Poured Over

“I didn't want to get sick of my work … let's write something that I'm going to enjoy.” Open Throat by Henry Hoke is a novel unlike any other. This propulsive and vulnerable story reflects humanity from the perspective of a queer mountain lion living under the Hollywood sign. Hoke and his editor, Jackson Howard, join to talk about the process of writing this book, the canon of queer literature, the setting of LA 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): Open Throat by Henry Hoke  100 Boyfriends by Brontez Purnell  Let the Record Show by Sarah Schulman  Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters  Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis  

“God, I was an idiot, but I had good legs.” Caroline O’Donoghue’s The Rachel Incident is a witty and emotional journey through friendships, first loves and all the challenges that come with being in your early 20s. O’Donoghue joins us to talk about her incredibly relatable characters, realistic love interests, writing for adults and YA and more with guest host, Jenna Seery. We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Madyson and Mary.    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 Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin   Featured Books (TBR Topoff): How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Elysha Chang’s debut, A Quitter’s Paradise, is the story of one woman’s journey through family secrets, grief and love told with humor and heart. Chang and her publisher, Sarah Jessica Parker, join us live at Barnes & Noble Union Square to talk about the challenges of writing this novel, what they look for in books, getting into the publishing industry 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):  A Quitter’s Paradise by Elysha Chang  A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza  The Dinner by Herman Koch   A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra  Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters by J.D. Salinger 

“I found in nature that kind of the same appeal that I find in books which is: … they're both filled with these rich particularities and they're also … mysteriously universal.” Jennifer Ackerman’s What an Owl Knows is a compelling and vivid investigation into one of our world’s most beloved and mysterious animals. Ackerman talks with us about her journey to the world of birds, the incredible researchers she worked with on the book, the roles nature plays in daily life and more with guest host Jenna Seery. We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Madyson and Mary.   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): What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman  The Bird Way by Jennifer Ackerman  An Immense World by Ed Yong  Sounds Wild and Broken by David Haskell  Owls of the Eastern Ice by Jonathan Slaght  A Most Remarkable Creature by Jonathan Meiburg    Featured Books (TBR Topoff):  Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy  The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America by Matt Kracht 

“Does one ever move on from someone they love dying?” Lorrie Moore’s I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home is a story of love, family, life and death, written with the unmistakable wit and humor her readers cherish. Moore talks with us about her distinct authorial voice, balancing humor and grief, the difference in reviewing television 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 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 Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore  Arcadia by Tom Stoppard  As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner  Birds of America by Lorrie Moore  The Hours by Michael Cunningham   A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore    Feature Books (TBR Topoff):  Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill   Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo 

Two authors take on historical fiction with these novels featuring queer love, heartbreak, coming of age and agency with rich settings and vibrant casts, from 17th century France to the wild, wild American West.  Celia Bell’s The Disenchantment finds Paris amidst political and social upheaval, while one noblewoman balances her unhappy marriage and her female lover in the tenuous world of high society intrigue. Bell joins us to talk about this particularly interesting time period, how a fairy tale inspired the novel, incorporating real people from history and more. Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens is a nonstop Western following a scrappy and resilient young woman who faces hardship head-on by taking a job at a brothel where she finds strength, friendship and maybe even love with an alluring gunfighter. Cravens talks with us about creating a tactile world, telling queer stories, writing hot mess characters and more.  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 Disenchantment by Celia Bell  Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens  Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue   Regeneration by Pat Barker  The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters  Lone Women by Victor LaValle  Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry   The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin  Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi  

These two new novels ask a crucial question: who gets to tell our stories?  Keziah Weir’s The Mythmakers follows one young journalist as she seeks answers within the unpublished manuscript of a recently dead author while her own life starts to crumble. Weir joins us to talk about likeable female characters, what makes the literary canon, AI storytelling and more. My Murder by Katie Williams is a fast-paced, inventive mystery where the victims of a serial killer are brought back to life to solve the case. Williams talks with us about how she came to write her book, including technology in her fiction, what she learns from teaching and more. 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 Mythmakers by Keziah Weir  My Murder by Katie Williams  The Guest by Emma Cline  The Idiot by Elif Batuman  American Pastoral by Philip Roth  Beowulf translated by Maria Dahvana Headley  The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson  The Wife by Meg Wolitzer   Delicious Foods by James Hannaham   Tell the Machine Goodnight by Katie Williams     Featured Books (TBR Topoff):   The Muse by Jessie Burton  The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes 

These two novels transport readers into rich, vivid historical settings — whether it’s a journey from colonial India to Europe, or through the canals of 18th century Venice.   Loot by Tania James follows one young artist from his homeland across the world to retrieve a stolen wooden tiger in an engrossing adventure. James joins us in conversation about the choice to write historical fiction, the vast web of colonization and empire (including stolen art), how she came to the voice of the novel and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. Obsession meets ambition in Julia Fine’s Maddalena and the Dark, with two teenage girls set to bargain for their futures — whatever the price. Fine joins us to talk about the particular politics of Venice, the distinct nature of teen girl friendship, highlighting contemporary issues through the past and more with guest host Jenna Seery.  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): Loot by Tania James  Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine  The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas  Beloved by Toni Morrison   Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel   The Passion by Jeanette Winterson 

Powerful women, families of all kinds, fantastical adventures and so much more unite these two spellbinding tales. Juno Dawson’s The Shadow Cabinet is the second installment in her series of witches, intrigue and the unbreakable bonds of friendship. Dawson joins us to talk about the importance of complex female characters, the response to This Book is Gay, the strength her characters find together and more with Poured Over guest host, Marie Hendry.  Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs finds two estranged sisters tasked with protecting the most important thing of all: the books in a magical library. Törzs talks about the challenging dynamics of writing about family, fairy tale tropes, her favorite things about writing fantasy and more with Poured Over guest host, Kat Sarfas.  This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Marie Hendry and Kat Sarfas and mixed by Harry Liang.         Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).      Featured Books (Episode):  The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson  Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs  Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson  This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson  How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran  You Need to Chill by Juno Dawson  The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri  Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah  The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez  The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty    Featured Books (TBR Topoff):  Unnatural Magic by C.M. Waggoner  Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine 

Either/Or, Elif Batuman’s sequel to Pulitzer Prize finalist The Idiot, is the humorous and relatable ongoing story of a Turkish American surviving college in the 90s. Batuman joins us to talk about her approach to writing fiction, how her own life influences her work, analyzing 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. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).  Featured Books (Episode): The Idiot by Elif Batuman  Either/Or by Elif Batuman  Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy   Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin  Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert  The Possessed by Elif Batuman  In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust