Poured Over

In Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People Imani Perry studies the color blue in all its history and hues in this remarkable analysis. From West Africa to the American South, Black in Blues examines the color's relation to Blackness and culture. Perry joins us to talk about the symbolic history of the color blue, her research process, the role of storytelling in identity 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): Black in Blues by Imani Perry South to America by Imani Perry Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Native Son by Richard Wright Black Boy by Richard Wright Looking For Lorraine by Imani Perry

The Nickel Boys, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, is a story of injustice and ultimately hope about two young men at a Florida reform school. We love this interview with Miwa Messer and Whitehead from the novel’s release in 2019.    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 Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead  

How to Sleep at Night is a tender and timely novel telling a heartfelt story about marriage, love and politics. Harris joined us live to talk about writing about people who are challenging their values, how her characters surprised her, the effects of being a journalist on pacing 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): How to Sleep at Night by Elizabeth Harris Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff Middlemarch by George Eliot

The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O’Donnell takes readers back to dark and gloomy Victorian London with a relentless killer on the loose. O’Donnell joins us to talk about continuing a series, balancing tone with humor, his writing process and more with guest host Chris Gillespie. We end this episode with TBR Top Off book recommendations from Donald and Marc.  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 Naming of the Birds by Paraic O’Donnell  The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O’Donnell   Featured Books (TBR Top Off):  Things in Jars by Jess Kidd  Case Histories by Kate Atkinson 

Good Girl by Aria Aber is a coming-of-age novel featuring the daughter of Afghan immigrants set against the backdrop of Berlin’s creative scene.  Aber joins us to talk about themes of identity and exile, speaking and reading in multiple languages, her literary influences in prose and poetry 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): Good Girl by Aria Aber Hard Damage by Aria Aber Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar Luster by Raven Leilani The Coin by Yasmin Zaher The Girls by Emma Cline

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor is a novel about what it means to be a storyteller, told in an ingenious blend of sci-fi and literary fiction. Okorafor joins us to talk about what freedom means, technology and authenticity, the personal nature of this story 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):  Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor 

The Note by Alafair Burke is a page-turning thriller that springs into action when one small decision leads a group of friends to question what they know about each other and the secrets we keep from those around us. Burke joins us to talk about the themes in the novel, writing a character driven story, her real-life connections to her stories and more with cohost Jenna Seery. 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 Note by Alafair Burke The Better Sister by Alafair Burke Find Me by Alafair Burke Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg Kat’s Cradle by Karen Kijewski

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due is sharp, tragic, heartbreaking and terrifying, taking readers back in time to an all-boys school in the 1950s American South. Due joins us to talk about her personal connection to the novel, entertainment in horror storytelling, creating memorable characters and more with cohost Jenna Seery. 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 Reformatory by Tananarive Due The Good House by Tananarive Due The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias The Shining by Stephen King Jackal by Erin E. Adams

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight is a sharp coming-of-age journey set in a glamorous world of high academia, old money and one eccentric upper-class family. Knight joins us to talk about how she crafts her characters, themes of friendship and motherhood, her literary favorites and more with guest host, Allyson Gavaletz. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Allyson Gavaletz and mixed by Harry Liang.                     New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight Orbital by Samatha Harvey My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan                            

A.O. Scott, critic at The New York Times Book Review joins us to talk about what he looks for in literature, why we read the things we do, his path to a career in journalism 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): The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Middlemarch by George Eliot James by Percival Everett Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Studies in Classic American Literature by D.H. Lawrence Better Living Through Criticism by A.O. Scott The Magician by Colm Tóibín Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín Long Island by Colm Tóibín The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead Zone One by Colson Whitehead The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro The Hours by Michael Cunningham Lost in the City by Edward P. Jones