Short Story Today with Jon DiSavino

For Pearl River artist Jon DiSavino, storytelling has  been a lifelong passion. His initial introduction to story telling began on the stage as an actor. While his daughter  was young, he worked diligently to balance his responsibilities of fatherhood, a full time job, and his creative desires. Once his daughter was through college, DiSavino retired and found he had a few spare minutes on his hands. Not one to sit around, DiSavino found himself wanting to dive deeper into his creative nature, but had  grown weary of relying on the “yeses” of others to do so. DiSavino had been recording audiobooks in his spare time, and this hobby sparked an idea – what if he took his love of storytelling and of audiobooks, and created a literary podcast focused on short stories? The podcast has since grown from recordings of public domain stories to a platform for emerging writers.

This growth developed through DiSavino’s interactions with the vibrant writing community he had uncovered through Twitter, now X. Through his interactions and friendships, he realized that his podcasting platform could be used to help give the members of the writing community a “yes”. They would gain exposure, a space to  talk about their process, and the opportunity to hear their work read aloud by trained voice actors. From there, the  work “took on a life of its own,” said DiSavino.

In the beginning, DiSavino was hunting for stories through online literary journals and reaching out to writers on X. Now, he now has a steady stream of folks who  reach out to him through publicists and recommendations.  He told the RCT that he was thrilled to see the community growing, and how this wider range has allowed him to hand select the best stories for the podcast.

DiSavino provides a space for a wide range of themes and stories from writers who pen their tales from across the U.S., Canada and the British Isles. Part of what makes his podcast different from listening to a condensed audiobook, however, is the interview portion. “A lot of writers are interested in what other writers have to say about writing… There’s a lot of discussion of craft in the interviews, how people approach their work,” said DiSavino. This inside knowledge into the unique way a writer creates their piece is invaluable for other writers, both fledgling and established. DiSavino shared that most of the writers he interviews are dedicated, professional writers who have graduated from an MFA writing program, with many of them teaching writing in higher education and MFA programs.

These writers are also able to share insight into not only their craft, but into the entirety of their writing careers. “I think talking about people’s experiences with the publishing industry is very valuable to the listeners… hearing the bad experiences as well as the good experiences.” Publishing houses, agents, and the creative world of writing can be a gatekept, confusing one to navigate without a mentor. DiSavino is providing that service to those interested in expanding their writing career.

The interview and story sections being separated into two distinct sections also allows listeners to participate in their preferred way. Listeners have the freedom to listen to just the interview, the audio of the story, or both.

Beyond the technicalities of writing lies DiSavino’s through-line passion – a love of storytelling. “I just like sharing my love of the form of short stories with others. It’s always fun to sit down with writers who feel the same way about the short story and have that shared love, that common interest to spark a really wonderful conversation.”

When he began the podcast, DiSavino wasn’t sure what the reaction of the writers would be to having their works  read aloud. However, he has had the opportunity to see firsthand how, as the authors experience hearing their stories read aloud through voice actors, it “…validates [the  writers] and their writing.” According to DiSavino, writers are asked to read their own works aloud during tours or public appearances, which can be uncomfortable for writers who are not trained actors. It also does not allow for any level of separation from the work for the author. Having an actor who has the technical skills to undertake characterization of these stories provides a new level of depth for writers and listeners of the pod.

What DiSavino has enjoyed the most about his work is the community he has been able to create. “I feel part of something larger than myself…I’m helping writers connect with each other, helping people become aware of other writers because of the podcast, and forming connections as a result of the podcast.”