
The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life
722 episodes — Page 8 of 15
Ep 372372: Arielle Haughee!
EIn this week's show, I talk with the fiction writer, children's book writer, and revision guru Arielle Haughee. Picture by Sona Photography. TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES This episode is sponsored by Scribophile. TDO Listeners can get 20% of a premium subscription to Scribophile. After using the above link to register for a basic account, go herewhile still logged in to upgrade the account with the discount. Check out my debut novel, Guy Psycho and the Ziggurat of Shame. Episode 372 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.
Ep 371371: C.H. Hooks!
EIn this week's show, C.H. Hooks and I sit down with some questionable red wine to discuss Florida, Florida literature, and the uses we make of writing. Photo by Miriam Berkley. TEXT DISCUSSED NOTES This episode is sponsored by Scribophile. TDO Listeners can get 20% of a premium subscription to Scribophile. After using the above link to register for a basic account, go herewhile still logged in to upgrade the account with the discount. Check out my adventure novel, Guy Psycho and the Ziggurat of Shame.
Ep 370370: A Discussion of Cory Doctorow's Down & Out in the Magic Kingdom
EThis week, we go to Walt Disney World with Nathan Holic and David James Poissant in order to discuss Cory Doctorow's science fiction novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom.
Ep 369369: Deborah Landau!
EIn this week's episode, I talk to the poet Deborah Landau about her wonderful new poetry collection, Soft Targets, [caption id="attachment_24396" align="alignnone" width="4288"]Deborah Landau reading at AWP 2019. Photo by John King.[/caption] plus I share Copper Canyon's poetry reading from the 2019 AWP Conference, which featured Javier Zamora, Ellen Bass, Deborah Landau, and Jericho Brown. TEXT DISCUSSED NOTES This episode is sponsored by Scribophile. TDO Listeners can get 20% of a premium subscription to Scribophile. After using the above link to register for a basic account, go herewhile still logged in to upgrade the account with the discount.
Ep 368368: Mitchell S. Jackson!
EIn this week's episode, I talk to Mitchell S. Jackson about finding joy in voice while dwelling on painful material in a memoir and novel. [caption id="attachment_24376" align="alignnone" width="1000"]Mitchell S. Jackson by John Ricard.[/caption] TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES This episode is sponsored by Scribophile. TDO Listeners can get 20% of a premium subscription to Scribophile. After using the above link to register for a basic account, go herewhile still logged in to upgrade the account with the discount.
Ep 367367: A Discussion of Eudora Welty's "Place in Fiction"
EIn this week's episode, Vanessa Blakesleeand I discuss Eudora Welty's "Place in Fiction" (1955). TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES This episode is sponsored by Scribophile. TDO Listeners can get 20% of a premium subscription to Scribophile. After using the above link to register for a basic account, go herewhile still logged in to upgrade the account with the discount. * Check out my adventure novel, Guy Psycho and the Ziggurat of Shame. And check out Vanessa's books, too.
Ep 366366: Mixtape #10!
EIn this week's episode, I share my first mixtape in almost 2 years. Happy writing. Let me know what you think below. NOTES Please buy me.
Ep 365365: Campbell McGrath
EIn this week's episode, I talk with poet Campbell McGrath about his his new book, Nouns & Verbs, from a luminous lobby in Portland. Photo by Freesia McKee. TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES Check out my previous interview with Campbell from 3 years ago, back on episode 203. If a literary adventure might be your jam, please consider buying my exciting new novel.
Ep 364364: Elisa Gabbert!
EIn this week's episode, I talk with poet and essayist Elisa Gabbert about the excitement of short-form essays, the glories of book design, not reading Moby Dick, and other literary confessions. TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES If you are into literary adventure stories, please pick up a copy of my debut novel, Guy Psycho and the Ziggurat of Shame.
Ep 363363: John King?
EIn this week's episode, David James Poissant turns the tables on John King and interviews him about the miraculous release of his epic novel, Guy Psycho and the Ziggurat of Shame. TEXT DISCUSSED Here is the original Guy Psycho short story.
Ep 362362: Whither, Life Balance? (An AWP Panel)
EIn this week's episode, Chelsey Clammer, David James Poissant, Rion Amalcar Scott, and I discuss how to survive in the writing life before an AWP audience in Portland, Oregon. NOTES If you are anywhere near Miami, check out the O, Miami Poetry Festival. Please review this show on iTunes. My novel comes out next week.
Ep 361361: Sara Batkie!
