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).

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September 30 · 52 min
John Grisham on THE FRENCH ILLUSION
In The French Illusion by John Grisham, a honeymoon unravels into terror as newlyweds Paul and Chelsea get snatched from the French countryside, prompting a puzzling investigation. John joins us to talk about his time in law school, his prolific writing career, and his advocacy for the wrongfully convicted with cohost 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: The French Illusion by John Grisham The Law Student by John Grisham Time to Kill by John Grisham Pelican Brief by John Grisham The Innocent Man by John Grisham Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham & Jim McCloskey To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
September 29 · 1 hr 7 min
Ayad Akhtar on THE RADIANCE
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author, Ayad Akhtar joins us to talk about craft, the campus novel, autofiction, and his latest book, The Radiance, 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: The Radiance by Ayad Akhtar Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar Junk by Ayad Akhtar McNeal by Ayad Akhtar The Invisible Hand by Ayad Akhtar Poor Folk and Other Early Stories by Fyodor Dostoevsky Fifty-Two Stories by Anton Chekhov The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy Herzog by Saul Bellow The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow Seize the Day by Saul Bellow Ravelstein by Saul Bellow The Republic of Plato translated by Allan Bloom The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom Sexual Personae by Camille Paglia Antiquities and Other Stories by Cynthia Ozick Nature and Selected Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson Hawthorne's Short Stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser The American Canon by Harold Bloom The American Religion: The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation by Harold Bloom The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford The Complete Odes and Epodes by Horace
September 24 · 56 min
Sharon McMahon on THE SMALL AND THE MIGHTY
Now out in paperback, The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon casts a needed spotlight on the other heroes of American greatness — ones you may not have heard of. Sharon joins us to talk about raising engaged citizens, local news, and communication as a leadership skill with cohost 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: The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon We are Mighty by Sharon McMahon
September 22 · 51 min
John Green on HOLLYWOOD, ENDING
Beloved storyteller John Green returns with a tender love story set against the underbelly of the entertainment industry as two actors balance their rising fame with their complicated feelings in Hollywood, Ending. John joins us to talk about the social internet, the attention economy, Andy Warhol, having fun writing, and the world's largest ball of paint with cohost Brenda Allison. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Brenda Allison and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books: Hollywood, Ending by John Green Looking for Alaska by John Green The Fault in Our Stars by John Green The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green Turtles All the Way Down by John Green The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen Beloved by Toni Morrison Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Canon by Paige Lewis Some of Us May Never Die by Robin Wasserman (coming soon) The visual artists mentioned are Joan Mitchell, Agnes Martin, Kerry James Marshall, and Andy Warhol.
September 19 · 45 min
Makenna Goodman on HELEN OF NOWHERE
Blending surrealism, satire and philosophical concepts, Booker Prize-longlisted Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman weaves a tale of beginnings following a disgraced professor who moves into a house where the presence of the previous owner lingers. Makenna joins us to talk about narrative form, stand-up comedy, and the dynamism of nature 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: Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman Living the Good Life by Scott & Helen Nearing All Fours by Miranda July Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paolo Friere The Summer Book by Tove Jansson The Moomin Series by Tove Jansson The Wall by Marlen Haushofer Gaining Ground by Joan Barfoot A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid
September 17 · 51 min
Claudia Rankine on TRIAGE
In Triage, acclaimed author and playwright Claudia Rankine uses prose, poetry and art images to challenge the ways we look at friendship and memory, action and obligation. Claudia joined us live from B&N Upper West Side to talk about narrative, lyric poetry, interiority, and broadening the collective we 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: Triage by Claudia Rankine Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine Just Us: An American Conversation by Claudia Rankine Don't Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine The White Card by Claudia Rankine Solutions for the Problem of Bodies in Space by Catherine Barnett Gaza in My Phone by Mazen Kerbaj William Kentridge: Milestones: At the Heart of Creation by William Kentridge Anarchitecture After Everything by Jack Halberstam Black Formations: Poetics of Refusal Within the African Diaspora by Melody Howse
September 15 · 55 min
Jodi Picoult on HOLLOW BONES
In her latest novel, Hollow Bones, Jodi Picoult uses her powerful voice to craft a moving story about what we do to protect our loved ones when faced with the unexpected. Jodi joins us to talk about public health, private tragedy, motherhood, and gender gaps in healthcare with cohost Brenda Allison. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Brenda Allison and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books: Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak Into the Blue by Emma Brodie Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves Under Story by Chloe Benjamin TBR Featured Books: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan
