Poured Over

"We all want the same thing; we want respect and security and to be loved — and that's what storytelling does, it connects the similarities that we have." Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, returns with Hang the Moon, a novel that follows feisty Sallie Kincaid as she comes into her own in the upheaval of Prohibition-era Virginia. Walls talks with us about the language of historical fiction, the differences between writing a memoir and a novel, the impact of telling your story and more live at Barnes & Noble Union Square with Poured Over host, Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer Miwa Messer and mixed by Chris Gillespie. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

"I live on art. I'm an art vampire, that's how I sustain myself." Jacqueline Holland's debut novel The God of Endings weaves together themes of motherhood, mortality and the human condition in a vampire novel unlike any we've seen before. Holland joins us to discuss vampire lore, the power of art, how her novel grew out of a grad school novella, why you should always read the book rather than watch the movie and more with guest host, Kat Sarfas. We end the episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Madyson. This episode of Poured Over was produced and hosted by Kat Sarfas and mixed by Harry Liang. Poured Over is brought to you by Executive Producer Miwa Messer and the booksellers of Barnes & Noble. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays). Featured Books (Episode): The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link The Shining by Stephen King Featured Books (TBR Topoff): Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu The Lovely War by Julie Berry

"As a kid, you don't know any of that. You're just like, wow, this sounds magical, like, how could this be the sea? How could this be land? How can that just happen? And I think that speaks to a particular quality of life in Singapore, and growing up in Singapore, and all of the changes that you see happening before your eyes…" Rachel Heng's new novel, The Great Reclamation, is an epic story of love and power and family (with a magical twist) set in mid-century Singapore. She joins us on the show to talk about the legacy of colonialism, rewriting (with an assist from Post-It notes and index cards), Elizabeth McCracken and the Michener Center, the histories that get told (and the ones that don't), Crazy Rich Asians, and much more with host Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Jamie. 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 Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng Suicide Club by Rachel Heng The Man with the Compound Eyes by Wu Ming-Yi The Known World by Edward P. Jones Lost in the City by Edward P. Jones The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell Featured Books (TBR Topoff): The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

"I'm so interested in the moment when the reader takes over … I wanted it to be a book that feels like I'm walking alongside the reader, learning as they learn." Katherine May's first book, Wintering, was a finalist for the Barnes & Noble 2020 Book of the Year, and we've been waiting, waiting, waiting for her follow-up, Enchantment. Katherine joins us on the show to talk about the importance of humor, holding space for joy and curiosity and wonder in her work, journaling (and the scrappy beginnings of all her books), hierophany, the memoirist's terror, her admiration for the work of Joan Didion and much more in a charming, laughter-filled conversation with Jenna Seery, Associate Producer of Poured Over. And we end the episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Jamie. Featured Books (Episode) Enchantment by Katherine May Wintering by Katherine May Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke Featured Books (TBR Topoff) And Yet by Kate Baer The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise by Pico Iyer This episode of Poured Over was produced and hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang. Poured Over is brought to you by Executive Producer Miwa Messer and the booksellers of Barnes & Noble. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

"Look at all the advances we've made in the last 50 years, look at the way that culture and medicine and technology and science have advanced since the Beatles broke up, since we were involved in Vietnam, but the poverty rate has been incredibly stubbornly persistent and I think it's rather shameful for the richest country in the history of the world." Reading Matthew Desmond's books will make you smarter­, break your heart, make you mad, and push you to think differently about poverty — all in the same moment. Poverty, by America is his follow-up to his landmark book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Desmond joins us on the show to talk about going where the data takes him, the human cost of poverty, the gig economy, writing in community, what a post-poverty would could look like, and much more with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. Featured Books: Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

