Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Sy Montgomery with illustrations by Matt Patterson brings these wondrous creatures to the forefront as we learn about their personalities, complex ecosystems and their connections to humanity in a variety of ways. Montgomery and Patterson join us to talk about their love of turtles, the importance of local conservation and rescues, what we can learn from turtles and nature in general and more. Margaret Renkl’s The Comfort of Cro...
Oct 19, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast “I expect my reader to meet me halfway with their own experiences and fill in the white space, fill in what's left unsaid.” Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson brings the reader to Brooklyn in the 70s to examine memory and acceptance through the eyes of one girl from her childhood and beyond. Woodson joins us to talk about writing for young people, the themes of childhood and nostalgia, creating identity through literature and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over...
Oct 17, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Family Meal by Bryan Washingto n features the importance of food, friends and connection with a cast of characters working through the transitions in life. Washington joins us to talk about the identity of place , how he writes the messiness of life, staying truthful to characters and their struggles and more. Curtis Chin’s Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant follows the author’s life as he grew up in and around his family’s restaurant where he came to better understand himse...
Oct 14, 2023•2 hr 36 min•Transcript available on Metacast “I want people to read it with joy, just for the story. But I do hope that they'll pick up something else along the way about … deeper things.” The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok finds two women on incredibly different paths in life in collision as they grapple with issues of culture, class and motherhood. Kwok joins us to talk about how she started a career in writing, the importance and language and cultural identity, how books open doors to learning and growth and more with Miwa Messer, host of ...
Oct 12, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast "I wanted it to feel like stepping off the world..." Blackouts by Justin Torres explores love, loss and the stories we leave behind with inventive and transformative form and prose. Torres joins us to talk about the source material for this novel, the importance of telling queer stories, navigating legacy, loneliness and identity and more 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 Tue...
Oct 10, 2023•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our October Discover Pick is The Refugee Ocean by Pauls Toutonghi, featuring musical prose and interwoven stories that cross generations and countries to explore what it means to be an immigrant and the resiliency of the human spirit. Toutonghi joins us to talk about his family connection to the novel, using fiction to connect to the human experience, the long process of writing this book and more with guest host, Jenna Seery. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Ha...
Oct 07, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast “Language doesn't just exist on the page … It's about how you embody it.” How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair is a poetic memoir about growing up as a Rastafari woman in Jamaica and how words and writing empowered her voice. Sinclair joins us to talk about the literary connections in her poetry, shedding light on the reality of her upbringing, and the identity that comes with writing and reading with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer...
Oct 05, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jonathan Lethem’s Brooklyn Crime Novel brings readers to New York in the 70s and the cast of characters it contains . Lethem joins us to talk about creating something different than he’d done before, writing memory and nostalgia, the joy of bookselling and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. The Maniac by Benjamín Labatut defies genre with an examination and exploration of science and humanity from the Manhattan Project to the advent of A.I. Labatut joins us to talk about the dark art of...
Oct 03, 2023•2 hr 35 min•Transcript available on Metacast "My biggest goal was to convert people who said they don't like fantasy." V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series has enchanted us with wit, wonder and a world not unlike our own, filled with heroes and intrigue. Her newest addition, The Fragile Threads of Power , brings our favorite characters on a new adventure. Schwab joins us to talk about returning to her magical version of London, the role of social media for authors and readers, vampire novels and more with guest host, Kat Sarfas. We end thi...
Sep 30, 2023•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis follows a family through generations from small town Alabama to Philadelphia in the 80s as they struggle, succeed and learn to care for each other. Mathis joins us to talk about how long it took her to write this book, keeping joy in hard stories, how real events and culture shape her characters and more 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...
Sep 28, 2023•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast “It really illuminates these questions of privilege and pleasure, and what kind of joy we can look forward to in the human experience as things continue to get worse.” In a world facing food scarcity and limited resources, a young chef enters a world of allure, privilege, abundance (and their consequences) in Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang. Zhang joins us to talk about the mythology of the worlds she creates, the secret to great food writing, the politics of privilege and pleasure and mor...
