NPR's Book of the Day ‘Sloppy’ author Rax King says she’s inspired by writers who did their best work sober
Aug 12, 2025
Rax King, author of the candid essay collection 'Sloppy,' shares her powerful journey through addiction and her three years of sobriety. She discusses how sobriety reshaped her creative writing and dispels the myth that great literature requires substance use. King also reflects on her complex relationship with her father and the lessons learned from it, emphasizing the transformative power of connection and support. With insights about creativity and personal growth, she offers a fresh perspective on embracing life without substances.
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Sloppiness As Organizing Theme
- Rax King discovered the essays were all about addiction and bad habits and used sloppiness as the organizing frame.
- She reframed the collection around that theme instead of forcing unrelated structure.
No Shame Talking About Addiction
- Rax King says she grew up in a house where both her parents were sober and in recovery, so addiction never felt like a shameful secret.
- That upbringing made her comfortable writing openly about getting sober.
Writing Fueled By Alcohol And Coke
- Before sobriety, Rax King would hole up in private spaces and "knock back a few shots in a row" and sometimes use coke to get into a writing mood.
- She dumped raw material onto the page then planned to edit later.