September 12 · 54 min
Olga Ravn on THE WAX CHILD
Told from the perspective of a wax doll, Olga Ravn's The Wax Child is a chilling tale inspired by a real group of women accused of dark magic in seventeenth-century Denmark. Olga joins us to talk about her craft, the power of ritual, collective memory, creepy children, and contemporary Scandinavian literature 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: The Wax Child by Olga Ravn The Employees by Olga Ravn alphabet by Inger Christensen The Condition of Secrecy: Selected Essays by Inger Christensen it by Inger Christensen How I Became a Nun by César Aira The Turn of the Screw by Henry James Dark Spring by Unica Zürn The Man of Jasmine and Other Texts by Unica Zürn The Trumpets of Jericho by Unica Zürn The Cinnamon Shops and Other Stories by Bruno Schulz The Wall by Marlen Haushofer Strega by Johanne Lykke Holm Sweet Days of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy The Copenhagen Trilogy: Childhood; Youth; Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen Vilhelm's Room by Tove Ditlevsen The Faces by Tove Ditlevsen On the Calculation of Volume, Book I by Solvej Balle After the Sun by Jonas Eika Money to Burn by Asta Olivia Nordenhof Valerie: or, The Faculty of Dreams: Amendment to the Theory of Sexuality by Sara Stridberg
September 10 · 44 min
Emily Wilson on CROSSING THE WINE-DARK SEA
Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea by Emily Wilson takes readers on a tour through the ancient world for an entertaining examination of Greek and Roman literature and their impact on our modern world. Emily joins us to talk about the joys and challenges of interpreting antiquity, the stakes of poetic form and re-translating The Odyssey 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: Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea by Emily Wilson The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Sappho, translated by Anne Carson The Oresteia by Aeschylus, translated by Robert Fagles Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, translated by Marin Hammond The Aeneid by Virgil, translated by Scott McGill & Susannah Wright The Poems of Catullus by Gaius Valerius Catullus, translated by Stephanie McCarter Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles, translated by Robert Fagles
September 8 · 1 hr 2 min
Marlon James on THE DISAPPEARERS
The Booker Prize–winning author Marlon James returns with The Disappearers, a deeply human story exploring queer life in Jamaica during the 1980s and 1990s. Marlon joined us live from Stony Brook University to talk about the consequences of violence, the loss of monoculture, Polari, post-colonial literature, and the X-Men 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: The Disappearers by Marlon James Book of Night Women by Marlon James Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel Bringing Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy Dracula by Bram Stoker The Spirit of Science Fiction by Robert Bolaño Beloved by Toni Morrison A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner Bleak House by Charles Dickens Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon A New World Order by Caryl Phillips The Correspondent by Virginia Evans The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie The Godfather by Mario Puzo In the Hand of Dante by Nick Toches Nocturnes for the King of Naples by Edmund White Money by Martin Amis Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedon Tar Baby by Toni Morrison Moderation by Elaine Castillo James by Percival Everett Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller Lord of the Flies by William Golding X Men Comics Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf The Waves by Virginia Woolf Ulysses by James Joyce The Odyssey by Homer
September 5 · 57 min
Kai Bird on AMERICAN SCOUNDREL
Kai Bird follows his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer with a timely and meticulously researched true story of Roy Cohn — a friend of the famous, the right-hand man to Joseph McCarthy, mentor to a US President and a lawyer who showed no respect for the law. Kai joins us to talk about American Scoundrel, the McCarthy era, the politics of celebrity, and the cycles of American history 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: American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump by Kai Bird American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter by Kai Bird The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames by Kai Bird The Color of Truth: McGeorge Bundy and William Bundy: Brothers in Arms by Kai Bird Crossing Mandelbaum Gate by Kai Bird The Chairman: John J McCloy & The Making of the American Establishment by Kai Bird G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century by Beverly Gage Mailer: His Life and Times by Peter Manso Ptown: Art, Sex, and Money on the Outer Cape by Peter Manso The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump Angels in America by Tony Kushner
September 3 · 54 min
Charlotte McConaghy on WILD DARK SHORE
Gripping, visceral and taut, Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is a complex story about survival, isolation and hope at the end of the world. Charlotte joins us to talk about family, nature, secrets, eco-pessimism and radical hope with cohost Brenda Allison. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Brenda Allison and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy Hollywood, Ending by John Green Land by Maggie O'Farrell Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash Up to the Light by Julia Armfield (out March 2027) The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber & David Wengrow
September 1 · 45 min
Chloe Benjamin on UNDER STORY
