David Rabe, renowned playwright and fiction author, captivates listeners with his reading of "My Friend Pinocchio." He navigates emotional chaos following a rivalrous argument, exploring identity and the struggles of friendship in the arts. Rabe reflects on the challenges of authenticity, faith, and loss, revealing how personal turbulence shapes artistic ambition. His poignant storytelling contrasts the glow of ambition with life's harsh realities, offering a transformative vision of love amidst grief.

David Rabe joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Other Side of the Street,” by John Updike, which appeared in a 1991 issue of the magazine. Rabe, a fiction writer, playwright, and screenwriter, is the author of more than a dozen plays, including the Tony Award-winning “Sticks and Bones,” “In the Boom Boom Room,” and “Hurlyburly.” He received the PEN/Laura Pels Theatre Award as a Master American Dramatist in 2014. His novels include “Recital of the Dog” and “Girl by the Road at Night.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices