The final installment in the vibrant Harlem trilogy, Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead is a portrait of New York in transition during the 1980s. Colson joined us live at B&N Union Square to talk about the evolution of his career, ghost stories, researching the perfect coffee table and New York nostalgia 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:

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead

The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead

The Odyssey by Homer

Ulysses by James Joyce

Night Shift by Stephen King

The Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

The Noble Hustle by Colson Whitehead

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney

Apex Hides the Hurt by Colson Whitehead

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three by John Godey

The Living Dead by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus

The New York Trilogy by Paul Aster

John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead

Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

The Hunter by Richard Stark

Kitten by Stacey Yu is a darkly funny modern love story from a debut novelist. Stacey joins us to talk about character, repression, coming of age, relationships, animals and more 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 (Episode): Kitten by Stacey Yu Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt The Friend by Sigrid Nunez Intermezzo by Sally Rooney All About Love by bell hooks Hot Milk by Deborah Levy My Baby's First Birthday by Jenny Zhang Lost Cat by Mary Gatskill

Featured Books (TBR Top Off): Kitten by Stacey Yu The Friend by Sigrid Nunez Fruit Fly by Josh Silver

The Wedding People by Alison Espach is a tender, wise and witty story following a luxe wedding at the Cornwell Inn. Alison joins us to talk about character, middle age, liminal spaces, relationships and more 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: The Wedding People by Alison Espach Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Heart the Lover by Lily King

The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson is a hilarious tale of old friends, new lovers and the pressures they face. Jenny joined us live at B&N Upper West Side to talk about small-town gossip, parenting, invisible labor, friendships, editing and more 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 (Episode): The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson Couples by John Updike Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Make Nice by Ryan Effgen On the Calculation of Volume, Book I by Solvej Balle Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close

Featured Books (TBR Top Off): The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth Salty by Kate Myers

All That's Unseen by Emilee Hackney is a triumphant memoir of hope, home and reinvention. Emilee joins us to talk about growing up in Appalachia, faith, shame, craft 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 (Episode): All That's Unseen: An Appalachian Memoir by Emilee Hackney Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover Shiner by Amy Jo Burns The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader by Melissa Murray is an irreverent and accessible guide to understanding our nation's history, amendment by amendment. Melissa joins us to talk about tyranny, translation, the founding fathers, the curation of history, the Electoral College, language 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 (Episode): The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader by Melissa Murray The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People's Constitution by Jesse Wegman How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith Kin by Tayari Jones The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

America, U.S.A. by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. is a gripping exploration of the United States' history and its anniversaries. Eddie joins us to talk about storytelling, music, the semiquincentennial, language, W.E.B. Du Bois, James Baldwin 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 (Episode): America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadow's the Nation's Anniversaries by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. The 42nd Parallel: The U.S.A. Trilogy, Volume 1 by John Dos Passos The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families by J. Anthony Lukas Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877 by Eric Foner Black Reconstruction in America, 1860-1880 by W.E.B. Du Bois Slave Religion: The "Invisible Institution" in the Antebellum South by Albert J. Raboteau Race Matters by Cornel West Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin The Evidence of Things Not Seen by James Baldwin How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith

Featured Books (TBR Top Off): America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadow's the Nation's Anniversaries by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home by Wil Haygood

Lázár by Nelio Biedermann tells the story of an aristocratic Hungarian family plagued by secrets, desire and tragedy. Nelio joins us to talk about WWII, family history, complicity, the literary canon 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 (Episode): Lázár by Nelio Biedermann Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family by Thomas Mann Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf Ulysses by James Joyce Middlemarch by George Eliot Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Endling by Maria Reva is an inventive tale that takes on war, art and human connection. Maria joins us to talk about modern dating, malacology, research, character, dark humor and more 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 (Episode): Endling by Maria Reva Good Citizens Need Not Fear by Maria Reva Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia Best Canadian Stories 2026 Edited by Zsuzsi Gartner The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood Eradication by Jonathan Miles

Famous Men by Julie Buntin is a captivating novel following one woman's pursuit of home, family and identity. Julie joins us to talk about young womanhood, art, ambition, class, genre, structure and more 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 (Episode): Famous Men by Julie Buntin Marlena by Julie Buntin Goodbye, Columbus: And Five Short Stories by Philip Roth Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee Great Expectations by Charles Dickens The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton Trust Exercise by Susan Choi My Education by Susan Choi The Children by Melissa Albert A Splintering by Dur e Aziz Amna