Former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith’s To Free the Captives combines the beauty of a memoir with a grander look at America’s history and future. Smith joins us to talk about family and cultural identity, race and belonging, the importance of poetry 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 and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podca...
Nov 21, 2023•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast “My favorite parts of this book are when you have two characters … talking about what they want from the world and how they can achieve it.” The New Naturals by Gabriel Bump showcases a cast of relatable and deeply human characters as they attempt to create a perfect society in an imperfect world. Bump joins us to talk about his writing process, creating characters that feel messy and real, grief and hope and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by E...
Nov 18, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez reflects our complicated and constantly changing world, featur ing unlikely connections and even a parrot named Eureka. Nunez joins us to talk about the autobiographical details in her works, her unique writing process, incorporating humor into her novels 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 and Thursdays (with occasional Saturda...
Nov 16, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Set on one day in April in three different years, Day by Michael Cunningham is an intimate analysis of family love and connection. Cunningham joins us to talk about translating his writing from thoughts to words, writing a pandemic novel that isn’t really a pandemic novel, using literature as a connection to the world 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 and Th...
Nov 14, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast “S hift in perception is a miracle ” Death Valley by Melissa Broder is part desert survival story, part examination of grief — mixing the absurd with the profoundly human in a feat of imagination . Broder joins us to talk about the realities of anticipatory grief, incorporating fantastical elements into the real world, including humor in her work and more with guest host, Jenna Seery. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes ...
Nov 11, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast “I think the bigger stuff isn't going to happen if we can't change the fact that we're not really seeing each other.” Class by Stephanie Land is a portrait of motherhood, the institutions of education, and the realities of life for those under the poverty line, full of heart, compassion and wit. Land joins us to talk about her hopes for the book, her experiences with secondary education and motherhood, her identity as a writer and more with guest host, Jenna Seery. This episode of Poured Over wa...
Nov 09, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Viet Thanh Nguyen’s new memoir , A Man of Two Faces , is an unconventional and impeccable personal narrative that tackles the author’s own life alongside larger themes of culture and colonization. Nguyen joined us live at The Grove to talk about understanding his own story through writing, his interpretations of memory 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 and T...
Nov 07, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Starling House by Alix E. Harrow is a haunted house story for those of us who love books, creepy fairy tales and Southern Gothic themes . Harrow joins us to talk about her personal connections to the novel, the ties to children’s literature, the differences in writing novels vs. short stories and more with guest host, Kat Sarfas . This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Kat Sarfas and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays). Feat...
Nov 04, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast "It does come down to that moment, when as a reader or as a writer entering into a story we say — it's not about me, it's about you." Alice McDermott’s Absolution shines a light on the dynamic lives of American women as they navigate the tumultuous era of the Vietnam War. McDermott joins us to talk about the untold pieces of American history, the evolution of her career as a writer, the power and impact of language in fiction and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured...
Nov 02, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast “There's nothing truer than fiction, because you can always find yourself in the work.” The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters is the story of a Mi’kmaq girl who goes missing and the grief, turmoil and hope that they find as they move forward. Peters joins us to talk about her personal connections to the novel, crafting her characters, connection through storytelling and more with guest host, Jenna Seery. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here ...
Oct 31, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Organ Meats by K-Ming Chang connects lyrical, dreamy prose and visceral reality in the story of two girls who navigate their complicated friendship in a world they build with feral dogs and otherworldly connection. Chang joins us to talk about writing in a nonlinear way, creating personal and cultural mythologies and finding connection through literature. Anbara Salam’s Hazardous Spirits explores the mystical, opulent and sometimes dangerous world of Spiritualism in 1920s Scotland. Salam joins u...
Oct 28, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast In Roman Stories Jhumpa Lahiri translates her own writing from Italian in a feat of language and a love and connection to Rome itself. Lahiri joins us to talk about the role of a translator in literature, language and identity, exophonic authors 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 and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app....
Oct 26, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast "I think that messy, sort of evolving spiritual element of Black Americans' lives ... has allowed us to survive, and not only to survive, but also to thrive." Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward balances grief and injustice with joy and reclamation in a sweeping, lyrical novel that brings often overlooked history into the light. Ward joins us to talk about exploring historical fiction, writing beyond the world we can explain, and finding the connections between literature, grief, connection and more w...
Oct 24, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Percy Jackson returns at long last in The Chalice of the Gods. Rick Riordan brings ba ck the characters that started it all in a new adventure as they face down one of their toughest challenges yet — getting into college. Riordan joins us to talk about the return to his beloved series, collaborating with incredible authors in his publishing imprint, adapting his work for the screen and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc ...
Oct 21, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 
