Poured Over

James by Percival Everett flips the script on an American classic as Huck Finn steps to the side and Jim takes center stage in a powerful and often very funny, story of family, home and freedom. Everett joined us live at The Grove to talk about language and storytelling, his sense of humor (and its origins), philosophy, identity and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poure...

The Morningside by Téa Obreht is  a story of mothers and daughters and finding home, set in an unforgettable building and a near-future world. Obreht joins us to talk about writing a dystopian novel, creating deep and memorable characters, finding hope in society and more with Miwa Messer, the host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang.     ...

Piglet by Lottie Hazell is a taut and propulsive novel about women's ambitions and the quest for fulfillment at any cost. Hazell joins us to talk about the process for writing her lush food scenes, the likeability of female characters, her writing influences and more with guest host, Jenna Seery. We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Jamie.    This episode of Poure...

Sloane Crosley's Grief Is for People grapples with challenging subjects of friendship and profound loss with humor and empathy. Crosley joined us to talk about the series of events that led her to this book, writing about death and grief in unconventional ways, her memoir process and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harr...

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange is a multigenerational saga of Native American heritage and culture, and a stunning follow up to his previous work, There There. Along with writer Roxane Gay, Orange joins us to talk about identity and writing, representation in literature, unexpected connections to other authors and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was hosted...

" I'm not here to tell the story. I'm here to find the story …"     Cristina Henríquez's new novel, The Great Divide is a deeply meaningful, character-driven narrative that brings momentous history to new life. Henríquez joins us to talk about writing historical fiction, her family's connection to the story, her influences and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over.  We end this episode with T...

Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring is biographer Brad Gooch's compassionate and comprehensive look at the artist's work and archives. Gooch joined us to talk about why he chose Haring as a subject, the lasting legacy of his work, his connections to other artists and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over.    This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang...

" The big reveal isn't ' who done it', the big reveal is why and what effects does it have?"   Set in an insular small town in the Irish countryside, Tana French's The Hunter  follows a set of vibrant characters as they uncover secrets, plots and mystery among their friends and neighbors. French joins us to talk about writing mysteries that cross genres, writing village politics, the influences of...

"I do think it was freeing for me to write about a female character who has been relegated to a corner, but she takes over the whole house." Take What You Need  by Idra Novey is a story of home and family, coming of age and making art. Novey joins us to talk about her connection to the setting of the novel, art and identity, her influences and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episo...

"I think the question has to do with American memory and what , as a nation , we are prioritizing in that memory…" Master Slave Husband Wife  by Ilyon Woo blends history and biography with the story of Ellen and William Craft, two remarkable people who escaped slavery , and through danger and constant challenges would become abolitionists and heroes in American history. Woo joins us to talk about...

" I f my mother and my grandma were in this book , h ow would they be? And what kind of love can I show them as a writer …"   The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin brings readers to pre-Civil War New Orleans to meet a cast of strong, fierce women in a hope filled novel of freedom and liberation. Ruffin joins us to talk about the intricacies of writing about his hometown, cultural impacts...

Two historical novels with elements of fantasy and folklore will bring readers from the battlefields of World War One to the last years of the Qing Dynasty in China.    Katherine Arden's The Warm Hands of Ghosts shows the terrors of war and the unsettling and fantastical things that can appear in its shadow. Arden joins us to talk about her extensive research, classical allusions in her writing an...

"I describe this as a love story steeped in loss."   How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica is a heartbreaking yet hopeful debut novel of first love, first loss and how we become ourselves. Ordorica joined us live at B & N Upper West Side to talk about growing into your identity, writing community legacy, his literary influences and more with guest host, Jenna Seery.    This episode of Poure...

" To have freedom you have to give something up, to have love — to experience love as an action — t here has to be something that you're willing to sacrific e…"   Ours is the epic and lyrical debut novel by poet Phillip B. Williams , featuring unforgettable characters woven together with folklore and humanity's search for freedom. Williams joined us to talk about how his characters shaped the stor...

"The peril actually comes from us — our prejudice, our biases, and our conceived threats, not from artificial intelligence, so we need to reconsider what is human and how we're treating other human beings…" Unsettling and chilling, Bora Chung's  Your Utopia is a story collection featuring robot vehicles, sentient elevators and futures both hopeful and terrifying. Chung joins us to talk about the d...

"You can write all the books you want — they are going to be very pretty, but if they don't tell the truth, comprehensively, it's just not worth the effort."   Lucy Sante's memoir, I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition , is deeply personal and features expertly crafted pros e that tells the author's journey to authenticity and freedom in her identity. Sante joins us to talk about the sm...

"If you write about a person, you're writing about that person because they're special." The Book of Love  by Kelly Link combines fantastical elements, varieties of love and a supernatural bargain — all set in a picturesque seaside town. Link joins us to talk about what led her from short stories to her first novel, how she created her magic system, the influence of music on her writing and more w...

" I am of the mind that a novel should not leave you with a thesis … I think a novel should reflect the deep parts of human behavior in such an accurate way that a wormhole forms …"   With themes of race and class in a college town, Kiley Reid's Come and Get It balances characters you can't get enough of with a nonstop plot. Reid joins us to talk about money and marriage, power dynamics in academi...

"I 'm interested in the limitations of the mind — like that your brain really does only go down so many paths , a nd then there's a million paths that for some reason, it never goes down …"   Sheila Heti's Alphabetical Diaries is a memoir in a form all its own. Told in order, sentence by sentence from A to Z, to tell a story of identity and change in a lyrically constructed way. Heti joins us to t...

"I feel like these poems tell stories in and of themselves. And perhaps as an entire collection , they tell a greater story. … We're human beings — people laugh, love, hope, dream, dance, smile, live, die, just like everybody else. And Black people need to be reminded of that, and everybody else needs to be reminded of that."     This Is the Honey is the new poetry collection edited by Kwame Alexa...

What can we do when our storybook romance ends? Good Material lets us laugh our way through the thick of heartbreak with sharp wit, the warmth of friendships and all too relatable moments from the throes of a breakup. Alderton joins us to talk about writing from the male perspective, the things we all do when our hearts get broken, the unspoken grief when relationships don't work and more with gue...

"My writing is always trying to open that up and to say — you can start here; you can start now."   Imagination: A Manifesto by Ruha Benjamin reminds us that our imaginations already know what a better world looks like. From education to challenging our systems of oppression and more, this insightful work shows a new place for us all to start from. Benjamin joins us to talk about the split between...

Filterworld by Kyle Chayka investigates one of our most prevalent yet often unnoticed influences — the algorithms that shape our online experiences from social media to shopping and more. Chayka joins us to talk about his own internet evolution, the concept of passive consumption and what we lose when the algorithms take over our feeds with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured...

"I really wanted to find connection with these creatures that I'll never meet … "   Sabrina Imbler's How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures is as unique and intriguing as the animals it explores. This book combines personal themes of race, gender, and family with reflections from the natural world in a n unforgettable series of essays. Imbler joins us to talk about how they started...

" I hope that when there is laughter, it's laughter made wise by having known real grief — a nd when there is grief, it is made wise by having known real joy. "   Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar is the story of a young Iranian American man searching for meaning through art, addiction, and connection. Akbar joins us to talk about writing both poetry and prose, collaboration with other novelists, creating co...