In Under Story by Chloe Benjamin, one biologist's journey to escape her painful past takes a turn when an unexpected scientific discovery bends time and memory, offering a glimpse of hope and a second chance at love. Chloe Benjamin joins us to talk about the craft of research, love stories, neutrinos and a tree named Louis 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: Under Story by Chloe Benjamin The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin The Anatomy of Dreams by Chloe Benjamin His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle The Giver by Lois Lowry Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke Virginia Woolf AS Byatt
August 27 · 44 min
Jill Lepore on THE RISE AND FALL OF THE ARTIFICIAL STATE
The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore explores technology's impact on human community and self-government, and what the future holds. Jill Lepore joins us to talk about AI, citizenship, personal data, the public sphere, local newspapers and touching grass 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: The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore If/Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future by Jill Lepore Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes Robot Dreams by Isaac Asimov Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells The Wild Robot by Peter Brown The Wind and the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
August 25 · 59 min
Edwidge Danticat on DÈY
Dèy by acclaimed writer Edwidge Danticat is multigenerational story of family, resilience, and hope in the wake of an unexpected tragedy. Edwidge joins us to talk about evolving ideas of the American Dream, the Haitian diaspora, ghost stories and expanding canon 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: Dèy by Edwidge Danticat Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala The Art of Death by Edwidge Danticat The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder Love, Anger, Madness: A Haitian Triptych by Marie Vieux-Chauvet Paule Marshall: A Writer's Life by Mary Helen Washington Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Moderation by Elaine Castillo Windward Heights by Maryse Condé Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Krik? Krack! by Edwidge Danticat
August 22 · 47 min
John Manuel Arias on CROCODILOPOLIS
Crocodilopolis by John Manuel Arias is a riveting meditation on legacy, myth and masculinity which follows brothers locked in a power struggle after a dark family secret threatens their once-powerful political dynasty. John joins us to talk about the anxiety of a sophomore novel, sibling rivalry, global mythology, and tropical plants 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: Crocodilopolis by John Manuel Arias One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison East of Eden by John Steinbeck The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Sula by Toni Morrison Beloved by Toni Morrison The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende Lonely Crowds by Stephanie Wambugu Blindness by José Saramago The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov TBR Featured Books: Crocodilopolis by John Manuel Arias Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
August 20 · 49 min
Addie E. Citchens on DOMINION
Dominion by Addie E. Citchens explores the clash of small-town secrets, unspoken rules and family drama in a Mississippi church community. Addie joins us to talk about Faulkner, self-belief, and reading Harlequin novels in church 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: Dominion by Addie E. Citchens As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner Intruder in the Dust by William Faulkner Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin Sula by Toni Morrison Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison The Complete Stories by Zora Neale Hurston American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
August 18 · 47 min
Ed Park on THREE TENSES: A TRANSMISSION FROM THE NINETIES
Three Tenses: A Transmission from the Nineties by Pulitzer Prize finalist Ed Park is an experimental portrait of the author, pieced together from his early twenties to now. Ed Park, joined us live from B&N Upper West Side to talk about The Village Voice, reconnecting with his younger self, the art of juxtaposition 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: Three Tenses: A Transmission from the Nineties by Ed Park Personal Days by Ed Park An Oral History of Atlantis: Stories by Ed Park Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park Transparent Things by Vladimir Nabokov The Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead Apex Hides the Hurt by Colson Whitehead Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti Amazons by Don DeLillo White Noise by Don DeLillo A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan East Goes West by Younghill Kang American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis Moderation by Elaine Castillo Maus by Art Spiegelman Wittgenstein's Mistress by David Markson AVA by Carol Maso The Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton Inglorious Columbus by Edward P. Vining Grass Roof by Younghill Kang Reader's Block by David Markson
August 15 · 47 min
Daisy Dixon on DEPRAVED: THE STORY OF DANGEROUS ART
Depraved: The Story of Dangerous Art by Daisy Dixon is an art guide unlike any other, exploring the history and meaning of depraved art through a fresh lens. Daisy joins us to talk about philosophy, censorship, and morality 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: Depraved: The Story of Dangerous Art by Daisy Dixon The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty The Stranger by Albert Camus The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre
August 13 · 54 min
Téa Obreht on SUNRISE
Sunrise by Téa Obreht is a riveting tale about one woman's survival, a Wyoming ghost town and a past that refuses to stay quiet. Téa joins us to talk about memory, mythology, and the Wild West 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: Sunrise by Téa Obreht Inland by Téa Obreht The Morningside by Téa Obreht The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht Butcher's Crossing by John Williams True Grit by Charles Portis TBR Featured Books: Sunrise by Téa Obreht Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli

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