ROME - The Italian Insider's Short Story Podcast uses a variety of Italian authors and their short works of fiction to explore contemporary issues in Italian society and the Mediterranean. Voiced by Jack Morgan Jones and Cesira Colleluori, and produced by Jack Morgan Jones.

 Sciascia and Migration (Ep.1). 

 The first episode took a look at Sicilian writer Leonardo Sciascia and his short tragicomedy The Long Journey, and what it might tell us about the migration crisis in the Mediterranean.

 Parise and Family (Ep.2). 

 This episode looked at journalist and author Goffredo Parise and his short story Italia, in order to explore the notion of the ideal Italian family.

Maraini and Abortion (Ep.3).

This episode looked at feminist author Dacia Maraini and her short story The Girl With The Plait which explores the mind of a pregnant fifteen year old, and speaks to the social stigma that remains in Italy today.

Calvino and Coronavirus (Ep.4). 

This episode took one of Itay's most famous authors, Italo Calvino, and his short story The Last Channel,  delving into subjective states of isolation, and looking to the shared state of isolation in Italy during lockdown.

Levi and Capitalism (Ep.5). 

This episode looked at Primo Levi and his short story Lilith, which contains insights into the human condition that, especially in light of recent investigative work by Alessandro Delfanti, reveals an uncomfortable truth about Amazon warehouses in Italy.

Tamaro and Monsters (Ep.6). 

This episode looked at Susanna Tamaro's The Island of Komodo, a short story that deals with the heavy subject of childhood abuse in as light a way as can be done, and makes us think of the monsterous 'Angels and Demons' child abuse scandal in Italy.

Petrignani and Appearances (Ep.7).

This episode dived into Sandra Petrignani's Women by the Pool, a short story that seems to talk a lot about the relationship we have with our own appearance, and makes us think about the reasons why someone might smoke a cigarette in beautiful Italy.

Benni and Surveillance (Ep.8). 

The final episode looked at Stefano Benni's A Naughty Schoolboy, which describes a tyrannical teacher whose classroom the protagonist cannot continue to exist in, so as to draw out a connection between this and what an Italian surveillance state might look like.

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