Poured Over

Latest Episodes:

Eleanor Brown on ANY OTHER FAMILY Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

"I just had so many questions about adoption and motherhood. And you know, you've read my books, you know that I'm very interested in what makes a family and how does our family influence us. And that's all part of this book, too." From her sparkling debut, The Weird Sisters, to her latest, Any Other Family, Eleanor Brown writes big-hearted novels with hopeful endings about family and finding ourselves. She joins us on the show to talk about the story behind her latest novel, how questions and character drive her novels, capturing children's voices on the page, how she approaches the writing process, what she's been reading and much more with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Becky.

Featured Titles (episode)

Any Other Family by Eleanor Brown

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

The Light in Paris by Eleanor Brown

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung

The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian

The Foundling by Ann Leary

Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley

On Writing by Stephen King

Featured Titles (TBR Topoff)

Run by Ann Patchett

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

A full transcript of this episode is available here.

Eric Kim on KOREAN AMERICAN: FOOD THAT TASTES LIKE HOME Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

"What's really interesting about taste memory is it's not that you're trying to necessarily replicate the dish exactly as it was, I think you're actually just trying to replicate your memory of it, because your memory is always going to be the platonic ideal of it." Eric Kim has a delightful approach to food, and his debut cookbook is a charming exploration of the Korean American table. He joins us on the show to talk about home cooking and how our family stories connect to food, representation (and how his parents landed in Atlanta), the politics of spam, his pantry must-haves, making kimchi, finding joy in a creative space, testing recipes with his mom, and much more with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Becky.

Featured Books (episode)

Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home by Eric Kim

Featured Books (TBR Topoff)

Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee

I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee

Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner

Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

A full transcript of this episode is available here.

Alice Elliott Dark on FELLOWSHIP POINT Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

"One thing I really have learned—or at least for myself about writing—is never to explain why a person is the way they are, just to make a dramatic case for why they are the way they are. So, the moments I have that are backstory, or that go back and forth in time, it's because that backstory or that moment of slippage of time is dramatically relevant to the present moment of the story." Alice Elliott Dark (In the Gloaming) returns with Fellowship Point, a spectacular novel of friendship and family, love and loss, loyalty and legacy. She joins us on the show to talk about her modern 19th-century novel, where she's been for the last few years, what we often take for granted when it comes to women's lives, the craft of writing, her literary influences, what's next for her and much more with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer, live from our flagship store at Union Square in New York City. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Becky.

Featured Books (episode):

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark

In the Gloaming by Alice Elliott Dark

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

Middlemarch by George Eliott

Matrix by Lauren Groff

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout

Featured Books (TBR Topoff):

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg

Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

A full transcript of this episode is available here.

Isaac Fitzgerald on DIRTBAG, MASSACHUSETTS Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

"I wish I could tell you that I went to a cabin and wrote it perfectly and got it in on time, and it just flowed out of me. But really, the truth of the matter is, it came in fits and starts. And it was written on notepads and half-filled notebooks and phone apps and bar napkins….I grew up in a time of a lot of white men writing, Oh, my sad childhood stories. And so, my whole thing was I'm not going to do that, I'm not going to do that." Isaac Fitzgerald walks through the world with an open heart, and luckily for readers, he takes notes. Dirtbag, Massachusetts is his memoir-in-essays, and it covers plenty of ground, from his unconventional childhood and the librarians who helped change the trajectory of his life, to issues of class and code switching and complicated family dynamics, to the craft of writing and his literary inspirations. He joins us on the show to talk about all that and more, including a few things that didn't make the book's final draft, with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Becky.

Featured Books (episode)

Dirtbag, Massachusetts by Isaac Fitzgerald

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

The White Boy Shuffle by Paul Beatty

The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake by Andre Dubus III, Breece D'J Pancake

Featured Books (TBR Topoff)

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer

Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

A full transcript of this episode is available here.

Becky Chambers on A PRAYER FOR THE CROWN-SHY Jul 16, 2022

Show notes

"The primary intent of these books is to take a break... have something you can just curl up with for an afternoon. This is a book that is not going to hurt you. And I think that that's so vital in this day and age, to be able to just pause for a second. I want the book to feel like a cup of tea as well... But I wanted to give you the option of chewing on some of the stuff in there."

Hugo Award-winning author Becky Chambers is arguably a master of the space opera, with her complex, hopeful characters and her compelling world-building. Sibling Dex and Mosscap return in A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, the latest book in the Monk and Robot series and Becky joins us on the show to talk about creating a story that incorporates the same comfort as watching your favorite TV show for the 10,000th time, how a good cup of tea can make a bad day better, what's on her TBR list, and much more with guest host, Allyson Gavaletz. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Becky.

