The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life
Episodes
709: Philip Schultz!
28 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John speaks with the poet Philip Schultz about his wonderful new poetry collection, Enormous Morning. We discuss the self-critic...
708: Felicia Day!
21 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John speaks with the writer and actor, Felicia Day about her extraordinary page-turner of a graphic novel, The Lost Daughter of S...
707: Shawn Welcome!
14 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, the poet Shawn Welcome and I talk about how to love poetry, how to gather together our literary communities, and our beloved city...
706: Richard Blanco!
07 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's program, I catch up with the amazing Richard Blanco about his recent collected poems, Homeland of my Body, a book sandwiched with two s...
705: Mamie Pound!
28 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's program, I talk to Mamie Pound about how flash fiction works, poetry, and finding the authentic, messy, true emotion and understanding ...
704: Elliot Ackerman
22 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's program, I talk to Elliot Ackerman about his new novel, Sheepdogs, a hell of a military caper story.
703: A Discussion of Anaïs Nin's Delta of Venus, with Dianne Turgeon Richardson!
14 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Valentine's Day, world! Listen to Dianne Turgeon Richardson and I discuss the memorable, occasionally exhausting, and morally iffy smut of Anaï...
702: A Discussion of Lucasta Miller's The Brontë Myth, with Sophia Ferrara.
07 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After reading some of Charlotte Brontë's Tales of Angria (#682), John and Sophia go a-Brontë-ing again. They discuss Lucasta Miller's extraordinary ...
701: Greg Proops!
31 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, I speak with the comedian Greg Proops about comedy writing, comedy performance, improv, politics, film, and more.
700: Chuck Klosterman!
17 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On #700, John speaks with the underrated novelist and essay writer Chuck Klosterman about his wickedly funny and ever-insightful new book called Footb...
699: Aymann Ismail!
10 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, Samantha Nickerson interviews the journalist and memoirist about his new book, Becoming Baba: Fatherhood, Faith, and Finding Meaning ...
598: Descartes a Kant!
03 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, John interviews the rock band Descartes a Kant about the creation of exciting twenty-first century theatrical rock and roll. Listen t...
697: Todd James Pierce!
27 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, M...
Episode 696: The Kerouac Project of Orlando Book Club Discussion of William S. Burroughs's Interzone (with Matt Peters)!
20 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this show, John and Matt Peters continue The Kerouac Project Book Club with a discussion of William S. Burrough's third fiction manuscript, Interzo...
695: Loose Lips December 2025!
13 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Drunken Odyssey commandeered the Loose Lips oratory series during the tidings of yule and whatnot on December 2, 2025. The readers included Fred L...
694: Anne Waldman!
06 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John interviews the poet Anne Waldman about her extraordinary new work, Mesopotopia.
693: Emily Van Duyne
29 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Van Duyne discusses her remarkable tome of scholarship on Sylvia Plath, including a literary history of how Plath's legacy has been shaped. Emil...
692: November 22, 2025 (Fire x Fire x Fire with Dianne Turgeon Richardson and Tod Caviness!)
22 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
691: AJ Rodriguez!
16 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, John speaks with fiction writer A.J. Rodriguez, the June-July 2025 Kerouac Project of Orlando resident.
690: Ivonne Lamazares!
01 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, John speaks with Ivonne Lamazares about her new novel, The Tilting House.
689: Schloctoberfest 2025 #4: A Discussion of Night of the Living Dead, with Jeff Shuster
25 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At the end of Schloctoberfest 2025, Jeff Shuster and I discuss the 1968 horror masterpiece Night of the Living Dead because how could we not? Our fora...
688: Schloctoberfest 2025 #3: A Discussion of Seconds, with Jeff Shuster
18 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This time around, Jeff Shuster and John discuss John Frankenheimer's thriller Seconds from 1966.
687: Schloctoberfest 2025 #2: A Discussion of The Sword of Doom, with Jeff Shuster!
11 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, Jeff Shuster and John King delve into an existentially strange antihero story that feels a bit crazy and not entirely complete.
686: Schloctoberfest 2025 #1: A Discussion of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! with Jeff Shuster
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In October, The Drunken Odyssey crams Literature aside to consider wild, dark fun cinema with our curator of Schlock, Jeff Shuster! This year, John an...
685: A Discussion of Sylvia Plath's The Colossus and Other Poems (with Rachael Tillman)
30 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sylvia Plath is legendary for being a tragic poet mostly known for her novel, The Bell Jar. John and Rachael are fans of Plath's poetry and The Bell J...