EIn this week's episode, I go back to Jack Kerouac's house to talk to fellow fiction writer and NYU alum Sara Batkie about Realism, Magic Realism, historical fiction, the composition of a story collection, NYU's MFA program, the upsides of reading for literary magazines, and our evolutions as writers. TEXT DISCUSSED
Ep 360360: Poetry Jazz BBQ at jack Kerouac's Place!
EIn this week's episode, Karen Price, Erik Deckers, Terry Ann Thaxton and I read Jack kerouac's poetry to the accompaniment of Ben Deckers's walking bass. Breaking down the show. Photo by Steve Erwin.[/caption] TEXTS DISCUSSED Episode 360 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.
Ep 359359: Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman!
EIn this week's episode, I talk to Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman about classical music, social class, memoir, and authenticity. Photo by Vanessa Borer. TEXT DISCUSSED NOTES TDO will be sharing a table with Black Fox Literary Magazine at AWP at table T14104, plus I am moderating a panel on life-balance, which I clearly know nothing about. Also, my novel has a release date of April 16, 2019.
Ep 358358: Mark Blake, Part 2!
EIn this week's episode, I talk again with Mark Blake, biographer of Peter Grant, about what happened to Led Zeppelin after Led Zeppelin. Photo by Ross Halfin.[/caption] TEXT DISCUSSED
Ep 357357: Mark Blake, Part 1!
EIn this week's episode, I talk to music writer Mark Blake about his new biography of Peter Grant, the man who empowered Led Zeppelin to become the most popular rock band of all time. Photo by Ross Halfin.[/caption] TEXT DISCUSSED NOTES I will be at AWP. Leave a comment if you are attending and would like a TDO meet and greet.
356: Chad Anderson!
EIn this week's episode, I talk to fiction writer Chad Anderson near the end of his residency at The Kerouac House here in Orlando, Florida. We spoke about the importance of memories, including lost ones, in the creation of our realities (and the fictions representing those realities), the complications of family, the glory of a long residency, and Washing DC as a writer's city. [caption id="attachment_24050" align="alignnone" width="4288"]Chad Anderson at The Kerouac House, photographed by John King.[/caption] NOTES Read Chad Anderson's Katherine Anne Porter Award winner, "Maidencane," here. [caption id="attachment_24110" align="alignnone" width="4032"]Chad Anderson, Greg Proops, and moibackstage at the Hard Rock Live at Universal Studios, Orlando, in the apex of show business moments for your humble Drunken Odyssey.[/caption] Check out Whose Live Anyway, in which the Whose Line is it Anyway cast improvs the hell out of a stage near your, probably, eventually. Or Check out this farewell reading from Eleanor Matthews, the resident before Chad. https://youtu.be/ODhjl3zHvRY The application period for next year's Kerouac residents ends on March 10th. Apply here. Come hear me pontificate with some wiser writers than I am at AWP!
Ep 355355: Teresa Carmody!
EIn this week's episode, I talk to fiction writer Teresa Carmody about the joys of making books, the patterns needed for experimental work, and approaching the musicality of writing like meditation. Photo by Jared Alan Smith.
Ep 354354: Todd James Pierce!
In this week's episode, I talk to Todd James Pierce about his new biography of Ward Kimball from an epic corridor of The Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World. TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES Check out Todd's site and podcast, The Disney History Institute. Check out my previous interview with Todd back on Episode 218.
353: A Discussion of Two Classic French Post-structuralist Essays!
EIn this week's episode, Vanessa Blakeslee and I survive reading Roland Barthes's "The Death of the Author" and "What is an Author?" by Michel Foucault. TEXTS DISCUSSED Check Out Vanessa's Books! NOTES Suggested donation: $20, which comes with a glass of wine and food. Go herefor more details.
Ep 352352: Terry Ann Thaxton
EIn this week's episode, I chat with my friend Terry Ann Thaxton about poetry, parents, mortality, yard work, mud, and the underrated useful of writing prompts for professional writers. We were tired, but we laughed a lot. John King and Terry Ann Thaxton at Jack Kerouac's house in Orlando. Jared Silvia is saying something behind us. Photo by Katherine J. Parker. TEXTS DISCUSSED
Ep 351351: Elliot Ackerman!
EIn this week's episode, I speak with the war veteran, journalist, and novelist Elliot Ackerman about composition and revision strategies, and the emotional access points from our own experience to the stories we tell. [caption id="attachment_23972" align="alignnone" width="4416"]Photo by Huger Foote.[/caption] TEXTS DISCUSSED
Ep 350350 Eleanor Matthews!
EIn this week's episode, I speak with the Kerouac House's fall 2018 resident, Eleanor Matthews about Victorian novels, characterization and plots, and the connections between physical activity and creative writing.