Sep 26, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast “This book is the most personal because it is what I feel about the world itself.” The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff is a beautiful and propulsive survival story that brings new life to wilderness fiction. Groff joins us to talk about her extensive drafting process, her varied influences, getting language right in historical fiction and more live at Barnes & Noble Union Square with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Executive Producer Miwa Messer and mixed...
Sep 23, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Daniel Mason’s North Woods follows one house in the woods of New England as it passes through families (with inhabitants both human and not) and endures natural and human history. Mason joins us to talk about how he connected with his setting, writing a novel covering a large timespan, playing with form and more. The Bee Sting by Paul Murray chronicles the saga of a family in a post-economic-collapse Ireland. Murray joins us to talk about the cultural background of his novel, writing a dysfuncti...
Sep 21, 2023•2 hr 39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Wellness by Nathan Hill follows a marriage over decades through a variety of successes, challenges and surprises. Hill joins us to talk about how long it took him to write his novel, describing a realistic marriage, the power of algorithms and more. Ben Fountain’s Devil Makes Three brings readers to Haiti in 1991 with a cast of characters ranging from divers looking for shipwrecked treasure to CIA agents navigating a country in the midst of political unrest. Fountain joins us to talk about his c...
Sep 19, 2023•2 hr 38 min•Transcript available on Metacast “ I feel like I could actually follow you through this journey and come out of it changed rather than abused by my ignorance .” The Country of the Blind by Andrew Leland blends memoir, history and culture in a study of the experience of blindness and how it effects both the individual and society as a whole . Leland joins us to talk about the connection between blindness and literacy, the language around disability, the long process he took to write this book and more with Miwa Messer, host of P...
Sep 16, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Claudia Dey’s novel Daughter is a stark and beautiful portrait of the complicated dynamic between a young artist and her father. Dey joins us to talk about creating the distinct voice of the novel, complicated family relationships, writing a novel that’s true and more. I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel is a visceral look at one young woman’s descent into the world of social media obsession with a sharp look at today’s internet culture and what it means to exist online. Patel joins us to talk about the a...
Sep 14, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast “… this was a book about beauty, and I wanted it to be very honest.” In Mona Awad’s Rouge , gothic family-drama meets fairy tale (with a hint of horror) as a young woman navigates the world of youth and beauty in the aftermath of her mother’s death. Awad joins us to talk about how her obsession with skincare led to writing this book, creating a mother and daughter dynamic, the importance of writing with a distinct voice and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. We end this episode with TBR...
Sep 12, 2023•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast “My specialty is digging up obscure stories where there are just enough facts to really stimulate the imagination.” Emma Donoghue’s newest novel, Learned by Heart, tells the story of young, enigmatic Anne Lister and her first love, an orphaned heiress born in India. Donoghue joins us to talk about the role Anne Lister has played in her life, crowdsourcing research, the importance of historical fiction and more with guest host, Jenna Seery. We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations...
Sep 09, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Maria Bamford’s hilarious memoir Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and a Quest to Belong Anywhere blends the honesty and compassion of a memoir about mental health with her unique brand of absurd, laugh-out-loud humor. Bamford joins us to talk about the realities of writing a book, the importance of honesty around tough subjects, some of the books she loves and more with guest host, Jenna Seery. We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Jamie. Thi...
Sep 07, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast "There's no higher version of historical fiction to me than that, the feeling of being transported." Zadie Smith’s The Fraud brings all the excitement of a Victorian novel with a cast of characters that will be familiar (Charles Dickens, anyone?) and a wild web of plots that combine the best of historical fiction with themes that still resonate. Smith joins us to talk about the different process she used while writing, the importance of knowing and understanding history, freedom, resistance and ...
