From Our Listeners http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1061&ft=1&f=1061 Listeners respond by email and phone to NPR stories. Subscribe to the Listeners RSS feed. en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:00:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif From Our Listeners http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1061&ft=1&f=1061 Vacation Horror Stories: A Bat-Infested Trip To Ecuador Listener Rachel Sumner of Ithaca, N.Y., recounts the story of her bat-infested trip to Ecuador for our series on vacation horror stories. A bat in her hotel room would keep returning no matter how many times she captured it and took it out. She had to get rabies shots and now has no sympathy for bats. Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/17/192791056/vacation-horror-stories-a-bat-infested-trip-to-ecuador?ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/17/192791056/vacation-horror-stories-a-bat-infested-trip-to-ecuador?ft=1&f=1061 Listener Rachel Sumner of Ithaca, N.Y., recounts the story of her bat-infested trip to Ecuador for our series on vacation horror stories. A bat in her hotel room would keep returning no matter how many times she captured it and took it out. She had to get rabies shots and now has no sympathy for bats.

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]]> Letters: Edward Snowden, iTunes Radio Audie Cornish and Melissa Block read emails from listeners about Edward Snowden and Apple's new iTunes Radio. Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=191070340&ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=191070340&ft=1&f=1061 Audie Cornish and Melissa Block read emails from listeners about Edward Snowden and Apple's new iTunes Radio.

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]]> Vacation Horror Stories: Stranded, Splinters and Smells As part of our summer series, "Vacation Horror Stories," listener Erin Burke says her family is cursed with constant bad luck on its vacations: Rain on beach excursions, splinters in feet, locked vacation homes, and hotel rooms ripe with the smell of dead cats. Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=190453543&ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=190453543&ft=1&f=1061 As part of our summer series, "Vacation Horror Stories," listener Erin Burke says her family is cursed with constant bad luck on its vacations: Rain on beach excursions, splinters in feet, locked vacation homes, and hotel rooms ripe with the smell of dead cats.

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]]> Reborn At the Reborn Convention at the Creektown Holiday Inn, the women mill and mingle, fawn over mohair follicles, blue-blotched underpainting, voice-boxes uploaded with found sound. Distant crying. Summer afternoon nap meltdowns. Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:42:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/09/189334596/reborn?ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/09/189334596/reborn?ft=1&f=1061 At the Reborn Convention at the Creektown Holiday Inn, the women mill and mingle, fawn over mohair follicles, blue-blotched underpainting, voice-boxes uploaded with found sound. Distant crying. Summer afternoon nap meltdowns.

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]]> Three-Minute Fiction: The Round 11 Winner Is ... After sifting through thousands of submissions for our short-story contest, we have found a winner. This round, guest judge Karen Russell asked you to write a story in which a character finds something he or she has no intention of returning. Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:42:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/09/189330731/three-minute-fiction-the-round-11-winner-is?ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/09/189330731/three-minute-fiction-the-round-11-winner-is?ft=1&f=1061 After sifting through thousands of submissions for our short-story contest, we have found a winner. This round, guest judge Karen Russell asked you to write a story in which a character finds something he or she has no intention of returning.

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]]> Beyond The Fence The love of his life had been married for five years before he met her, and dead for five days before he'd found out. Clandestine lovers weren't notified in the event of a tragedy. Sat, 08 Jun 2013 17:41:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/08/187899934/beyond-the-fence?ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/08/187899934/beyond-the-fence?ft=1&f=1061 The love of his life had been married for five years before he met her, and dead for five days before he'd found out. Clandestine lovers weren't notified in the event of a tragedy.

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]]> Three-Minute Fiction Reading: 'Beyond The Fence' NPR's Bob Mondello reads an excerpt of one of the best submissions for Round 11 of our short story contest. He reads <em>Beyond the Fence</em> by Matthew Campbell of Salem, Mass. Sat, 08 Jun 2013 17:12:54 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/08/187911652/three-minute-fiction-reading-beyond-the-fence?ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/08/187911652/three-minute-fiction-reading-beyond-the-fence?ft=1&f=1061 NPR's Bob Mondello reads an excerpt of one of the best submissions for Round 11 of our short story contest. He reads Beyond the Fence by Matthew Campbell of Salem, Mass.

