

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

Apr 13, 2024 • 45min
Carys Davies on CLEAR
Clear by Carys Davies is a beautifully written short novel about the price of isolation and the desire for community. Davies joined us to talk about the importance of language in her writing, wilderness and western adaptations, writing concise stories and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. We end this episode with TBR Topoff 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): Clear by Carys Davies West by Carys Davies The Mission House by Carys Davies In the Distance by Hernan Diaz Inland by Tea Obreht The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff Featured Books (TBR Topoff): Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller At the Edge of the Woods by Kathryn Bromwich

Apr 11, 2024 • 42min
Maggie Nelson on LIKE LOVE
Like Love by Maggie Nelson features essays and conversations, advice and introspection, spanning the decades of her career. Nelson joins us to talk about her many influences, the role of love in art criticism, vulnerability in writing 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): Like Love by Maggie Nelson Bluets by Maggie Nelson The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson My 1980s and Other Essays by Wayne Koestenbaum Close to the Knives by David Wojnarowicz The Weather in Proust by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick Black and Blur by Fred Moten Index Cards by Moyra Davey Suicide Blonde by Darcey Steinke The Seas by Samantha Hunt

Apr 9, 2024 • 47min
Anne Lamott on SOMEHOW
Somehow: Thoughts on Love by Anne Lamott is full of empathy, heart and humanity, drawing on personal struggles and triumphs to showcase the wider truths of love and compassion. Lamott joined us to talk about the powers of connection, the impact of distractions in our lives, joy and wonder in creativity and more with guest host, 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): Somehow: Thoughts on Love by Anne Lamott Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron The Dry by Jane Harper A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin On Writing by Stephen King

Apr 6, 2024 • 45min
Xochitl Gonzalez on ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez is a sharp and rollicking read about the power of art and the lasting legacy of those who make it. Gonzalez joined us live at Barnes & Noble UWS to talk about studying art history, culture shock in higher education, creative freedom 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 (Episodes): Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel

Apr 4, 2024 • 49min
Julia Alvarez on THE CEMETERY OF UNTOLD STORIES
The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez is a funny, life-affirming novel about storytelling, friendship and death. Alvarez joins us to talk about aging, community, how we chose which stories we tell 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 Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez Afterlife by Julia Alvarez In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Apr 2, 2024 • 51min
Leif Enger on I CHEERFULLY REFUSE
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger is a big-hearted, hopeful novel that's part adventure story, part love story — with unforgettable dialogue, characters, and sense of place. Enger joins us to talk about writing dystopian fiction, the importance of setting, world building and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. We end this episode with TBR Topoff recommendations from Marc and Mary. 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): I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger Peace Like a River by Leif Enger Virgil Wander by Leif Enger CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by George Saunders Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon Featured Books (TBR Topoff): All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin

Mar 30, 2024 • 46min
Lisa Ko on MEMORY PIECE
Memory Piece by Lisa Ko is an unforgettable story of art, friendship and coming-of-age that cuts across decades from the 1980s to the 2040s. Ko joins us to talk about forming the characters of the novel, writing through a large span of time, her artistic influences and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. We end this episode with TBR Topoff 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): Memory Piece by Lisa Ko The Leavers by Lisa Ko After Kathy Acker by Chris Kraus Trust Exercise by Susan Choi Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday The Gangster of Love by Jessica Hagedorn Featured Books (TBR Topoff): Set for Life by Andrew Ewell Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

Mar 28, 2024 • 55min
Vinson Cunningham on GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham is a clear-eyed, charming coming-of-age-story set in the world of power, money, and political campaigns. Cunningham joins us to talk about choosing the title for his book, the connections between art and identity, what it means to write about politics 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): Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham High Cotton by Darryl Pinckney In the Wake by Christina Sharpe The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead The Giveness of Things by Marilynne Robinson

Mar 26, 2024 • 52min
Hanif Abdurraqib on THERE'S ALWAYS THIS YEAR
There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib plays with time and memory, intimacy and vulnerability, going away and coming home — and leaves everything on the court. Abdurraqib joins us to talk about Ohio, bravery in writing, nostalgia 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’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor Jazz by Toni Morrison Bluets by Maggie Nelson The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton Hoops by Walter Dean Myers

Mar 23, 2024 • 1h 24min
Poured Over Double Shot: Tessa Hulls and Griffin Hansbury
Tessa Hulls’ Feeding Ghosts is a richly woven and visually stunning graphic memoir about three generations of Chinese women exploring themes of grief, trauma and familial love. Hulls joins us to talk about her time as a DJ in Antarctica, her path to art, recording her family’s history and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. Some Strange Music Draws Me In by Griffin Hansbury is a coming of age story grappling with family, friendship and gender. Hansbury joins us to talk about identity and small-town life, music and the impact of nostalgia, his creative process and more with guest host, Jenna Seery. We end this episode with TBR Topoff recommendations from Marc and Mary. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and 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): Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls Some Strange Music Draws Me In by Griffin Hansbury Vanishing New York by Jeremiah Moss Featured Books (TBR Topoff): Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi The Seep by Chana Porter