Overview: On September 19, 2006, David Strathairn, Tony Roberts and Lois Smith took part in Selected Shorts, a live version of the renowned National Public Radio show of the same name. Over the years, David has taken part in several Selected Short readings, both live and specifically for the show's radio broadcast. This event, held at 7:30 p.m. at the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut, was taped for future NPR broadcast. David read Andrew Lam's short story, "The Palmist". Read an excerpt below:

The palmist closed up early because of the pains. He felt as if he was being roasted, slowly, from the inside out. By noon he could no longer focus on his customers' palms, their life and love lines having all failed to point to any significant future, merging instead with the rivers and streams of his memories.

Outside, the weather had turned. Dark clouds hung low, and the wind was heavy with moisture. He reached the bus stop's tiny shelter when it began to pour. He didn't have to wait long, however. The good old 38 Geary pulled up in a few minutes, and he felt mildly consoled, though sharp pains flared and blossomed from deep inside his bowels like tiny geysers and made each of his three steps up the bus laborious.

It was warm and humid on the crowded bus, and a fine mist covered all windows. The palmist sat on the front bench facing the aisle, the one reserved for the handicapped and the elderly. A fat woman who had rosy cheeks and who did not take the seat gave him a dirty look. It was true: his hair was still mostly black, and he appeared to be a few years short of senior citizenship. The palmist pretended not to notice her. Contemptuously, he leaned back against the worn and cracked vinyl and smiled to himself. He closed his eyes. A faint odor of turned earth reached his nostrils. He inhaled deeply and saw again a golden rice field, a beatific smile, a face long gone: his first kiss. The rain pounded the roof as the bus rumbled toward the sea.

At the next stop, a teenager got on. Caught in the downpour without an umbrella, he was soaking wet, and his extra-large T-shirt, which said 'Play Hard...Stay Hard', clung to him.

Related Links:
Westport Country Playhouse (off site)
Westport Arts Center (off site)
Selected Shorts (off site)