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
Apr 9, 2023 • 1h 23min
571: Mark Scroggins!
On this episode, I speak with the scholar and poet Mark Scroggins about poetry that simultaneously compels and eludes the reader with its strange music, those depths of unknowing, the literary analogues to punk, reverse engineering a sense of cultural history, the problematic nature of the poetic voice, and whatnot.
Apr 1, 2023 • 54min
570: Kathleen Rooney!
I talk to Kathleen Rooney about finding the fun despite the end of The Great Enlightenment, the joys of mixing wit and earnestness in verse, the fun of exploring the landscapes of AWP locations despite mentally frying beneath fluorescent lights, the tactile pleasures of typewriters, and other important matters.
Mar 25, 2023 • 1h 7min
569: Lydia Millet interviewed by David James Poissant!
Lydia Millet and David James Poissant discuss geography, birds, earnestness, the characterization of children, the structure of plot and novels, and other matters of interest.
Mar 18, 2023 • 1h 11min
568: A Conversation about Albert Camus's "The Guest" with Chelsea Alice
Chelsea Alice gave me homework, to read "The Guest" by Albert Camus, the result of which is this existentialist episode, or something like that.
Mar 11, 2023 • 1h 3min
567: Brook Ziporyn!
This week, Brook Ziporyn and I discuss the complexities of interpreting the Daodejing, the humor of the book, and its applications to life philosophies, politics, literature, and many other things along the way.
Mar 4, 2023 • 60min
566: Ciera Horton McElroy
This week, I speak with Ciera Horton McElroy about following through with long form fiction and her extraordinary debut, Atomic Family.
Feb 25, 2023 • 1h 25min
565: A Discussion of William Gibson’s Pattern Recognition with Rachael Tillman!
This week, Rachael Tillman and I discuss William Gibson's not especially science fictiony, but post-modern systems thriller, Pattern Recognition
Feb 18, 2023 • 1h 13min
564: Patricia Smith!
Feb 11, 2023 • 1h 10min
563: Stephanie McCarter, interviewed by Chelsea Alice!
This week, Chelsea Alice talks to Stephanie McCarter about Ovid’s self-reflection, making Ovid's humor visible to a contemporary audience, and feminism as it relates to translation.
Feb 5, 2023 • 1h 4min
562: Mike Nagel!
This week, I speak with fiction writer Mike Nagel about comic existentialism, alcoholic literature, and the class complexities of real estate.
