Poured Over

In Roman Stories Jhumpa Lahiri translates her own writing from Italian in a feat of language and a love and connection to Rome itself. Lahiri joins us to talk about the role of a translator in literature, language and identity, exophonic authors and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over.  This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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): Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri  Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri  The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri  Translating Myself and Others by Jhumpa Lahiri  Trick by Domenico Starnone   Metamorphoses by Ovid  

"I think that messy, sort of evolving spiritual element of Black Americans' lives ... has allowed us to survive, and not only to survive, but also to thrive." Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward balances grief and injustice with joy and reclamation in a sweeping, lyrical novel that brings often overlooked history into the light. Ward joins us to talk about exploring historical fiction, writing beyond the world we can explain, and finding the connections between literature, grief, connection and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Madyson.   This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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):   Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward  Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward  Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward  Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward    Featured Books (TBR Topoff): Beloved by Toni Morrison  Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson 

Percy Jackson returns at long last in The Chalice of the Gods. Rick Riordan brings back the characters that started it all in a new adventure as they face down one of their toughest challenges yet — getting into college. Riordan joins us to talk about the return to his beloved series, collaborating with incredible authors in his publishing imprint, adapting his work for the screen and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Madyson.     This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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 Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan  The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan  The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan  The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro  Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan    Featured Books (TBR Topoff):  The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi  Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Choksi 

Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Sy Montgomery with illustrations by Matt Patterson brings these wondrous creatures to the forefront as we learn about their personalities, complex ecosystems and their connections to humanity in a variety of ways. Montgomery and Patterson join us to talk about their love of turtles, the importance of local conservation and rescues, what we can learn from turtles and nature in general and more.  Margaret Renkl’s The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year is a literary devotional featuring beautiful artwork that follows the natural world week by week through the splendor of a year. Renkl joins us to talk about the importance of slowing down to appreciate the world around us, connecting to the plants and animals in our surroundings, the impacts of changing climate and more.  Listen in as these authors speak separately with guest host, Jenna Seery.  This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang.          Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).     Featured Books (Episode):  Of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomery with illustrations by Matt Patterson The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl  Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl  Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl  The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery  How To Be A Good Creature by Sy Montgomery 

“I expect my reader to meet me halfway with their own experiences and fill in the white space, fill in what's left unsaid.” Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson brings the reader to Brooklyn in the 70s to examine memory and acceptance through the eyes of one girl from her childhood and beyond. Woodson joins us to talk about writing for young people, the themes of childhood and nostalgia, creating identity through literature and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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):  Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson  Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson  Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson  Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson  Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward  The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis  Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson 

Family Meal by Bryan Washington features the importance of food, friends and connection with a cast of characters working through the transitions in life. Washington joins us to talk about the identity of place, how he writes the messiness of life, staying truthful to characters and their struggles and more. Curtis Chin’s Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant follows the author’s life as he grew up in and around his family’s restaurant where he came to better understand himself and those around him. Chin joins us to talk about the perils of writing about your relatives, the nuances of cultural identity, a very particular Detroit meal and more.    Listen in as these authors speak separately with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over.    This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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):  Family Meal by Bryan Washington  Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant by Curtis Chin  Memorial by Bryan Washington  Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson  Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto  Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park  100 Boyfriends by Brontez Purnell  Mott Street by Ava Chin  The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang 

“I want people to read it with joy, just for the story. But I do hope that they'll pick up something else along the way about … deeper things.” The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok finds two women on incredibly different paths in life in collision as they grapple with issues of culture, class and motherhood. Kwok joins us to talk about how she started a career in writing, the importance and language and cultural identity, how books open doors to learning and growth and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Madyson and Mary.    This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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 Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok  Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok  Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok  Mambo in Chinatown by Jean Kwok  Happiness Falls by Angie Kim  The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni  Broadway Butterfly by Sara DiVello    Featured Books (TBR Topoff):  Greek Lessons by Han Kang  The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan 

"I wanted it to feel like stepping off the world..." Blackouts by Justin Torres explores love, loss and the stories we leave behind with inventive and transformative form and prose. Torres joins us to talk about the source material for this novel, the importance of telling queer stories, navigating legacy, loneliness and identity and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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): Blackouts by Justin Torres We the Animals by Justin Torres Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis City of God by Gil Cuadros Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe Punks by John Keene In Case of Emergency by Mahsa Mohebali

Our October Discover Pick is The Refugee Ocean by Pauls Toutonghi, featuring musical prose and interwoven stories that cross generations and countries to explore what it means to be an immigrant and the resiliency of the human spirit. Toutonghi joins us to talk about his family connection to the novel, using fiction to connect to the human experience, the long process of writing this book and more with guest host, Jenna Seery.  This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang.            Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).        Featured Books (Episode):  The Refugee Ocean by Pauls Toutonghi  The Overstory by Richard Powers  All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr  Soccer in Sun and Shadow by Eduardo Galeano  Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf 

“Language doesn't just exist on the page … It's about how you embody it.”  How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair is a poetic memoir about growing up as a Rastafari woman in Jamaica and how words and writing empowered her voice. Sinclair joins us to talk about the literary connections in her poetry, shedding light on the reality of her upbringing, and the identity that comes with writing and reading with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer 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):  How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair  Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair  The Tempest by William Shakespeare  Educated by Tara Westover  The Star-Apple Kingdom by Derek Walcott