96 episodes

Welcome to Just Listen, a celebration of American and English short stories and poetry for your listening pleasure. High school students will happily find many of their literature book selections recorded here, and students with reading challenges will find a ready assist in the audio recordings.

Just Listen Podcast Paul Smethers

    • Arts
    • 4.8 • 4 Ratings

Welcome to Just Listen, a celebration of American and English short stories and poetry for your listening pleasure. High school students will happily find many of their literature book selections recorded here, and students with reading challenges will find a ready assist in the audio recordings.

    "Mademoiselle Fifi"

    "Mademoiselle Fifi"

    "Mademoiselle Fifi" is a short story by Guy de Maupassant.  In Brussels in 1882 and in Paris the next year, a book with the same name included it in a collection of Maupassant's short stories. It has been reprinted many times. 

    "The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes"

    "The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes"

    One of the things I most enjoy about presenting stories here is the great fun I find in discovering the personal lives of authors. Not only do our authors present us with brilliant literature, but they also give us glimpses into lives that are indeed majestic and fascinating.  People like Jack London and Edith Wharton certainly come readily to mind, giants in their own time, and for me, H.G. Wells stands out among his peers for both the quantity of his work (over l00 books!) and for the human intricacies of his private life – as colorful as almost any of his books.

    "The Ledge"

    "The Ledge"

     

    Today’s story, “The Ledge” by Lawrence Sargent Hall,  won first place in the 1960 O Henry Prize Collection, and has appeared in more than 30 anthologies. 

    "The Farmer's Children"

    "The Farmer's Children"

     

    Today’s story, “The Farmer’s Children” by Elizabeth Bishop, an American poetry and short story writer, seems a showcase for the evil stepmother archetype.  

    "Desiree's Baby"

    "Desiree's Baby"

    Among the stories in the collection Bayou Folk by Kate Chopin is today's story, "Désirée's Baby," a tale of miscegenation in antebellum Louisiana, first published in 1893. 

    "A Village Singer"

    "A Village Singer"

    Through her different genres of work including children's stories, poems, and short stories, Mary Wilkins Freeman sought to demonstrate her values as a feminist.

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
4 Ratings

4 Ratings

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