349: A Craft Discussion of The Birth of Tragedy!
EIn this week's episode, I croak with Vanessa Blakeslee and Mark Pisczek about the Apollonian and Dionysian origins of storytelling as explored in Friedrich Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy. TEXT DISCUSSED NOTES If you live in Orlando, come hear Mark and his band, Strange Angels, play jazz at the Imperial at Washburn Imports this Thursday, January 17, 2019, 8-11 PM. 1800 N Orange BLVD / Orlando, FL 32804. https://www.facebook.com/events/2187842224789407/
Ep 348348: Ben Fountain, Celeste Ng, & Gary Shteyngart!
EThis week has Miami Book Fair International conversations with Ben Fountain,Celeste Ng, and Gary Shteyngart! Ben Fountain and beverages in the Confucius Institute at Miami Dade College. TEXTS DISCUSSED
Ep 347347: Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Juan Felipe Herrera, and Billy Collins!
EEpisode 347 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download. This week is a cornucopia of poetry conversation with Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Juan Felipe Herrera, and Billy Collins! Juan Felipe Herrera Billy Collins TEXTS DISCUSSED
346: A Bootlegged Xmas Gift!
Here's a present, something I acquired when collecting bootlegs in the 1990s. I hope you enjoy it while I get over this damned cold.
Ep 345345: Chip Kidd!
EIn this week's episode, I share a conversation I had with author, editor, comic book fan, and book designer Chip Kidd, from about 40 feet away from Biscayne Bay. We spoke about the DC/Marvel divide, the sublime art of Alex Ross, how art springs from our need to see the work we want to enjoy the most, and how so many areas of the book business intersect, if you are paying attention. TEXTS DISCUSSED
Ep 344344: Loose Lips December 2018
EIn this week's episode, I share a recording of Loose Lips, the monthly current events literary thing run by Burrow Press, who selected Katherine J. Parker to curate and host this installment. Katherine J. Parker by Jared Silvia. Joshua Begley by by Jared Silvia. Whitney Paige Hamrick by Jared Silvia. John King by Jared Silvia. Karen Price by Jared Silvia. Tom Lucas by Jared Silvia. TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES Check out John's previous appearances on Loose Lips: Episode 301 Episode 282 Episode 250 Episode 219
343: A Very Italian Christmas!
EIn this week's episode, I talk with Vanessa Blakeslee about the new story anthology, A Very Italian Christmas, from New Vessel Press. In our discussion, we manage to talk about yuletide loneliness, poverty, despair, prostitution, elk herds, Christmas, fascism, prostitution, friendship, Paul Auster's screenplay for Smoke, and David Sedaris's classic essay, "Dinah the Christmas Whore." TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES Check out Vanessa and I talking about A Very French Christmas from last year. Check out my interview with Davis Sedarisback on episode 50.
342: Linda Buckmaster!
In this week's episode, I talk to poet and memoirist Linda Buckmaster about how our subjects sometimes choose us, the wondrous weirdness of Florida, and how the find form in the flux of composition. TEXT DISCUSSED
341: The Interplanetary Acoustic Team!
EIn this week's episode, I talk to Brian Turner & Jared Silvia about making a beautiful, experimental poetic album of space ballads and duets. Episode 341 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.
Ep 340340: LaTanya McQueen!
EIn this week's episode, I talk to creative nonfiction writer LaTanya McQueen about how our stories sometimes choose us, how to write a really good footnote, and how to try to talk about history and race in America. TEXT DISCUSSED
Ep 339339: Kimberly Lojewski!
EIn this week's episode, I talk to fiction writer Kimberly Lojewski! TEXT DISCUSSED NOTES Check out my interviews with Tony Hoagland back on episode 40and 132.
Ep 338338: Horror Movie Poetry Night V!
EIn this week's episode, I am joined by Joshua Begley, AC Warner, Katherine Parker, Elise McKenna, Tom Lucas, Amy Watkins, Joshua Dull, Dianne Turgeon Richardson, and Vincent CramptonCount Orlock for Horror Movie Poetry Night V!
Ep 337337: A Roundtable About Stephen King's Danse Macabre!
EIn this week's episode, I am joined by Dale Lucas, Tom Lucas, and Elise McKenna for a deep dive into Stephen King's 1981 treatise on the horror genre, Danse Macabre. Photo by Katherine J. Parker. TEXT DISCUSSED Photo by Katherine J. Parker. NOTES Check out Don Peteroy's amazing essay on how to read the entire Dark Tower series while still having a life.
Ep 336336: Sean M. Conrey!
EIn this week's episode, I talk to the poet Sean Conrey about poetry, religion, trees, and our long ago time at Purdue University.
