The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life
Join author John King for eclectic interviews with writers from a variety of genres, including fiction writing, poetry, memoirs, and journalism. From literature to genre writing to the movies, all writing is up for discussion. In particular, The Drunken Odyssey features discussion of all aspects of the writing process—not just the published manuscript, pristinely presented to the entire literate world, but also the scrawled notes and tortured drafts that lead writers there. In long-form interviews, writers discuss their process and the way that writing has influenced their lives. Besides this interview, each episode also features a short memoir essay from a writer about a beloved book, plus John King responds to listener’s questions and observations about the writing (and the drinking) life.
For more information, see our website at www.thedrunkenodyssey.com.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 71 minutes
- Episodes
- 694
- Years Active
- 2012 - 2025
685: A Discussion of Sylvia Plath's The Colossus and Other Poems (with Rachael Tillman)
Sylvia Plath is legendary for being a tragic poet mostly known for her novel, The Bell Jar. John and Rachael are fans of Plath's poetry and The Bell Jar, but hereby set out on a historical project to…
684: A Pop Poetry Conversation about Megan Fox's Pretty Boys are Poisonous
This conversation with Samantha Nickerson, Brian Salmans, and Rachael Tillman will give you some idea of the mischief you are missing out on, and the pain John is putting himself through.
683: Eugenio Negro!
This week, John speaks with the fiction writer, cartoonist, and musician Eugenio Negro about his new novel, Despair Priorities, the long term project, and figuring out what will be deeply satisfying …
682: A Discussion of Charlotte Brontë's Tales of Angria, with Sophia Ferrara
Sophia Ferrara joins John down the rabbit hole of Charlotte Brontë's early private storytelling.
681: The Kerouac Project of Orlando Book Club Discussion of William S. Burrough’s Junky (with Matt Peters)!
In this week's show, John teams up once again with his friend Matt Peters to discuss the second book of William S. Burroughs's original quartet of novels. They also discuss the recent film adapation …
680: Katharine Coldiron!
On today’s show, I speak with the essayist Katharine Coldiron about how the way we watch movies are sometimes our autobiographies, sometimes our philosophies, and sometimes our humanity.
679: Keith Mackenzie!
On 679, John speaks with the novelist Keith MacKenzie about how to plan an unplannable thriller, and how body horror and comedy and existentialism are awfully close neighbors.
678: Zach Zimmerman!
On 678, John speaks with recent Kerouac Project of Orlando resident Zach Zimmerman about memoir, memories, childhood, comedy, tragedy, the problems of authenticity, and other vital literary matters.
677: A Discussion of The Collected Poems of Hannah Arendt, with Rachael Tillman!
On this episode, John and Rachael discuss the poetic output of Hannah Arendt's poetry, newly translated into English in a new book from Norton, translated by Samantha Rose Hill and Genese Grill, plus…
676: Skye Jackson!
On this episode, John speaks with Kerouac Project of Orlando resident Skye Jackson about how to create a poetry collection that can be read in one sitting, how to balance the concrete and imaginative…
675: Tom McAllister!
On this episode, John speaks with Tom McAllister about writing burnout, writing prompts, revision, and discovery, as well as Tom's wonderful new collection of flash memoirs, It All Felt Impossible.
Replay: Episode 130 with Jaquira Díaz
In this week’s replay episode, John talks to author and editor Jaquira Díaz in a show dating back to 2014. Many thanks to Brian Salmons.
674: Peter Kuper!
On today’s art-infused program, Drew Barth speaks with comic book legend Peter Kuper about his wonderful new book, Insectopolis, a project created during Peter’s residency at the NY Public Library, p…
673: A Discussion of William S. Burroughs's Junky, with Matt Peters!
This episode is a recording of the inaugural meeting of the Kerouac Project of Orlando's Book Club. Matt Peters and I discuss William S. Burroughs's debut novel, Junky, and its place in the first qua…
672: Dan Reiter Event!
Dan Reiter reads from his new book, On a Rising Swell: Surf Stories from the Space Coast, with the jazz piano accompaniment of Daniel Tenbusch, touching the bohemian spirit of Jack Kerouac, who wrote…
671: Dmetri Kakmi!
On this show, John speaks with Dmetri Kakmi about holding onto the mysteries of storytelling, the setting of Australia, the wild problem of self, and his wonderful new novel, The Woman in the Well.
670: A Discussion of the Ewoks Trilogy, with Jeff Shuster!
After taking a year off to recover, Jeff Shuster return again for a May the 4th episode of The Drunken Odyssey, in which we discuss the seldom-discussed Ewoks trilogy. As a result, we might never hav…
669: Shelley Fisher Fishkin
On this show, John speaks with the literary scholar, Shelley Fisher Fishkin, who writes lucidly about classic American fiction in readable, important, and enjoyable prose. One of Dr. Fishkin's areas …
Replay Episode: Tessa Mellas (Episode 70, from 2013)
While John attempts his convalence from his contempible cold, here is a replay of a classic episode from 2013 with the fiction writer Tessa Mellas.
668: Margie Sarsfield
In Margie Sarsfield’s debut novel, Beta Vulgaris, a hipster Brooklyn couple take on temporary work at a Minnesota beet farm at harvest time in order to earn extra money to help them maintain their Br…