The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life

418: A Discussion of Joseph Campbell's Hero with 1,000 Faces

03 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

  Vanessa Blakeslee and I discuss the classic of comparative mythology, Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. While this is a work of sc...

417: Jason Z. Morris!

25 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week I talk with the novelist Jason Z. Morris about structuring a novel, learning the confidence to write a novel, how the peer review process in...

416: Kimiko Hahn!

18 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week I talk with the poet Kimiko Hahn about the mysteriousness of objects, the mourning involved in memory, the strange penchant of Dr. Chevalier...

415: Emily Brandt!

11 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week I talk with poet EmilyBrandtabout her new book Falsehood by After Hours Press. We delve into her personal connection with the poems and her ...

414: Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway Review, with Todd James Pierce!

04 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with creative writer and Disney historian Todd James Pierce about the new Disney's Hollywood Studios attraction that le...

413: Escaping from Fire Island!

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus, mid-week episode of The Drunken Odyssey, the game-writing expert Michael Merriam and I read and discuss Escape from Fire Island, a los...

412: A Discussion of Douglas Glover's The Erotics of Restraint, with Vanessa Blakeslee!

28 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, my occasional co-host, Vanessa Blakeslee, and I discuss Douglas Glover's latest collection, The Erotics of Restraint: Essays on Literary F...

411: Paul Lisicky!

21 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week I sit down with novelist and memoirist Paul Lisicky to discuss his new memoir, Later: My Life at The Edge of The World. We dive into the pr...

410: Ron Schneider!

14 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I speak to actor, show writer, and memoirist Ron Schneider about the show business life, theme park creativity, and learning to master new ...

409: Shane Hinton!

07 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I speak to fiction writer Shane Hinton about his poetic, spooky apocalyptic novel, Radio Dark.

408: A Discussion of Paul Fussell's Class with Vanessa Blakeslee!

29 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 408 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on Apple podcasts, stitcher, spotify, o...

407: Nathan Holic!

22 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I talk to my friend and colleague Nathan Holic about his new novel that is a true epic of our hometown (Orlando), Bright Lights, Medium-Siz...

406: Amy Watkins!

15 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I talk to my friend and colleague Amy Watkins about becoming more systematic about submitting work, and about conceiving of book-length pro...

405: Corwin Moore on Richard Pryor!

08 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I talk to my friend Corwin Moore, who is a comic and comedy writer. Our proposed topic of discussion was the greatness of Richard Pryor, w...

404: Susan Lilley!

01 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I talk to my friend, and Orlando's poet laureate, Susan Lilley! TEXT DISCUSSED  

403: Jericho Brown & Richard Blanco!

25 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I talk to two poets. First, I speak with the joyous Jericho Brown about his complex relationship to poetic tradition, identity, and music. ...

402: A Craft Discussion of T.S. Elliot's "Tradition and the Individual Talent" and "Hamlet and Its Problems"!

18 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Vanessa Blakeslee and I assail more essays on the craft of literature, this time two by T.S. Eliot. TEXTS DISCUSSED "Hamlet and Its Proble...

401: Steve Almond and Carolyn Forché!

11 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I offer another round of conversations from Miami Book Fair International, in which I talk to Steve Almond about his favorite novel, Stoner...

400: Nathan Englander!

04 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I talk to fiction writer Nathan Englander about the pressurized form of fictional worlds, giving the reader something worth their time and ...

399: Rion Amilcar Scott!

28 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I talk to fiction writer Rion Amilcar Scott about his extraordinary fiction collection, The World Does Not Require You. We discuss the acad...

398: E. Jean Carroll and Jonathan Safran Foer!

23 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week's show features another pair of episodes from Miami Book Fair International.

397: Tim O'Brien, Chris Ware, & Chip Kidd!

15 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On today's show, I share two interviews. The first is with the fiction writer and memoirist Tim O'Brien about how to live in this world. The second is...

396: A Very Scandinavian Christmas!

08 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In our discussion, Vanessa Blakeslee and I manage to talk about yuletide fellowship, hallucinogens, the possibility of St. Patrick's Day cookies, and ...

395: Karen Best!

01 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

394: Mixtape #12 (Music to Attack Keys By)

22 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Music!

393: Peter Kuper!

16 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk once again with the graphic novelist, Peter Kuper, this time about his latest literary adaptation, Heart of Darkness. ...

392: Jonathan Small!

09 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with podcaster, editor, journalist, and journeyman writer Jonathan Small about how to build a career as a writer who ge...

391: Carmen Maria Machado!

02 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

 Photo by Art Streiber. In this week's episode, I talk with the amazing Carmen Maria Machado about her new experimental memoir, In the Dream House, ...

390: The Batalogues with Patty Hawkins!

26 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

  In this week's episode, I share the talk Patty Hawkins and I had about Todd Phillip's Joker. We put it in a Batman context, and frankly stray far ...

