Poured Over

You might know Danielle Henderson as the creator of the legendary feminist Ryan Gosling meme (which she later turned into a book); or from her most excellent recaps of Scandal and other shows for Vulture; her work as a television writer; or as the co-host of the screamingly funny movie podcast, I SAW WHAT YOU DID. Danielle's memoir, THE UGLY CRY, is the unforgettable, darkly comic, true story of her unconventional childhood in the 80s — it's a complex and wry do-I-laugh-or-do-I-cry memoir, and Danielle's sublime writing is smart and sharp and not to be missed, but just wait until you meet her wise, horror-movie loving grandmother. Featured books: The Ugly Cry by Danielle Henderson, Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris and Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. Hosted and produced by Miwa Messer and engineered by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

HOW THE WORD IS PASSED is one of our most anticipated books for June 2021 — it's a powerful portrait of America today, built from our history and Clint Smith's incredible insight. Writer for @TheAtlantic, teacher and Doctor, Clint Smith is also a poet (Counting Descent) and the host of @thecrashcourse Black American History. Our interview with Clint runs a little longer than usual because there's so much shared ground to cover. Featured books: How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith, Long Division by Kiese Laymon, The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris, and The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw. Hosted and produced by Miwa Messer and engineered by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Ashley C. Ford's essays and journalism have run in The Guardian and Buzzfeed; She's profiled Serena Williams and Anne Hathaway for Allure, Stacey Abrams for Marie Claire, and Vice President Kamala Harris for Elle; and her most recent podcast was Lovecraft Country Radio, the official companion to the hit show. No matter the subject or the format, Ashley knows how to tell a story with deep honesty and a lot of style, and now the story she's telling is hers. Glennon Doyle (Untamed) says Ashley's a "writer for the ages," and Oprah Winfrey's featuring Ashley's memoir, SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER on her imprint, An Oprah Book. Featured Books: Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. This episode was produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and engineered by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Maggie O'Farrell joins us to talk about HAMNET, her dreamy, intoxicating story of grief and love and Shakespeare, now out in paperback. Featured Books: Hamnet, The Vanishing of Esme Lennox and I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell, the stories of Alice Munro (Dear Life is a great place to start) and Mary Oliver's poetry. This episode was produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and engineered by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.