684: A Pop Poetry Conversation about Megan Fox's Pretty Boys are Poisonous
23 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This conversation with Samantha Nickerson, Brian Salmans, and Rachael Tillman will give you some idea of the mischief you are missing out on, and the ...
683: Eugenio Negro!
16 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, John speaks with the fiction writer, cartoonist, and musician Eugenio Negro about his new novel, Despair Priorities, the long term project,...
682: A Discussion of Charlotte Brontë's Tales of Angria, with Sophia Ferrara
09 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sophia Ferrara joins John down the rabbit hole of Charlotte Brontë's early private storytelling.
681: The Kerouac Project of Orlando Book Club Discussion of William S. Burrough's Junky (with Matt Peters)!
02 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John teams up once again with his friend Matt Peters to discuss the second book of William S. Burroughs's original quartet of nov...
680: Katharine Coldiron!
26 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's show, I speak with the essayist Katharine Coldiron about how the way we watch movies are sometimes our autobiographies, sometimes our philo...
679: Keith Mackenzie!
19 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On 679, John speaks with the novelist Keith MacKenzie about how to plan an unplannable thriller, and how body horror and comedy and existentialism are...
678: Zach Zimmerman!
05 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On 678, John speaks with recent Kerouac Project of Orlando resident Zach Zimmerman about memoir, memories, childhood, comedy, tragedy, the problems o...
677: A Discussion of The Collected Poems of Hannah Arendt, with Rachael Tillman!
29 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, transl...
676: Skye Jackson!
21 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 sit...
675: Tom McAllister!
14 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, John speaks with Tom McAllister about writing burnout, writing prompts, revision, and discovery, as well as Tom's wonderful new colle...
Replay: Episode 130 with Jaquira Díaz
07 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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.
674: Peter Kuper!
31 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's art-infused program, Drew Barth speaks with comic book legend Peter Kuper about his wonderful new book, Insectopolis, a project created dur...
673: A Discussion of William S. Burroughs's Junky, with Matt Peters!
24 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 d...
672: Dan Reiter Event!
17 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, touchi...
671: Dmetri Kakmi!
10 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
670: A Discussion of the Ewoks Trilogy, with Jeff Shuster!
04 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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-discuss...
669: Shelley Fisher Fishkin
27 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this show, John speaks with the literary scholar, Shelley Fisher Fishkin, who writes lucidly about classic American fiction in readable, important,...
Replay Episode: Tessa Mellas (Episode 70, from 2013)
19 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While John attempts his convalence from his contempible cold, here is a replay of a classic episode from 2013 with the fiction writer Tessa Mellas.
668: Margie Sarsfield
12 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Margie Sarsfield's debut novel, Beta Vulgaris, a hipster Brooklyn couple take on temporary work at a Minnesota beet farm at harvest time in order t...
667: Samantha Nickerson interviews Sally Wen Mao and Susan Mauddi Darraj
05 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this show, correspondent Samantha Nickerson speaks with Sally Wen Mao about her story collection, Ninetails, plus Samantha speaks with Susan Maudd...
666: A Discussion of David Lynch's Ronnie Rocket, with Stephen McClurg!
29 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In honor of the passing of David Lynch, John and Stephen McClurg discuss the peculiar mysteries of a screenplay for a legendary project that was never...
665: Jaydra Johnson!
22 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John speaks with Jaydra Johnson about her new book, Low: Notes on Art and Trash, and the tensions and connections between class ...
664: Rigoberto Gonzales & Richard Blanco!
16 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's show, I speak with the poet and editor Rigoberto Gonzales about the curation of the Library of America anthology of Latino Poetry. Then Ric...
663: A Discussion of Bill Knott's Corpse and Beans, with Rachael Tillman.
08 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
0On #633, Rachael Tillman and I discuss the surreal paradoxes and sullen joys of Bill Knott's debut collection of poetry, The Naomi Poems: Corpse and...
662: Rufi Thorpe & Susan Minot (Interviewed by Samantha Nickerson)
01 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, Samantha Nickerson speaks with fiction writer Rufi Thorpe about her striking novel Margo's Got Money Problems. In this episo...
661: Kathy Fish!
22 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, John interviews the notable flash fiction writer Kathy Fish about the anxious nuances of that medium and genre. Is flash fiction just...
660: A Discussion About John D. MacDonald, with Andrew Gulli and Maynard MacDonald
15 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, John discusses the career of crime novelist John D. MacDonald (1916-1986) in light of a new posthumous short story, "The Accomplice."...
