It’s not often that a writer gets to hear a story of his read in front of an audience by an accomplished actor. I had that pleasure in 1999 at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass. when Arliss Howard gave a staged reading of “The 5:22” before about 400 people. What surprised me that evening was the laughter at the small bits of irony or archness in the observations of my main character, a staid MIT professor. Howard managed to amplify everything I wrote, and group reaction dynamics took over.

It has been about 20 years since I wrote “The 5:22,” and now comes a new reading by actor LeVar Burton, part of his popular LeVar Burton Reads podcast. It is available free at http://www.levarburtonpodcast.com/. His smooth delivery gives new life to my words. I hope you enjoy it.