

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

Aug 24, 2024 • 40min
Abi Daré on AND SO I ROAR
In And So I Roar, Abi Daré returns to the story she began in The Girl with the Louding Voice, with characters both old and new in an ongoing story of resilience, sisterhood and hope. Daré joins us to talk about character development, balancing her narrative with emotional truth, the exploration of new themes 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): And So I Roar by Abi Daré The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Aug 22, 2024 • 52min
Elif Shafak on THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY
There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak is a story of love, grief and hope told across humanity, time and history. Shafak joins us to talk about her central themes, empire and identity, her literary influences 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): There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak The Epic of Gilgamesh translated by Andrew George Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Orlando by Virginia Woolf

Aug 20, 2024 • 43min
Kailee Pedersen on SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS
Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen is an unnerving and disturbing novel with ancient secrets, modern lies and messy family ties. Pedersen joins us to talk about gothic horror in rural Nebraska, blending mythologies, the complexity of writing about trauma and more with cohost Jenna Seery. We end this episode with TBR Top Off book recommendations from Marc and Donald. 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): Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen My Ántonia by Willa Cather The Road by Cormac McCarthy The Lover by Marguerite Duras Featured Books (TBR Top Off): Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones Grey Dog by Elliot Gish

Aug 15, 2024 • 43min
Jay Ellis on DID EVERYONE HAVE AN IMAGINARY FRIEND (OR JUST ME)?
Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? by Jay Ellis is a collection of essays that chronicle his time growing up in a world he couldn't make sense of. Ellis joined us live at The Grove to talk about growing up in the 80s and 90s, the process of writing about your life, processing heavy moments through creativity 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): Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? by Jay Ellis Deacon King Kong by James McBride Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg

Aug 13, 2024 • 49min
Gilbert Cruz on The Best Books of the 21st Century
Gilbert Cruz, Books Editor for the New York Times joins us to talk about the 100 Best Books of the 21stCentury list. Cruz talked about the creation of the list, the varied participants, the importance of recent literature 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): Filterworld by Kyle Chayka Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Trust by Hernan Diaz Stay True by Hua Hsu Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin The God of the Woods by Liz Moore Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjeh-Brenyah Pachinko by Min Jin Lee Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders The Round House by Louise Erdrich Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Aug 8, 2024 • 42min
Regina Porter on THE RICH PEOPLE HAVE GONE AWAY
Regina Porter’s The Rich People Have Gone Away is a mystery in the era of lockdown featuring a diverse cast of New York City characters and no shortage of literary intrigue. Porter joins us to talk about writing a novel set during COVID-19, subverting expectations, crafting characters with humor 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 Rich People Have Gone Away by Regina Porter The Travelers by Regina Porter The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard James by Percival Everett Memorial by Bryan Washington

Aug 6, 2024 • 54min
Bret Anthony Johnston on WE BURN DAYLIGHT
We Burn Daylight by Bret Anthony Johnston is the story of star-crossed lovers set against a charged social backdrop. Johnston joins us to talk about the complex themes in his work, writing relatable characters and real events, the rewards of all kinds of fiction 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): We Burn Daylight by Bret Anthony Johnston Remember Me Like This by Bret Anthony Johnston The Bee Sting by Paul Murray The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan Featured Books (TBR Top Off): Cultish by Amanda Montell Godshot by Chelsea Bieker

Aug 3, 2024 • 46min
Dinaw Mengestu on SOMEONE LIKE US
Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu tells the story of the son of Ethiopian immigrants unraveling family history, connection and memory. Mengestu joins us to talk about the experiences that lead to his writing, diasporic communities, power in storytelling 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): Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu Lost in the City by Edward P. Jones

Aug 1, 2024 • 44min
Siân Hughes on PEARL
Pearl by Siân Hughes is a story of mothers, daughters, an old house, and one haunting poem. Hughes joins us to talk about village life, her writing process for a coming-of-age novel, playfulness in her work 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): Pearl by Siân Hughes Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo translated by J.R.R. Tolkien Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Featured Books (TBR Top Off): Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Jul 30, 2024 • 41min
Jessica Anthony on THE MOST
The Most by Jessica Anthony is an immersive story about a housewife at her wit’s end that is sure to pack a punch. Anthony joined us to talk about writing a novella, 1950s American culture, voice in fiction 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 Most by Jessica Anthony Enter the Aardvark by Jessica Anthony Desperate Characters by Paula Fox