335: Jane Ridgeway!
In this week's episode, I talk to fiction writer Jane Ridgeway about our stories and characters choosing us instead of the other way around, the delicious problem of historical fiction, and what teenagers today like to read, among other topics. [caption id="attachment_23534" align="alignnone" width="2048"]Jane Ridgeway by Steve Erwin.
334: Ben Gwin!
EIn this week's episode, I talk to novelist Ben Gwin about postmodern satire, addiction, whether MFAs ruin or sustain writers, and for some reason I insist that he needs to write poetry, plus I talk to Jared Silvia about synth music, Woody Guthrie, the vagaries of how folk music gets recorded, and Jared's annual recording project every Labor Day.
Ep 333333: Peter Kuper!
EIn this week's episode, I talk to Peter Kuper about Kafka, the remarkable art form of comic books, the indie comic book scene in the late 1980s, Spy Vs. Spy, finding your Muse when it leaves the marketplace, and so much more. TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES Check out Brian Turner, Jared Silvia, recordings of Elise Kusnetz, and others in a performance of The Interplanetary Acoustic Team at the Timucua White House in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday, September 25th. Check out Kyle Eagle's impeccable new jazz podcast, The Major Scale. If you search the iTunes store, you can find it there as a free download you can and should subscribe to. Leslie Salas reviewed Peter Kuper's adaptation of The Metamorphosis for the Drunken Odyssey back in 2013. Details from Kafkaesque:
Ep 332332: A Craft Discussion of Chuck Palahniuk's Stranger Than Fiction
EEpisode 332 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download. In this week's episode, I talk with Vanessa Blakeslee about Chuck Palahniuk's Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories. Episode 332 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.
Ep 331331: A Celebration of Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums
EIn this week's episode, I host a party in honor of the 60th anniversary of the publication go my favorite Jack Kerouac work, The Dharma Bums.
330: Kurt Vonnegut Roundtable!
EIn this week's episode, I am joined by Chris Lafave, Erik Deckers, and David James Poissant for a discussion of Kurt Vonnegut. TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES When in Indianapolis, visit the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library. If you are in Orlando, that is, the City Beautiful, this Wednesday, come celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Dharma Bums at the house where Jack wrote it. Here is our On the Road show from last year. https://youtu.be/Dg_V4amBlJo
Ep 329329: Blair Hurley!
EIn this week's episode, I chat with novelist Blair Hurley about our experiences in NYU's MFA program, how to plot novels, religion, and how to really dress like a writer. TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES Check out Brian Turner's album, featuring recordings by his late wife, Ilyse Kusnetz.
328: Dale Lucas!
This week, I interview Dale Lucas, the author of the Fifth Wardand Doc Voodooseries of novels about exploring ethics in long-form narrative, world-building (and when to stop), how to keep writing the novel in maddening isolation, and other stuff, too. Books Discussed NOTES Check out Dale's essayabout having Simon Vance perform the audiobook of his novel, The Fifth Ward: First Watch.
Ep 327327: Adrian Todd Zuniga!
EIn this week's episode, I interview Adrian Todd Zuniga, the host of Literary Death Match, about how to plot a novel, and how he plotted his novel, Collision Theory. TEXT DISCUSSED NOTES Check out my previous convo with Adrian back on Episode 190.
Ep 326326: Patrick Greene!
EIn this week's episode, I talk with the Orlando legend, Patrick Greene, about the power of being an autodidact, the importance of curiosity outside of one's area of expertise, and the struggles of trying to live the life of a writer. NOTES To get some idea of Pat Greene's influence, here's a video featuring his 60th birthday celebration at the gallery earlier this year. https://youtu.be/CYXqonaFaAQ
Ep 325325: Abraham Smith!
EIn this week's episode, I talk with the poet Abraham Smith about his latest release, the book-length work, Destruction of Man. TEXT DISCUSSED
324: Vanessa Blakeslee!
EIn this week's episode, I talk with Vanessa Blakeslee about short story writing over the long haul, and about her brand new book, Perfect Conditions. Plus James Chapin writes about how the King James Bible changed his life. TEXTS DISCUSSED
Ep 323323: Emily Wilson!
EIn this week's episode, I chat with the classicist and translator, Emily Wilson, whose translation of the Odyssey feels both superbly magical and contemporary. [caption id="attachment_23399" align="alignnone" width="1001"]Emily Wilson by Ralph Rosen.[/caption] TEXT DISCUSSED NOTES Check out this new funky, psychedelic audio soundscape project featuring Brian Turner, Ilyse Kusnetz, and Jared Silvia, among others.