659: Duy Đoàn!
08 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 659, John talks to poet Duy Đoàn about his latest collection, Zombie Vomit Mad Libs, the poetic provocations of horror films, and experimenting w...
Replay: Episode 99: Kseniya Melnik (2014)!
01 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's replay episode, John talks with fellow classmate, the fiction writer Kseniya Melnik.
658: Denise Duhamel!
25 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John talks to the delightful poet Denise Duhamel about the nuts and bolts of poetry, the construction of themed collections, Bar...
657: Daniel Handler, Griffin Dunne, and Ridley Pearson!
19 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week's show collects three interviews with prose writers Daniel Handler, Griffin Dunne, and Ridley Pearson in joyful, fun conversations conducted...
656: Fire by Fire by Fire with Dianne Turgeon Richardson and Tod Caviness!
11 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
John convenes with Loose Lips hosts Dianne Turgeon Richardson for a poetry game in which three friends draw themed cards and read original poems someh...
655: Steve Chang!
04 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, John talks to recent Kerouac Project resident Steve Chang about writing humor with vulnerability, complicating the absurdity of t...
654: David Kirby, Traci Brimhall, & Robert Pinsky
28 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week's show collects three interviews with poets David Kirby, Traci Brimhall, and Robert Pinsky in joyful, fun conversations conducted last Novem...
653: Dobby Gibson, interviewed by Chrissy Kolaya!
21 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show Chrissy Kolaya talks to Dobby Gibson about his latest poetry volume, Hold Everything, now out with Graywolf Press.
652: Jonathan Lethem!
14 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John speaks with Jonathan Lethem about the pull of Brooklyn and obsession, the craft of guiding the reader through unusual storyt...
651: The Drunken Odyssey Takes Over Loose Lips for December 2024!
07 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features a Drunken Odyssey takeover of Orlando's longest-running, and also only, current-events inspired reading series.
650: C. Michelle Lindley!
30 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John speaks with debut novelist C. Michelle Lindley's, whose The Nude is a page-turning literary meditation on the madness of the...
649: Ezza Ahmed!
23 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On #649, John speaks with recent writer-in-residence at the Kerouac Project of Orlando, the poet Ezza Ahmed.
648: Yuval Sharon!
16 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John talks to opera director Yuval Sharon about the past and perhaps future rebirths of opera, while advocating for the relevance...
647: Billy Collins!
10 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, John King talks to the two-time former poet laureate Billy Collins about his latest collection, Water, Water, and how, if the win...
646: Charles Bock!
02 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On #646, John talks to Charles Bock about his extraordinary new memoir, how to make grief readable, the everyday struggles of writing and publishing, ...
645: Schloctoberfest 2024 #4 (A Discussion of Pink Flamingos & Desperate Living with Jeff Shuster)
26 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On #645, Jeff Shuster and John King delve into two miraculously trashy John Waters films from the 1970s, Pink Flamingos (1972) and Desperate Living ...
644: Schloctoberfest 2024 #3 (A Discussion of Eraserhead with Jeff Shutter)
19 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, Jeff Shuster and I delve into David Lynch's first film feature, Eraserhead. We consider the existential threat of re-animated chi...
643: Schloctoberfest 2024 #2 (A Discussion of THX 1138 with Jeff Shuster)!
12 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, Jeff Shuster and I delve into George Lucas's debut film feature, a science fiction epic that isn't the one you are thinking of. T...
642: Schloctoberfest 24.1: A Discussion of David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future with Jeff Shuster!
05 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, Jeff Shuster and I discuss the existential provocations of two films called Crimes of the Future, both created by David Cronenber...
641: Catching Up with Samantha Nickerson!
29 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On #641, John and Samantha Nickerson catch up and discuss Miami Book Fair, Celebrity Poetry, the comic mask, and the acting careers of James Franco, J...
Replay: Episode 537: Michael Wheaton (2022)!
21 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's replay episode, John talks with the writer, publisher, and podcaster, Michael Wheaton (from 2022). Thanks to Brian Salmons!
640: Alex Gurtis!
15 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On #640, John talks about poetry and bookselling and MFA programs and AWP conferences and Florida literature with Alex Gurtis, whose latest chapbook, ...
639: An Introduction without an Interview, Plus Fred Lambert with the Booze News Roundup!
08 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today's show, John talks about NaNoRiMo's new AI policy, the lameness of relatability as a value, and Elmore Leonard's 10 rules for writing, plus F...