Sep 05, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast “I think that she would have given — to anyone who had been lucky enough to spend time with her — was just this thirst for curiosity.” Surreal Spaces is Joanna Moorhead’s in-depth and personal biography of her own long-lost cousin, Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington. Moorhead joins us to talk about uncovering the truth about her famous relative, Carrington’s eventful life and career, the importance of highlighting women artists and more with guest host, Allie Ludlow. This episode of Poured Ove...
Sep 02, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast “I've been asked, why do you blend genres so much? And the simple answer is that it's what I want to read.” Horror meets romance meets historical fiction in Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas. This genre-bending novel will have something for any reader — whether they’re looking for spooky, spicy or something in between. Cañas joins us to talk about her research process, the connection between this book and her own family, the importance of genre fiction and more with guest host, Jenna Seery. W...
Aug 31, 2023•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Angie Kim’s Happiness Falls is a family drama with an unconventional cast of characters centered around a missing persons case. Kim joins us to talk about disability awareness in fiction, how she started writing, getting into her narrator’s head and more. Where There Was Fire by John Manuel Arias is a rich novel of secrets, loss and a government coverup set in Costa Rica. Arias joins us to talk about his own family’s connection to the novel, the effects of colonial intervention in Central Americ...
Aug 29, 2023•2 hr 34 min•Transcript available on Metacast “I wrote this very simply to stay alive.” Alice Carrière’s beautiful and intense memoir of her unconventional childhood, her mental health journey through the failings of the psychiatric system and more that eventually led her to a life of reconciliation and reconstruction . Carrière joins us to talk about why she wrote the book now, the connectivity of writing and reading, her love of audiobooks and more with guest host Jenna Seery. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixe...
Aug 26, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast “Having that store of memories that history can be, if done well, is a really tremendous form of solace.” Jill Lepore, historian and author of These Truths , returns with The Deadline , a collection of essays ranging from the personal to the political. Lepore joins us to talk about how she came to compile this collection, her connection to Mary Shelley, and the progress to be made in what constitutes the historical record (and who gets to tell it) with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This epis...
Aug 24, 2023•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast “My book is really an attempt to change that conversation and begin to dismantle some of these pressures so that we don't have to be upheld to these standards.” Prachi Gupta’s memoir, They Called Us Exceptional: And Other Lies That Raised Us , combines meticulous research with the challenging and emotional story of her own family to reveal the truth of the model minority myth and those it affects. Gupta joins us to talk about why she wrote this book, the myth of American Exceptionalism, how it f...
Aug 22, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Detective Up Late is the newest installment in the Sean Duffy series by Adrian McKinty following a detective solving his final case in Northern Ireland in the 90s. This former B&N bookseller joins us to talk about the experience of living through The Troubles, the difference between writing mystery and thriller, the war between vinyl and CDs and more with guest host, Chris Gillespie. This episode of Poured Over was produced and hosted by Chris Gillespie and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes...
Aug 19, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast “Dr. Oppenheimer, Dr. Oppenheimer. I've been waiting decades to meet you!” The inspiration for the new movie Oppenheimer , Kai Bird’s incredible biography, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer , follows the complicated and consequential life of one of the most influential scientists in human history. Bird joins us to talk about the film, the amount of time it took to write the book, the fluidity of history and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This epis...
Aug 17, 2023•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast What happens to reality when nostalgia and memory become weaponized? Part speculative thriller, part queer romance, all page-turning excitement and intrigue, Prophet by Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché has something for every reader. The authors join us to talk about how they came to coauthor the novel, writing fun, vibrant and infuriating characters, combining genres and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Har...
Aug 15, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Las Madres follows a group of mothers and daughters between Puerto Rico and the U.S. as they face challenges of health, natural disaster and family secrets with rich, warm prose and characters. Esmeralda Santiago joins us to talk about her personal connection to her characters, the challenge of writing real events, representing Puerto Rican history and culture and more. Elizabeth Acevedo’s Family Lore brings the secrets of a generational saga and the surprises of magical realism together in her ...
Aug 10, 2023•2 hr 43 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
