

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

Jul 29, 2025 • 56min
Chris Nashawaty on THE FUTURE WAS NOW
The Future Was Now by Chris Nashawaty is a fascinating deep-dive into an era we'll never forget — the summer blockbuster season of 1982. Chris joins us to talk about the height of science fiction, Hollywood, Steven Spielberg, the future of film 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): The Future Was Now by Chris Nashawaty Caddyshack by Chris Nashawaty Featured Books (TBR Top Off): Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time by Barry Sonnenfeld Pictures at the Revolution by Mark Harris

Jul 24, 2025 • 51min
Maris Kreizman on I WANT TO BURN THIS PLACE DOWN
I Want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman is a funny, honest and hopeful collection of essays from a cultural critic. Maris joins us to talk about the golden age of blogging, Mad Men, magazines, physical vs digital reading, gateway authors 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): I Want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman Filterworld by Kyle Chayka Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe Meaty by Samantha Irby Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk The Fraud by Zadie Smith Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Audition by Katie Kitamura Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin A Separation by Katie Kitamura Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney Flashlight by Susan Choi Searches by Vauhini Vara

Jul 22, 2025 • 39min
Katie Yee on MAGGIE; OR, A MAN AND A WOMAN WALK INTO A BAR
Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee is funny, full of heart and folklore, centered on a woman determined to find humor in her heartbreak. Katie joins us to talk about short books, universality, unnamed narrators, Chinese mythology, living in translation, hope 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): Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee The Most by Jessica Anthony The Harpy by Megan Hunter Joan is Okay by Weike Wang The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston Monkey King: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka Heartburn by Nora Ephron A Big Storm Knocked It Over by Laurie Colwin The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong Audition by Katie Kitamura

Jul 19, 2025 • 48min
Loretta Rothschild on FINDING GRACE
Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild is a page-turning family drama, a second-chance love story, and a meditation on the fragile nature of life, all in one. Loretta joins us to talk about the relationship between grief and love, narration, finding inspiration, characterization, creating tension 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): Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy The Sirens by Emilia Hart Featured Books (TBR Top Off): Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner Greenwich by Kate Broad

Jul 17, 2025 • 48min
Hala Alyan on I'LL TELL YOU WHEN I'M HOME
I'll Tell You When I'm Home is a poignant exploration of place and identity by Hala Alyan, the author of Salt Houses. Hala joins us to talk about poetry, what it means to tell the truth, redaction, establishing trust with readers, loyalty, motherhood 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): I'll Tell You When I'm Home by Hala Alyan Salt Houses by Hala Alyan Arsonist's City by Hala Alyan Good Girl by Aria Aber The Ferguson Report by Nicole Sealey A Little Daylight Left by Sarah Kay

Jul 15, 2025 • 59min
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers on MISBEHAVING AT THE CROSSROADS
Misbehaving at the Crossroads by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers is an indelible collection of essays on womanhood, home and history. Honorée joins us to talk about the blues, intersectionality, Ryan Coogler's Sinners, respectability politics, poetry 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): Misbehaving at the Crossroads by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers Recitatif by Toni Morrison The Age of Phillis by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton edited by Michael S. Glaser and Kevin Young Black Buffalo Woman by Kazim Ali

Jul 10, 2025 • 45min
Gary Shteyngart on VERA, OR FAITH
Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart is a story about a modern family coming apart at the seams — and one child is at the center of it all. Gary joins us to chat about characterization, curiosity, gifted kid burnout, dystopian fiction, AI 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): Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart What Maisie Knew by Henry James Prophet Song by Paul Lynch Circular Motion by Alex Foster

Jul 8, 2025 • 42min
Sophie Elmhirst on A MARRIAGE AT SEA
A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst is an engrossing true account of a shocking shipwreck that's part love story and part peril on the high seas. Sophie joins us to talk about the 70s, marriage, sailing, survival 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): A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst Adrift by Steven Callahan Stuart: A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel

Jul 5, 2025 • 1h 50min
Poured Over Double Shot: Aisling Rawle and Emily Nussbaum
Reality TV has changed our cultural landscape… for better or worse. We're tackling reality TV with two books — The Compound by Aisling Rawle and Cue the Sun! by Emily Nussbaum. One takes us into the fictional perspective of a reality show contestant and the other is a riveting cultural study from a Pulitzer Prize-winning critic. Listen in as these authors speak separately 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 Compound by Aisling Rawle Cue the Sun! by Emily Nussbaum Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Jul 3, 2025 • 51min
Dr. Jessica B. Harris on BRAIDED HERITAGE
Braided Heritage by Dr. Jessica B. Harris is a sweeping account of food, home and culture featuring stories and recipes from the acclaimed culinary historian. Dr. Harris joins us to talk about travel writing, language, the evolution of American cuisine, cookbooks 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): Braided Heritage by Dr. Jessica B. Harris High on the Hog by Dr. Jessica B. Harris Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child Provence, 1970 by Luke Barr Featured Books (TBR Top Off): Braided Heritage by Dr. Jessica B. Harris Black Food by Bryant Terry The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs by Padma Lakshmi


