To Belong To by Kerry Andrew is the first contender for the prestigious BBC National Short Story Award 2018 with Cambridge University now celebrating its thirteenth year. In this story, unsure he can go on, a desperate man is revived by the hospitality of strangers. Tobias Menzies reads The kindness of strangers and the meaning of home are key themes in the five shortlisted entries for this year's BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University, now celebrating its thirteenth year. This year's shortlist is unified by the individual power of each writer to convey both the private and the universal experience. Linking the personal and the political, the stories, often inspired by world events from Brexit, immigration to urban gentrification, draw out ideas of community and human connection. Each story is a powerful meditation on a world where displacement and loss seem to be overwhelming but where renewal and hope are infinite. You can hear the five stories in contention for this major BBC award for a single short story each afternoon on BBC Radio 4 at 3.30 from Monday, 17th - Friday 21st September. On the evening before the broadcast the writer of each shortlisted entry will be interviewed on Front Row. To find out who will win this year's award listen to the award ceremony which will be broadcast live on Front Row from Cambridge University on Tuesday, 2nd October. This year's shortlist will be available as a podcast, to find out more go to the Radio 4 website. Produced by Simon Richardson.