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 15, 2017 • 1h 18min
269: A Craft Discussion of Robert Paul Lamb's Art Matters with Vanessa Blakeslee!
In this week's episode, I talk with Vanessa Blakeslee about Robert Paul Lamb's Art Matters: Hemingway, Craft, and the Creation of the Modern Short Story. Five years in, TDO finally devotes a show to Hemingway, and Bob's discussion of Hemingway's craft is profoundly illuminating to how effectively extraordinary Hemingway's aesthetics were. I somehow manage not to tell the story how in my Purdue years, my roommates and I dubbed the more rustic of our two bathrooms as The Ernest Hemingway Memorial toilet, with a lot of great photos of Hem in it.
Jul 8, 2017 • 1h 12min
268: Kathleen Rooney!
On this week's show, I talk to the poet and novelist Kathleen Rooney about the flaneur as geographic narrator of imaginative space, the aesthetic pleasures of walking, writing about New York City, the value of elderly characters, the dramatic provocations of history, and the structure of the novel of memory. TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES On June 16th, I am hosting a fundraiser for the S.A.F.E. Words poetry slam at Writer's Atelier. On July 28th, I am hosting a reading by Jaimal Yogis at the Kerouac House.
Jul 1, 2017 • 1h 15min
267: A Discussion of Stanley Elkin's The Magic Kingdom, with Orlando author Nathan Holic!
On this week's show, I talk to my friend Nathan Holic, who is an Orlando writer and editor of the 15 Views of Orlando anthology series. While in situ at The Contemporary Resort, we discuss the stressors of theme park-going, the uses of such postmodern settings, and the odd counterbalances of melodrama and dark satire in Stanley Elkin's The Magic Kingdom. TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES Mary Cottle's room? The equivalent of room 822 now, but perhaps not back in 1986. (No, we didn't knock on the door.) Check out Nathan's books! On June 16th, I am hosting a fundraiser for the S.A.F.E. Words poetry slam at Writer's Atelier. On July 28th, I am hosting a reading by Jaimal Yogis at the Kerouac House.
Jun 24, 2017 • 1h 11min
266: Shasta Grant!
On this week's show, I talk to fiction writer, Shasta Grant, the Kerouac House resident from the spring of 2017. NOTES Shasta's chapbook is now available from Split Lip Press. On June 16th, I am hosting a fundraiser for the S.A.F.E. Words poetry slam at Writer's Atelier. On July 28th, I am hosting a reading by Jaimal Yogis at the Kerouac House.
Jun 17, 2017 • 59min
265: Todd Boss!
On this week's show, I talk to Todd Boss, whose new book, Tough Luck, includes a poem sequence inspired by the disaster of the I-35W Bridge's collapse in Minneapolis, plus Malcolm Kelly reads his poem, "Visual Vignettes of Some Gay Shit." TEXT DISCUSSED NOTES Check out The Drunken Odyssey's classic Bloomsday show, episode 104. Read Nicole Oquendo's poem, "Binding We," over at The Florida Review.
Jun 10, 2017 • 1h 3min
264: A Craft Discussion of Jhumpa Lahiri''s In Other Words with Vanessa Blakeslee!
In this week's episode, I talk with Vanessa Blakeslee about Jhumpa Lahiri's experiment in becoming an Italian writer, In Other Words.
Jun 3, 2017 • 1h 17min
263: Missy Barnes, Lena Barker, and Nicholas D'Allesandro!
On this week's show, I talk to Missy Barnes, Lena Barker, and Nicholas D'Allesandro about their production of Urinetown. NOTES Follow the Annie Russel theatre here. Check out Episode 119 for Sam Slaughter's essay about Denis Johnson.
May 27, 2017 • 52min
262: David James Poissant's Litlando Keynote!
David James Poissant reads his keynote at Litlando, from February 25th, 2017! TEXTS DISCUSSED
May 20, 2017 • 56min
261: Sarah Gerard!
Episode 261, I interview the prose writer Sarah Gerard about her essay collection, Sunshine State, and her novel, Binary Star.
May 13, 2017 • 58min
260: Jaroslav Kalfař!
260 shows equals a fifth anniversary, I've decided, so it was a pleasure to talk to someone who was here at the very beginning. Jaroslav Kalfař was my occasional co-host to talk about craft books, during those last days of his being an undergraduate at the University of Central Florida. Five years, one MFA, and one novel later, Jaroslav is an international literary phenomenon. We try to catch up and manage to talk about writing along the way, plus Heleen Sikorski reads her poem "Autoerotic Alliteration."
