

Poured Over
Barnes & Noble
Poured Over is a show for readers who pore over details, obsess over sentences and ideas and stories and characters; readers who ask a lot of questions, just like Poured Over’s host, Miwa Messer, a career bookseller who’s always reading. Follow us here for surprising riffs, candid conversations, a few laughs, and lots of great book recommendations from big name authors and authors on their way to being big names. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional bonus episodes on Saturdays).
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 25, 2025 • 51min
Beth Macy on PAPER GIRL
Beth Macy, the bestselling author of Dopesick, returns with Paper Girl, her most personal story yet. Beth joined us live at B&N Upper West Side to talk about growing up in Ohio, class, language and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America by Beth Macy There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Gladstone Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond

Oct 23, 2025 • 46min
Joy Harjo on GIRL WARRIOR
Girl Warrior by Joy Harjo, former three-term U.S. Poet Laureate, is a powerful reflection on coming of age as a Native woman. Joy joins us to talk about poetry, dreams, place, active listening, structure and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Girl Warrior: On Coming of Age by Joy Harjo Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo Catching the Light by Joy Harjo

Oct 22, 2025 • 46min
Lucy Steeds on THE ARTIST AND THE FEAST
The Artist and the Feast by Lucy Steeds is an elegantly crafted tale of art, love and ambition. Lucy joins us to chat about prologues, storytelling, art monsters, alternating perspectives, language, translation and more with cohost Isabelle McConville. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Isabelle McConville and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): The Artist and the Feast by Lucy Steeds The Secret History by Donna Tartt Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Odyssey by Homer The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin Watching Over Her by Jean-Baptiste Andrea

Oct 21, 2025 • 44min
Nic Stone on BOOM TOWN
Boom Town is the taut and transporting adult debut from bestselling author Nic Stone. Nic joins us to talk about the American South, Black womanhood, Atlanta, writing in a new form and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Boom Town by Nic Stone Middlemarch by George Eliot Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol Divergent by Veronica Roth Little Spark by Nic Stone The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan The Candy House by Jennifer Egan Deacon King Kong by James McBride The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Oct 18, 2025 • 58min
Adam Johnson on THE WAYFINDER
The Wayfinder by Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Adam Johnson is a gripping story of community and survival centered on one resilient young girl. Adam joins us to talk about storytelling, innocence, navigation, mythology, masculinity, literary fiction and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson Parasites Like Us by Adam Johnson The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson Emporium by Adam Johnson The Stand by Stephen King Featured Books (TBR Top Off): The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson Moloka'i by Alan Brennert The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Oct 16, 2025 • 47min
Andrew Ross Sorkin on 1929
1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin is a deep dive into the devastating Wall Street collapse that shook the nation and reverberates throughout our country today. Andrew joins us to talk about understanding the present by studying the past, the influential women of the Great Crash, meme coins, the exuberance of the Jazz Age, journalism, tariffs and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin Barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar The Great Crash 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith A Night to Remember by Walter Lord False Profits by Larry Gurwin and Peter Truell

Oct 15, 2025 • 45min
Thomas Schlesser on MONA'S EYES
Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser is a multigenerational family story and a vivid exploration of art through a young girl’s museum adventures with her beloved grandfather. Thomas joins us to talk about choosing which artworks to include in the novel, creating his cast of characters, relating life lessons to famous works or art, accessibility, melancholy, beauty and more with guest host Brenda Allison. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Brenda Allison and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser Small World by David Lodge Featured Books (TBR Top Off): Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser The Louvre: All the Paintings by Vincent Pomarède All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley

Oct 14, 2025 • 50min
Megha Majumdar on A GUARDIAN AND A THIEF
A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar is a taut and transporting tale of two families’ plights set on a collision course. Megha joins us to talk about climate change in literature, writing compressed narratives, class, intentional language, influences and more with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar A Burning by Megha Majumdar The South by Tash Aw Audition by Katie Kitamura The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng Mobility by Lydia Kiesling Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy by John le Carré

Oct 11, 2025 • 43min
Elizabeth George on A SLOWLY DYING CAUSE
A Slowly Dying Cause by Elizabeth George is the gripping 22nd installment of the bestselling Inspector Lynley series that takes our detectives back to Cornwall. Elizabeth joins us to talk about writing from multiple perspectives, creating her characters, outlining, research and more with cohost Jenna Seery. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): A Slowly Dying Cause by Elizabeth George Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George Playing for the Ashes by Elizabeth George For the Sake of Elena by Elizabeth George Traitor’s Purse by Margery Allingham The Hunter by Tana French

Oct 9, 2025 • 51min
Mary Roach on REPLACEABLE YOU
Replaceable You by Mary Roach is a globe-spanning account of the impact modern science has on the human body, from stem cell centers to a working iron lung. Mary joins us to talk about sitting in on surgeries, traveling for her research, creating footnotes, xenotransplants, humor and more with guest host Chris Gillespie. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Chris Gillespie and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Replaceable You by Mary Roach Stiff by Mary Roach Fuzz by Mary Roach Packing for Mars by Mary Roach Gulp by Mary Roach Animal, Vegetable, Junk by Mark Bittman Another Great Day at Sea by Geoff Dyer The Headache by Tom Zeller Jr. The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry Angel Down by Daniel Kraus


