SELECTED SHORTS: MARGARET ATWOOD, OLD BABES IN THE WOOD to be Presented at Symphony Space in March

On March 8, literary icon Margaret Atwood takes the stage at Symphony Space to host a Selected Shorts event devoted to her first book of short fiction in almost a decade. Following introductions from the author, actors perform funny, thought-provoking, terrifying, and touching stories from Old Babes in the Wood, a dynamic collection covering everything from dystopian futures to extraterrestrial storytelling to love and loss. Wyatt Cenac (Problem Areas) joins to bring said extraterrestrial to life, and the readings will be followed by a short conversation with A.M. Homes (The Unfolding).

Selected Shorts, Symphony Space's best-known series, was conceived over 35 years ago with a simple premise: take great stories by well-known and emerging writers and have exceptional actors perform them live. Since its debut in 1985, Selected Shorts has spawned a weekly radio show now heard on over 130 stations nationwide, a podcast that has subscribers around the world, audio collections, and national tours. Whether featuring stories around a lively theme, the favorite works of a guest author, or a special collaboration, each Selected Shorts event is a unique evening. The series has welcomed guest hosts such as Roxane Gay, LeVar Burton, Cynthia Nixon, and David Sedaris, and performers including Stephen Colbert, Morgan Freeman, Greta Gerwig, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Zosia Mamet, John Cameron Mitchell, Anthony Ramos, Anika Noni Rose, and Meryl Streep, to name just a few.

Margaret Atwood has established herself as one of the most visionary and canonical authors in the world. She is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. Her novels include Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, and the MaddAddam trilogy. Her 1985 classic, The Handmaid's Tale, was followed in 2019 by a sequel, The Testaments, which was a global number one bestseller and won the Booker Prize. In 2020 she published Dearly, her first collection of poetry for a decade.

Old Babes in the Woods comprises 15 extraordinary stories-some of which have appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine-that explore the full warp and weft of experience, speaking to our unique times with Atwood's characteristic insight, wit, and intellect. The two intrepid sisters of the title story grapple with loss and memory on a perfect summer evening; "Impatient Griselda" explores alienation and miscommunication with a fresh twist on a folkloric classic; and "My Evil Mother" touches on the fantastical, examining a mother-daughter relationship in which the mother purports to be a witch. At the heart of the collection are seven extraordinary stories that follow a married couple across the decades, the moments big and small that make up a long life of uncommon love-and what comes after.

Returning to short fiction for the first time since her 2014 collection Stone Mattress, Atwood showcases both her creativity and her humanity in these remarkable tales which by turns delight, illuminate, and quietly devastate.

Selected Shorts: Margaret Atwood, Old Babes in the Wood takes place Wednesday, March 8, at 7pm in the Peter Jay Sharp theater at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway, at 95th Street). Tickets are $52 for Symphony Space Members, $55 for Non-Members, and $42 for audience members aged 30 and under. All tickets include a copy of the book and can be purchased at symphonyspace.org.

About Symphony Space

Symphony Space is a multi-disciplinary performing arts center where bold programming, presented in a uniquely warm and welcoming environment, forges indelible relationships between artists and audiences.

Symphony Space's fundamental mission is to connect art, ideas, and community through their performances and their commitment to literacy and education through the arts. Known for an array of ground-breaking programs, including Selected Shorts, their immersive Wall to Wall concerts, and their innovative Global Arts education initiative, Symphony Space presents a full slate of original, affordable (and free) programming within New York City and in communities throughout the country through tours, public radio broadcasts, podcasts, and virtual events. On their stages and in the classrooms they serve, Symphony Space fosters access to the arts through all the disciplines.

Symphony Space was founded in the belief that the arts bring people together, transcend barriers, and celebrate both our similarities and differences. Through adventurous and impactful performances, commissions, and conversations, Symphony Space continues to invigorate these guiding principles, harnessing the power of the arts to engage, inspire, and build community.