

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

Jun 17, 2025 • 40min
Dennard Dayle on HOW TO DODGE A CANNONBALL
How to Dodge a Cannonball by Dennard Dayle is a rollicking satire of the Civil War centered on one unforgettable protagonist. Dennard joins us to talk about building a novel out of a short story, laughing at your own jokes, studying with Paul Beatty, The Boondocks, humor writing and more with host Miwa Messer. 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): How to Dodge a Cannonball by Dennard Dayle Candide: or Optimism by Voltaire The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek Erasure by Percival Everett Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by George Saunders Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Jun 14, 2025 • 51min
Jess Walter on SO FAR GONE
So Far Gone by Jess Walter is a timely thriller steeped in the sociopolitical landscape of the nation. Jess joins us to talk about conspiracy theories, pillars of trust, media literacy, messy characters, Spokane, road trip novels, raccoons and more with host Miwa Messer. 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): So Far Gone by Jess Walter The Cold Millions by Jess Walter Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter True Grit by Charles Portis The Dog of the South by Charles Portis The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood

Jun 12, 2025 • 51min
Molly Jong-Fast on HOW TO LOSE YOUR MOTHER
How to Lose Your Mother by Molly Jong-Fast is a heartfelt and honest exploration of complicated childhoods, life and grief. Molly joined us live at B&N Upper West Side to talk about motherhood, mass culture, living in a sandwich generation, the attention economy, nepo-babies and more with Miwa Messer. 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): How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter’s Memoir by Molly Jong-Fast Fear of Flying by Erica Jong

Jun 10, 2025 • 46min
Kyra Davis Lurie on THE GREAT MANN
The Great Mann by Kyra Davis Lurie transports readers into a narrative of wealth, race, class and fame. Kyra joins us to chat about writing Los Angeles, respectability politics, reimagining The Great Gatsby, complicated characters and more with host Miwa Messer. 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 Great Mann by Kyra Davis Lurie The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine Matrix by Lauren Groff The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong The Perishing by Natasha Deón Ask the Dust by John Fante Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow

Jun 7, 2025 • 57min
Susan Morrison on LORNE
The history of Saturday Night Live and the man who made it, Lorne by Susan Morrison is an honest and earnest look at how such a simple concept took over the comedy scene, and how it persisted through decades. Susan joins us to talk late nights on set, interviewing the man behind the curtain, comedy greats from back then and now, bringing a sketch from the writers’ room to the stage and more with guest host Chris Gillespie. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Chris Gillespie and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Lorne by Susan Morrison

Jun 5, 2025 • 43min
Rob Franklin on GREAT BLACK HOPE
Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin is a story about identity, home and hope from a fresh new voice in fiction. Rob joins us to chat about party novels, the evolution of New York City, writing during the pandemic, 2010s indie sleaze and more with host Miwa Messer. 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 Black Hope by Rob Franklin Bright Lights, Big City Jay McInerney Just Kids by Patti Smith How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe Intimacies by Katie Kitamura The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong Bluets by Maggie Nelson

Jun 3, 2025 • 50min
Maggie Stiefvater on THE LISTENERS
The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater is historical fiction set against the backdrop of World War II and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. With complex and compelling characters and political tension, it's a read that transports. Maggie joins us to talk about what luxury really means, liminal spaces, morning routines, characterization, mini dachshunds and more with cohost Isabelle McConville. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Isabelle McConville 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 Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Featured Books (TBR Top Off): The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill

May 29, 2025 • 47min
Laura Pegram, Edwidge Danticat and Princess Joy L. Perry on SING THE TRUTH
Laura Pegram, Edwidge Danticat and Princess Joy L. Perry joined us live at B&N Upper West Side to celebrate 15 Years of The Kweli Journal. Listen in as they chat about using language to build community, short stories vs novels, witnessing emerging talent and more with host Miwa Messer. 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): Sing the Truth: The Kweli Journal Short Story Collection edited by Laura Pegram Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat This Here is Love by Princess Joy L. Perry A Kind of Rapture by Robert Bergman

May 27, 2025 • 52min
Robert Macfarlane on IS A RIVER ALIVE?
Travel writing, ecological reporting and history flow together in a portrait of one of nature’s most powerful features in Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane. Rob joins us to talk about the rights of rivers, white river kayaking, giving old ideas new power, moral imagination, fear vs risk, water puns and more with guest host Chris Gillespie. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Chris Gillespie and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane

May 22, 2025 • 57min
Tayari Jones and A.M. Homes on 30 Years of the Women's Prize for Fiction
Tayari Jones and A.M. Homes joined us live at B&N Upper West Side to celebrate 30 Years of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and riff on the craft of writing, the importance (and fun) of editing, unlikable characters, literary influences, endings and more with host Miwa Messer. 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): An American Marriage by Tayari Jones May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes James by Percival Everett Good Girl by Aria Aber