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]]> The Pomelo The man was so beautiful. He appeared to be stepping out of the ad on the side of the bus, his hair illuminated in sun. Amelia saw the little slip of paper burst from his pocket when he pulled out his keys. It flipped in the air once, twice before it caught against the cement stairs right in front of her. Sat, 08 Jun 2013 13:24:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/08/187905504/the-pomelo?ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/08/187905504/the-pomelo?ft=1&f=1061 The man was so beautiful. He appeared to be stepping out of the ad on the side of the bus, his hair illuminated in sun. Amelia saw the little slip of paper burst from his pocket when he pulled out his keys. It flipped in the air once, twice before it caught against the cement stairs right in front of her.

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]]> Picked Clean She found her brother's finger in the grass by the shed. The grass glistened with the morning dew, but the finger did not. Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:25:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/07/189352188/picked-clean?ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/07/189352188/picked-clean?ft=1&f=1061 She found her brother's finger in the grass by the shed. The grass glistened with the morning dew, but the finger did not.

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]]> Chips The door slam is meant to be symbolic, I can tell, one last "take that!" in our roiling argument. But that door never did fit right in the frame, so it swings back open, revealing the heel of his departing shoe and the flick of his coat as he swings around the corner. Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:24:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/07/189355107/chips?ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/07/189355107/chips?ft=1&f=1061 The door slam is meant to be symbolic, I can tell, one last "take that!" in our roiling argument. But that door never did fit right in the frame, so it swings back open, revealing the heel of his departing shoe and the flick of his coat as he swings around the corner.

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]]> Letters: Prenatal Choices And The Power Of Apology Guest host Ari Shapiro reads from listener comments on previous show topics, including the bliss of confusion, the power of apologies and difficult prenatal choices. Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/04/188667483/letters-prenatal-choices-and-the-power-of-apology?ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/04/188667483/letters-prenatal-choices-and-the-power-of-apology?ft=1&f=1061 Guest host Ari Shapiro reads from listener comments on previous show topics, including the bliss of confusion, the power of apologies and difficult prenatal choices.

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]]> Litter I found your soul discarded in the street today.On a three by five index card, you scrawled in heavy black permanent marker letters, "YOU NOW OWN MY SOUL." Initialed under that. Today's date under that. It's a neat little binding contract. Sun, 02 Jun 2013 17:18:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/02/187545642/litter?ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/02/187545642/litter?ft=1&f=1061 I found your soul discarded in the street today.On a three by five index card, you scrawled in heavy black permanent marker letters, "YOU NOW OWN MY SOUL." Initialed under that. Today's date under that. It's a neat little binding contract.

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]]> The Shirt She was cleaning out the closet, looking for items to give to Goodwill, when she found it. It was balled up at the back of the top shelf and had sat, collecting dust, for how long? Eight years? Nine? At least since they'd moved into the house and Will was a baby. Sun, 02 Jun 2013 17:17:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/02/187552584/the-shirt?ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/02/187552584/the-shirt?ft=1&f=1061 She was cleaning out the closet, looking for items to give to Goodwill, when she found it. It was balled up at the back of the top shelf and had sat, collecting dust, for how long? Eight years? Nine? At least since they'd moved into the house and Will was a baby.

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]]> Three-Minute Fiction Readings: 'Litter' And 'The Shirt' NPR's Bob Mondello and Susan Stamberg read excerpts of two of the best submissions for Round 11 of our short story contest. They read <em>Litter </em>by Kalad Hovatter of Orange, Calif., and <em>The Shirt</em> by Jennifer Anderson of Shorewood, Wis. Sun, 02 Jun 2013 17:08:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/02/188064009/three-minute-fiction-readings-litter-and-the-shirt?ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/02/188064009/three-minute-fiction-readings-litter-and-the-shirt?ft=1&f=1061 NPR's Bob Mondello and Susan Stamberg read excerpts of two of the best submissions for Round 11 of our short story contest. They read Litter by Kalad Hovatter of Orange, Calif., and The Shirt by Jennifer Anderson of Shorewood, Wis.

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]]> What Was Your Worst Vacation Ever? Robert Siegel and Melissa Block ask listeners to send us their personal vacation horror stories: tales of missed connections, rotten food, rainy beach visits and more. We want to hear how best-laid plans can collapse. Fri, 31 May 2013 15:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=187586639&ft=1&f=1061 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=187586639&ft=1&f=1061 Robert Siegel and Melissa Block ask listeners to send us their personal vacation horror stories: tales of missed connections, rotten food, rainy beach visits and more. We want to hear how best-laid plans can collapse.

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