The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life
John King
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.
For more information, see our website at www.thedrunkenodyssey.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 17, 2026 • 1h 7min
700: Chuck Klosterman!
On #700, John speaks with the underrated novelist and essay writer Chuck Klosterman about his wickedly funny and ever-insightful new book called Football. They also speak about post-modernism and humor and how audiences perplexingly invert their expectations about reality when reading fiction and non-fiction. John perhaps goes on a rant about the 1985 New England loss in the Super Bowl.
Jan 10, 2026 • 45min
699: Aymann Ismail!
On this episode, Samantha Nickerson interviews the journalist and memoirist about his new book, Becoming Baba: Fatherhood, Faith, and Finding Meaning in America.
Jan 3, 2026 • 51min
698: Descartes a Kant!
On this episode, John interviews the rock band Descartes a Kant about the creation of exciting twenty-first century theatrical rock and roll. Listen to & buy DAK's music over at Band Camp.
Dec 27, 2025 • 1h 9min
697: Todd James Pierce!
Here John speaks with his friend Todd James Pierce about his research process, his work on Disney artist Mary Blair, and Todd's wonderful new book, Making Mary Poppins, now out with Norton.
Dec 20, 2025 • 54min
696: The Kerouac Project of Orlando Book Club Discussion of William S. Burroughs's Interzone (with Matt Peters)!
On this show, John and Matt Peters continue The Kerouac Project Book Club with a discussion of William S. Burrough's third fiction manuscript, Interzone, the cliff before one arrives at Naked Lunch.
Dec 13, 2025 • 1h 8min
695: Loose Lips December 2025!
The Drunken Odyssey commandeered the Loose Lips oratory series during the tidings of yule and whatnot on December 2, 2025. The readers included Fred Lambert, Rachael Tillman and her deadly horsemen Shawn McKee, Samantha Nickerson, and that rapscallion John King.
Dec 6, 2025 • 1h 6min
694: Anne Waldman!
In this week's show, John interviews the poet Anne Waldman about her extraordinary new work, Mesopotopia.
Nov 29, 2025 • 1h 13min
693: Emily Van Duyne
Emily Van Duyne discusses her remarkable tome of scholarship on Sylvia Plath, including a literary history of how Plath's legacy has been shaped. Emily also guides Rachael and John's attempts to de-Hughes-ify the available texts.
Nov 22, 2025 • 1h 53min
692: November 22, 2025 (Fire x Fire x Fire with Dianne Turgeon Richardson and Tod Caviness!)
John concocted a daft poetry game for friends with a body of work substantial enough to withstand randomization of theme and topic 'til our drunken voices and ears escape beyond the hurly-burly of the everyday and enter the ethereal mindscape of friendship. Here is one's nights Fire x Fire x Fire for your listening pleasure, featuring the verses of Dianne Turgeon Richardson and Tod Caviness.
Nov 16, 2025 • 54min
691: AJ Rodriguez!
On this week's show, John speaks with fiction writer A.J. Rodriguez, the June-July 2025 Kerouac Project of Orlando resident.
