
Poured Over
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).
Latest episodes

Mar 22, 2025 • 36min
Revisiting Hilary Mantel on THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT
The Mirror and the Light is the final book in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy, showcasing the final years of Thomas Cromwell. Before you watch the newest season of the tv show, listen to Mantel talk about crafting her beloved series, her unique approach to historical fiction, planning the end of the trilogy and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. We end this episode with TBR Top Off book recommendations from Marc and Donald. 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 Mirror and The Light by Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel Featured Books (TBR Top Off): Firebrand by Elizabeth Fremantle The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

Mar 20, 2025 • 42min
Chris Bohjalian on THE JACKAL'S MISTRESS
The Jackal’s Mistress by Chris Bohjalian is a sweeping tale of humanity and hope centered on two remarkable characters faced with a gruesome time in American history. Bohjalian joins us live at BN UWS to talk about his new book, his writing process and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. 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 Jackal’s Mistress by Chris Bohjalian

Mar 18, 2025 • 40min
Lauren Christensen on FIRSTBORN
Firstborn by Lauren Christensen is a memoir of tragedy and hope that depicts grief and love with tenderness and heart. Christensen joins us to talk about deciding to tell this story, the impact of writing the book on herself and those close to her, her healing process and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. 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): Firstborn by Lauren Christensen An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken Blue Nights by Joan Didion North Woods by Daniel Mason Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar Good Girl by Aria Aber How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

Mar 15, 2025 • 40min
Scaachi Koul on SUCKER PUNCH
Sucker Punch by Scaachi Koul is a witty and wise collection of essays on family, love, divorce and healing. Koul joins us to talk about what lead her to telling this story now, the vulnerability of writing a memoir, exploring challenging themes 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): Sucker Punch by Scaachi Koul One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul No Fault by Haley Mlotek This American Ex-Wife by Lyz Lenz You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Mar 13, 2025 • 40min
Karen Russell on THE ANTIDOTE
The Antidote by Karen Russell is a transportive story about history, American ideology, and community. Russell joins us to talk about creating her cast of characters, her research process and historical inspiration, writing short stories vs. novels 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): The Antidote by Karen Russell Swamplandia! by Karen Russell Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich Stag Dance by Torrey Peters Dust Bowls of Empire by Hannah Holleman Canon by Paige Lewis The Complete Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino Portalmania by Debbie Urbanski The Ghost Variations by Kevin Brockmeier

Mar 11, 2025 • 42min
Torrey Peters on STAG DANCE
Stag Dance by Torrey Peters is a series of short stories and a novel that examine gender identity, pushing societal boundaries and more. Peters joins us to talk about exploring complicated themes, creating understanding for complex characters and a unique use of literary form 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): Stag Dance by Torrey Peters Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters Moby Dick by Herman Melville Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov Nevada by Imogen Binnie A Safe Girl to Love by Casey Plett I’ve Got a Time Bomb by Sybil Lamb A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy True Grit by Charles Portis Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower When the Harvest Comes by Denne Michele Norris Trauma Plot by Jamie Hood Aggregated Discontent by Harron Walker Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyen Realistic Fiction by Anton Solomonik Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel Tai-Pan by James Clavell The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vásquez

Mar 8, 2025 • 47min
Chloe Dalton on RAISING HARE
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton is the inspiring and extraordinary story of an unlikely connection between a woman and a wild hare. Dalton joins us to talk about how her life changed after encountering the leveret, her transformed perspective on nature, finding a sense of wonder 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): Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White Watership Down by Richard Adams The Call of the Wild by Jack London Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell

Mar 6, 2025 • 47min
Karen Thompson Walker on THE STRANGE CASE OF JANE O.
The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker is a mesmerizing story about motherhood, memory and complicated family ties based on case notes from Oliver Sacks. Walker joins us to talk about returning to the theme of time in her work, her writing process, her teaching career and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. 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 Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker Blindness by José Saramago Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

Mar 4, 2025 • 56min
Laila Lalami on THE DREAM HOTEL
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami is an engrossing, dire and dystopian story about authoritarianism, survival and the fight for privacy in a surveillance state. Lalami joins us to talk about the idea that inspired the novel, worldbuilding, creating her characters and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. 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 Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami The Other Americans by Laila Lalami The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami

Mar 1, 2025 • 36min
Sarah Jones on DISPOSABLE
Disposable by Sarah Jones is a compassionate examination of the most overlooked people in the United States. Jones joins us to talk about what inspired her to write this book, balancing personal narratives with broader themes, the lasting effects of the pandemic and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. We end this episode with TBR Top Off book recommendations from Marc and Jamie. 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): Disposable by Sarah Jones Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich The Fact Checker by Austin Kelley A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin Featured Books (TBR Top Off): Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott
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