Featured Books (Episode):

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Spear by Nicola Griffith

How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Ayoki

Featured Books (TBR Topoff):

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher

This episode of Poured Over is produced and hosted by Allyson Gavaletz and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

A full transcript of this show is available here.

T. Kingfisher on WHAT MOVES THE DEAD Jul 14, 2022

Show notes

"When you're writing a children's book, it shares much relation with horror, because it has to be usually very immediate and very visceral and gripping. Because otherwise the kids are gonna get bored. And your window of opportunity to grab the reader is … longer with horror, you can do the slow creeping dread better, but you have to grab the reader, metaphorically, by the throat."

Whether you know her as Ursula Vernon or T. Kingfisher, one thing is for sure—this Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning author always pulls us in with her captivating fantasies and chilling thrillers—which remains true of her two new books, Nettle & Bone and What Moves the Dead, both releasing this year. Ursula joins us on the show to talk about the fine line between writing children's books and writing horror and her love for gothic stories, the artwork that inspired this stunning cover, mycology, the lesser-known life of Beatrix Potter, what she's working on next and what games she's playing, and much more with guest host, Kat Sarfas. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Becky.

Featured Books (Episode):

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings by Edgar Allen Poe

The White People and Other Weird Stories by Arthur Machen

The Willows by Algernon Blackwood

The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison

The Haunted Mesa by Louis L'Amour

Featured Books (TBR Topoff):

The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis

The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard

This episode of Poured Over is produced and hosted by Kat Sarfas and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

A full transcript of this show is available here.

Caleb Gayle on WE REFUSE TO FORGET: A TRUE STORY OF BLACK CREEKS, AMERICAN IDENTITY, AND POWER Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

"But there is joy in advocating for changing of the world for the better, for not allowing the world to tell you who you shall be, but rather reimagining a world in which you can be anything."

Award-winning journalist and professor at Northeastern University Caleb Gayle delivers a stunningly original story of America in his first book, We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power. Caleb joins us on the show to talk about growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the aftermath of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, the untold stories of marginalized communities, his hopeful outlook for the future of the country, and much more with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Becky.

Featured Books (Episode):

We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power by Caleb Gayle

Featured Books (TBR Topoff):

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

A full transcript of this show is available here.

Chris Bohjalian on Telling Stories Jul 09, 2022

Show notes

"I decided to give myself the license to fail, and to write across gender, to write in the voice of a midwife's daughter. And if the book isn't working, fine, we'll write it from the perspective of the midwife's husband, from some other male character. But I loved it. It was so emancipating to not be me, to not be (at the time) this 30-something dude. And I loved it. And I think, my best books, my best characters, whether it's first person or third person, are women."

Bestselling author and all-around charmer Chris Bohjalian has written 23 books, including our May 2021 B&N Book Club pick Hour of the Witch, The Flight Attendant—now a hit HBO series—and his latest, The Lioness. Chris joins us on the show to talk about his love of bookstores, not writing the same story twice, researching and asking questions and learning stories, letting his characters guide the plot and going back to the first sentence, geography as a character, and so much more with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with a TBR Topoff with Marc and Becky riffing on their favorite Bohjalian novels.

Featured Books:

Water Witches by Chris Bohjalian

Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian

The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian

The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian

The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian

Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian

Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

A full transcript of this show is available here.

Ibram X. Kendi on HOW TO RAISE AN ANTIRACIST Jul 07, 2022

Show notes

"And so, too often, kids are raised to have empathy for people who look like them, or worship like them or act like them. And we're also taught to have empathy for people who deserve it. And I wanted to convey the importance of raising our kids to have empathy for people who don't look like them or don't live near them. And for us to not make our empathy almost like a tip in which it's transactional."

Award-winning, bestselling author and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Ibram X. Kendi returns with How to Raise an Antiracist, a book that parents, caregivers and teachers won't want to miss. Ibram joins us on the show to talk about his own family's experiences, as well as the intersection of ableism and racism, learning from our children, the importance of joy, and much more with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Becky.

Featured Books:

How to Raise an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Magnolia Flower by Zora Neale Hurston

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi

Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

A full transcript of this show is available here.

Gabrielle Zevin on TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW Jul 05, 2022

Show notes

"I never thought I would be writing something where there would be a lot of intricate feelings around the game engine. But then if you think about something like say, like Sally Rooney's Normal People, who would think that you could feel so much passion over whether like, they go to that dance together, you know?" Gabrielle Zevin's delightful new novel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is part love story, part coming of age and entirely unforgettable—which is why it's our July B&N Book Club pick. Gabrielle joins us on the show for a spoiler-free conversation about her latest book, from the parallels between writing novels and video games, to Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson, money and class, creativity, friendship and much more with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Becky.

Featured Books (episode)

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Featured Books (TBR Topoff)

The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).

A full transcript of this episode is available here.

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