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
Jul 5, 2025 • 1h 1min
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.
Jun 29, 2025 • 1h 16min
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 Fred Lambert delivers another masterful installment of the Booze News Roundup.
Jun 21, 2025 • 57min
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 abstraction, inviting the audience in, recording a poetry audiobook, ekphrastic poetry, and living in New Orleans.
Jun 14, 2025 • 1h 6min
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.
Jun 7, 2025 • 59min
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.
May 31, 2025 • 54min
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, plus I briefly speak with my friend, the artist Jeff Wilfong, about his upcoming residency at the Timucua Arts Foundation here in Orlando.
May 24, 2025 • 1h 10min
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 quartet of his transformative works. The setting for this conversation is the place where Jack Kerouac lived when On the Road came out, where he lived when writing the first draft of The Dharma Bums.
May 17, 2025 • 58min
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 the first draft of The Darma Bums at that very venue. John and Dan share notes about the writing life, the freedom of constraints, the careers of Joan Didion, Jack Kerouac, and Hunter S. Thompson, and physical transcendence—with the occasional contribution from Dr. Truth.
May 10, 2025 • 1h 27min
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.
May 4, 2025 • 1h 23min
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 have another May the 4th conversation. But the conversation was lively.
