This is Meg Wallitzer. We all work hard and that's the subject of this week's show

But I'm taking a break and handing things off to hardworking actor Malik Pancholi

Punging the clock this week on selected shorts

I'm Malik Pancholi and you're listening to selected shorts

Where are greatest actors transport us through the magic of fiction one short story at a time

While I have hosted selected shorts in the past I want to be sure and introduce myself to anyone who doesn't know me

As an actor you might remember me from roles on 30 rock or weeds or you may recognize my voice

Although I sound a little bit different on animated shows like finnius and furb I've been performing with selected shorts since

2015 and it is one of my favorite things to do you see ever since I was a kid I've loved stories I

Used to spend countless hours with my bedroom door shut curled up with a book letting my imagination soar and

Now I'm a writer for young readers myself

My debut novel the best at it received a stonewall honor from the American Library Association and my second novel comes out in

2022 now all of that may sound

glittery

But like everyone else I've done some tough jobs that I needed to imagine my way out of

As the US continues to become a nation of gig workers

We thought it'd be interesting to explore some stories about

Day jobs the sort of employment that we talk about when we say the daily grind

While these jobs might have good perks or make you feel secure

It's impossible to ignore the power dynamics

We're going to hear three stories in three settings with three different employees doing their best to make a living

In a diner a busy waitress defends her territory in a type setting office a

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