nachman from Los Angeles'
performed by David Rakoff
A wonderfully silly tale of misadventure on a college campus.
- Etgar Keret's 'Fatso'
performed by John Guare
An offbeat romance with a very comic nightly ritual."
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