638: Jennifer Maonocherian!
01 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, John speaks with the screenwriter and novelist Jennifer Manocherian about building characters, planning stories, and the discoveries...
637: Tiffany Midge!
24 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, John speaks with the poet Tiffany Midge about the vibrant, often overlooked roles of humor and entertainment in poetry. They also tal...
636: Jeff Alessandrelli
17 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On #636, John talks to Jeff Alessandrelli about his new novel, And Yet. They discusse the existentital torment of desire, the problem of overthinking ...
635: Michael Wheaton!
10 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, John talks to his friend Michael Wheaton about how to live in think in a media-saturated American life, which is the subject of h...
634: A Discussion of Jewel's A Night Without Armor (with Rachael Tillman & Samantha Nickerson)
03 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, Rachel Tillman, Samantha Nickerson, and John King join the nocturnal jousting in a conversation about Jewel's A Night Without ...
633: Todd James Pierce!
27 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show John speaks with Todd James Pierce about Larry Watkin and his history with Walt Disney as a novelist, screenwriter, and producer. ...
632: A Discussion of Nicholson Baker's The Anthologist with Rachael Tillman!
20 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, Rachael Tillman and I break some standards of academia as we discuss the poetry insights of Paul Chowder, the narrator of Nich...
Replay: Episode 295 with Charles Simic & Richard Blanco!
13 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this replay episode, I talk to the late Charles Simic about James Tate, Kansas surrealism, humor in poetry, and embracing the unconscious, plus I t...
631: Blake Sanz!
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show John talks to Blake Sanz, author of The Boundaries of Their Dwelling, about the intertwining short stories within the book and the...
630: Juli Min, interviewed by Samantha Nickerson!
29 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, Samantha Nickerson talks to Juli Min about reverse-chronology narratives and the captivation of surprises in following characters...
629: Li-Young Lee (interviewed by Chrissy Kolaya)!
22 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show Chrissy Kolaya talks to Li-Young Lee about his latest collection of poems, The Invention of the Darling. Together they explore the...
628: Kent Wascom!
15 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, John King talks to the novelist Kent Wascom about the continuation of the Woolsack legacy in his new novel, The Great State of We...
627: David McLoghlin!
08 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show, Johnj talk to the poet David McLoghlin about his newest collection of poems, Crash Centre, and history, religion, rugby, boarding...
626: Ian Patterson, interviewed by Chelsea Alice (Redux)!
01 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chelsea Alice interviewed Ian Patterson back on episode 589, but they had much more to talk about, so here is another round of frank, literary convers...
625: Daniel Handler!
25 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John talks with Daniel Handler about the absurd fun of stress-testing reality, the joys of listening to Sun Ra & Prince, the effi...
624: Ann Hood!
18 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After discussing World War I with Michael Korda on episode 622, this week I speak with Ann Hood about her newest novel, The Stolen Child, which featur...
Replay: Episode 278 with Brittany Perham
11 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks to Brian Salmons for bumpering this replay episode.
623: Nicholson Baker!
04 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John talks with Nicholson Baker about the potential sorrows of writing, the drive to discover joy, and the need to explore other ...
622: Michael Korda!
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John talks with prose writer Michael Korda about telling the historical stories of the poets of World War I.
621: Tyler Mills!
20 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John talks with Tyler Mills about her extraordinary multimedia memoir, a poetic people's history of America's secretive relations...
620: A Discussion of Asteroid City, with Jared Silvia!
13 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John talks with Jared Silvia about the 2023 film, Asteroid City, and look at how Wes Anderson and co-writer Roman Coppola counter...
619: Jessie Ren Marshall!
06 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John talks with Jessie Red Marshall about her extraordinary short story collection, Women! In! Peril! The topics discussed includ...
618: A Book Discussion of Kenneth Patchen's Memoirs of a Shy Pornographer, with Nick Georgoudiou!
30 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John and Nick Georgoudiou discuss Kenneth Patchen's surreal postmodern novel, Memoirs of a Shy Pornographer, before a small crowd...
617: Marie Mutsuki Mockett!
23 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's show, John talks to Marie Mutsuki Mockett about her exquisite new novel, The Tree Doctor, which leads us to the topics of Japanese lite...
616: A Book Discussion of George Saunders's A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, with Rachael Tillman!
16 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today's show, Rachael and I discuss George Saunders's discussion of seven short stories by Russian authors. Since Saunders's book is the result of ...