Poured Over

Jonathan Lethem’s Brooklyn Crime Novel brings readers to New York in the 70s and the cast of characters it contains. Lethem joins us to talk about creating something different than he’d done before, writing memory and nostalgia, the joy of bookselling and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. The Maniac by Benjamín Labatut defies genre with an examination and exploration of science and humanity from the Manhattan Project to the advent of A.I. Labatut joins us to talk about the dark art of writing, the mystery and mythology of existence, the importance of story and more with guest host, Jenna Seery.  We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Jamie and Marc.    This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang.            Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).       Featured Books (Episode):  Brooklyn Crime Novel by Jonathan Lethem  The Maniac by Benjamín Labatut  The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem  Desperate Characters by Paula Fox  Another Country by James Baldwin  Steelwork by Gilbert Sorrentino   Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr.  When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut    Featured Books (TBR Topoff):  Underworld by Don DeLillo  The New Life by Tom Crewe 

"My biggest goal was to convert people who said they don't like fantasy." V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series has enchanted us with wit, wonder and a world not unlike our own, filled with heroes and intrigue. Her newest addition, The Fragile Threads of Power, brings our favorite characters on a new adventure. Schwab joins us to talk about returning to her magical version of London, the role of social media for authors and readers, vampire novels and more with guest host, Kat Sarfas. We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Madyson and Marc.     This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Kat Sarfas and mixed by Harry Liang.         Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).     Featured Books (Episode):  The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab  A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab  The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab  The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell  You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith  Painted Devils by Margaret Owen    Featured Books (TBR Topoff):  Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri  Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey 

The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis follows a family through generations from small town Alabama to Philadelphia in the 80s as they struggle, succeed and learn to care for each other. Mathis joins us to talk about how long it took her to write this book, keeping joy in hard stories, how real events and culture shape her characters 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):  The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis  The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis  Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe  American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis  Gilead by Marilynne Robinson  Philadelphia Fire by John Edgar Wideman  A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel  

“It really illuminates these questions of privilege and pleasure, and what kind of joy we can look forward to in the human experience as things continue to get worse.” In a world facing food scarcity and limited resources, a young chef enters a world of allure, privilege, abundance (and their consequences) in Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang. Zhang joins us to talk about the mythology of the worlds she creates, the secret to great food writing, the politics of privilege and pleasure 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):  Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang  How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang  The Lover by Marguerite Duras  Provence, 1970 by Luke Barr  Prophet by Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché  H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald 

“This book is the most personal because it is what I feel about the world itself.” The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff is a beautiful and propulsive survival story that brings new life to wilderness fiction. Groff joins us to talk about her extensive drafting process, her varied influences, getting language right in historical fiction and more live at Barnes & Noble Union Square 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:  The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff  Arcadia by Lauren Groff  Matrix by Lauren Groff  Middlemarch by George Eliot  Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe  The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan   The Road by Cormac McCarthy  Anagrams by Lorrie Moore   A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel  

Daniel Mason’s North Woods follows one house in the woods of New England as it passes through families (with inhabitants both human and not) and endures natural and human history. Mason joins us to talk about how he connected with his setting, writing a novel covering a large timespan, playing with form and more.  The Bee Sting by Paul Murray chronicles the saga of a family in a post-economic-collapse Ireland. Murray joins us to talk about the cultural background of his novel, writing a dysfunctional family, the influences of Joyce and Faulkner and more.  Listen in as these authors speak separately with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over.    This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang.            Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).            Featured Books (Episode):  North Woods by Daniel Mason  The Bee Sting by Paul Murray  The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason  The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason  Walden by Henry David Thoreau   Skippy Dies by Paul Murray  Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett  Ulysses by James Joyce  Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon  The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen  Who Will Run the Frog Hospital by Lorrie Moore  As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 

Wellness by Nathan Hill follows a marriage over decades through a variety of successes, challenges and surprises. Hill joins us to talk about how long it took him to write his novel, describing a realistic marriage, the power of algorithms and more. Ben Fountain’s Devil Makes Three brings readers to Haiti in 1991 with a cast of characters ranging from divers looking for shipwrecked treasure to CIA agents navigating a country in the midst of political unrest. Fountain joins us to talk about his connection to Haiti and the research he has done, the unique historical events that provide the backdrop for the novel, his influences and more.  Listen in as these authors speak separately with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over.   This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang.            Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).           Featured Books (Episode):  Wellness by Nathan Hill  Devil Makes Three by Ben Fountain  The Nix by Nathan Hill   A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders  Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme  Forty Stories by Donald Barthelme  Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf  Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain  Brief Encounters with Che Guevara by Ben Fountain  Beautiful Country Burn Again by Ben Fountain  The Immaculate Invasion by Bob Shacochis 

“I feel like I could actually follow you through this journey and come out of it changed rather than abused by my ignorance.”  The Country of the Blind by Andrew Leland blends memoir, history and culture in a study of the experience of blindness and how it effects both the individual and society as a whole. Leland joins us to talk about the connection between blindness and literacy, the language around disability, the long process he took to write this book and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over.   This episode of Poured Over was produced and 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 Country of the Blind by Andrew Leland  Paradise Lost by John Milton  Finnegans Wake by James Joyce 

Claudia Dey’s novel Daughter is a stark and beautiful portrait of the complicated dynamic between a young artist and her father. Dey joins us to talk about creating the distinct voice of the novel, complicated family relationships, writing a novel that’s true and more.    I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel is a visceral look at one young woman’s descent into the world of social media obsession with a sharp look at today’s internet culture and what it means to exist online. Patel joins us to talk about the absurdity of internet fame, unlikable female characters, combining memes with literature 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): Daughter by Claudia Dey  I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel  Heartbreaker by Claudia Dey  Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel  I Love Dick by Chris Kraus  Motherhood by Sheila Heti  Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong  Life with Picasso by Françoise Gilot  Intimacy by Hanif Kureishi 

“… this was a book about beauty, and I wanted it to be very honest.”  In Mona Awad’s Rouge, gothic family-drama meets fairy tale (with a hint of horror) as a young woman navigates the world of youth and beauty in the aftermath of her mother’s death.   Awad joins us to talk about how her obsession with skincare led to writing this book, creating a mother and daughter dynamic, the importance of writing with a distinct voice 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 produced and 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):  Rouge by Mona Awad  Bunny by Mona Awad  13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad  American Psycho Bret Easton Ellis  Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys  Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys  Featured Books (TBR Topoff):  Maeve Fly by CJ Leede  Siren Queen by Nghi Vo