Who gets to tell our stories? Two debut authors use their powerful voices to show strong female characters navigating family, race and colonialism with unfailing humor and heart. Claire Jiménez's What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez follows a family in the wake of a tragedy as they attempt to move on — and up. Jiménez talks with us about finding the voice in her work, telling Puerto Rican stories, how she uses perspective and humor and more. In Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou we find a young Taiwanese American woman mired in the world of academia and all the challenges that privilege and power can bring. Chou joins us to talk about Asian American identity, how she changed while writing the book, what she's working on next and more. Listen in as both talk separately with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Jamie and Madyson. Featured Books (Episode): Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki I Hotel by Karen Tei Yamashita Another Country by James Baldwin Dear Miss Metropolitan by Carolyn Ferrell Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez War Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson A. Denis Velorio by Xavier Navarro Aquino Featured Books (TBR Topoff): Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

From the trenches of WWI to the coast of Australia, these two debut novels depict the ubiquity of coming of age, even when the circumstances are drastically different. In Alice Winn's In Memoriam, two young men find love and tragedy on the fields of battle. Winn talked with us about how the story came into being, the extensive research required to create her characters and their world, her literary influences and more. Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas follows a young woman through a newfound relationship that alters her perspective on life and the future. Lucas joins us in conversation about location as a character, other novels and writers that weave their way into her work, the music she listens to when writing and more. Listen in as both talk separately with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Madyson. Featured Books (Episode): In Memoriam by Alice Winn Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara The Runaways by Fatima Bhutto Storm of Steel by Ernst Jünger Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain Regeneration by Pat Barker Vladimir by Julia May Jonas Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin Catch-22 by Joseph Heller The Lover by Marguerite Duras Voyage in the Dark by Jean Rhys The Friend by Sigrid Nunez Featured Books (TBR Topoff): Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman Good-bye to All That by Robert Graves Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

Family dynamics, for better or worse, are front and center in these two novels from two striking voices in fiction. Jenny Jackson's debut, Pineapple Street, brings us to an upper-class suburb in New York City — an old-money family, new romance, heartbreak and the kinds of drama only the one-percent can deliver. Jackson joins us to talk about publishing as an author rather than an editor, the intrigue of Brooklyn Heights, how to write humor and more. In Hello Beautiful, Ann Napolitano follows four sisters as they navigate their lives from the 80s to early 2000s through tragedy, love and what happens when our futures don't go as we've planned. We talked with Napolitano about her emotional journey while writing this, incorporating obsessions into your work, how to know when a story sounds right and more. Listen in as both talk separately with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Jamie. Featured Books (Episode): Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Commonwealth by Ann Patchett Featured Books (TBR Topoff): The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

"I'm also trying to make use of how innate I think curiosity is for people, because curiosity is kind of a way towards hope… it's in that direction." Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock by Jenny Odell, author of How to Do Nothing, asks readers to look at the concept of time, how it relates to the structure of our society and how it can change the way we live our lives. Odell joins us to talk about commodifying time and leisure, the language we use to describe time, the authors and artists that have influenced her and more with Poured Over host Miwa Messer. Listen after the episode for a TBR Topoff from Marc and Madyson. Featured Books (Episode): Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock by Jenny Odell How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell Grapefruit by Yoko Ono Featured Books (TBR Topoff): Do Nothing by Celeste Headlee Still Pictures by Janet Malcolm Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

"I'm interested in how deceptions can make you feel more of yourself or can unlock something in you that you didn't know you had." Eleanor Catton, Booker Prize-winning author of The Luminaries, is back with Birnam Wood — part eco-thriller, part social and political satire, wholly insightful. This propulsive novel is prescient, timely, and all-too relatable in our present day. Catton joins us in conversation about creating her characters, Shakespeare's use of prophecy and power, how the story was influenced by Jane Austen's Emma and more with Poured Over host, Miwa Messer. Listen after the episode for a TBR Topoff from Marc and Madyson. Featured Books (Episode): Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton Macbeth by William Shakespeare We are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins Emma by Jane Austen Memento Mori by Muriel Spark On Writing by Stephen King Featured Books (TBR Topoff): The Appeal by Janice Hallett Wilder Girls by Rory Power Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays)