A wonderful way to broaden your knowledge and appreciation of fiction is through short stories. There is a lot to be said for (and learnt from) the compressed way in which authors craft these tales and create an emotionally powerful experiences in a matter of minutes. The New Yorker podcast offers a great opportunity to listen to some of the classic stories from the last 100 years as well as hear them discussed by contemporary authors.

Below I have listed a few stories which might give you a flavour of the kind of experiences on offer. The podcasts range from around 20 to 45 minutes depending on the length of the story discussed. You can also access the full list on ITunes and other platforms for free. Enjoy!

'Reunion' by John Cheever - broadcast 03/05/2007: A gem at just a few minutes long, this was the first episode of the long running series. A son catches up with his father for a drink but finds that the parent can offer him little guidance on how to live his own life.

'A Bullet in the Brain' by Tobias Wolfe - broadcast 11/02/2008: A critic who thinks that he is above everything and everybody else in the world gets a shock when he is a victim during a bank heist. Another very short story which has a great sense of scale in the way it explores the critic's memories.

'The Swimmer' by John Cheever - broadcast 17/02/2011: Another very famous story by Cheever in which an all conquering alpha male decides to set off on a quest to swim home through all the swimming pools in his wealthy neighbourhood. Sensuous, strange and superb! 

'Dog Heaven' by Stephanie Vaughn - broadcast 12/09/2008: One of my favourite short stories which I might never have encountered without this podcast. Funny, lyrical and moving, 'Dog Heaven' explore the author's memories of living on a military base with a faithful family pet.

A full list of links for all of the stories broadcast to date can be accessed here: feeds.wnyc.org/tnyfiction