389: Ron Cooper!

19 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I interview Ron Cooper about Florida literature, research, the cultural tensions of Florida, and the mystery of existential ch...

388: Erik Deckers!

12 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I interview Erik Deckersabout how he finished the novel he began as a resident at the Kerouac Project of Orlando. TEXT DISCUS...

387: Mixtape 10 (Dark Thoughts from a Very Pink Room)

05 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

386: A Craft Discussion of Mystery and Manners, with Vanessa Blakeslee and Lisa Roney!

28 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I wear an ugly shirt from outer space  to speak with Vanessa Blakeslee and Lisa Roney about Flannery O'Connor's Mysteries a...

385: Gilbert King!

21 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with historian and crime writer Gilbert King about the history of justice and journalism, the role of luck in research...

384: Review of Galaxy's Edge, with Todd James Pierce!

14 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with creative writer and Disney historian Todd James Pierce about the new developments in role-play storytelling that w...

383: Scott Phillips!

07 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with crime novelist Scott Phillips, author of The Ice Harvest, Cottonwood,Rake, The Adjustment, and other books.

382: Rick Moody!

01 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 382 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on Apple podcasts, stitcher, spotify, or...

381: Deirdre Coyle!

24 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with the fiction writer and essayist Deirdre Coyle about why fantasy can be more real than realism, the video game exp...

380: Binnie Kirshenbaum!

17 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with the novelist Binnie Kirshenbaum about finding one's voice, finding the right point-of-view, avoiding boredom, and...

379: Katharine Smyth!

10 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with the memoirist Katherine Smyth about how literature fills our lives, and is there for us in peculiarly reassuring ...

378: Tim J. Myers!

03 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with the poet Tim J. Myers about spirituality, open systems of belief, and the passion of our favorite music and favor...

377: Liz Prato!

27 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with Liz Prato about being the best haole possible in Hawaii, the mixing of history and memoir, respecting the natural...

376: Kendra Decolo!

20 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with Kendra DeColo about poetry, bohemian misadventures, editing, performing, and more. Photo by Lindsey Rome.

375: Chet Weise!

13 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with Chet Weise, the publisher of Third Man Books. Photo by Jamie Goodsell. TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES This episode is spon...

374: Loose Lips, July 2019!

06 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I share the most recent Loose Lips, the monthly current events literary thing run by Burrow Press, who selected me to curate and emce...

373: Erica Jong!

29 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's show, I talk with the great Erica Jong about writing in one's voice, being in love with language, the discipline of literature, revisio...

372: Arielle Haughee!

22 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's show, I talk with the fiction writer, children's book writer, and revision guru Arielle Haughee. Picture by Sona Photography. TEXTS DIS...

371: C.H. Hooks!

15 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's show, C.H. Hooks and I sit down with some questionable red wine to discuss Florida, Florida literature, and the uses we make of writing...

370: A Discussion of Cory Doctorow's Down & Out in the Magic Kingdom

08 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we go to Walt Disney World with Nathan Holic and David James Poissant in order to discuss Cory Doctorow's science fiction novel, Down and O...

369: Deborah Landau!

01 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to the poet Deborah Landau about her wonderful new poetry collection, Soft Targets, [caption id="attachment_24396" alig...

368: Mitchell S. Jackson!

27 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to Mitchell S. Jackson about finding joy in voice while dwelling on painful material in a memoir and novel. [caption id...

367: A Discussion of Eudora Welty's "Place in Fiction"

20 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Vanessa Blakesleeand I discuss Eudora Welty's "Place in Fiction" (1955). TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES This episode is sponsored by...

366: Mixtape #10!

11 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I share my first mixtape in almost 2 years. Happy writing. Let me know what you think below. NOTES Please buy me.

365: Campbell McGrath

04 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with poet Campbell McGrath about his his new book, Nouns & Verbs, from a luminous lobby in Portland. Photo by Freesia M...

364: Elisa Gabbert!

27 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with poet and essayist Elisa Gabbert about the excitement of short-form essays, the glories of book design, not reading...

363: John King?

20 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, David James Poissant turns the tables on John King and interviews him about the miraculous release of his epic novel, Guy Psyc...

362: Whither, Life Balance? (An AWP Panel)

13 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Chelsey Clammer, David James Poissant, Rion Amalcar Scott, and I discuss how to survive in the writing life before an AWP audi...

361: Sara Batkie!

06 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I go back to Jack Kerouac's house to talk to fellow fiction writer and NYU alum Sara Batkie about Realism, Magic Realism, hist...

360: Poetry Jazz BBQ at jack Kerouac's Place!

30 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Karen Price, Erik Deckers, Terry Ann Thaxton and I read Jack kerouac's poetry to the accompaniment of Ben Deckers's walking ba...

359: Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman!

23 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman about classical music, social class, memoir, and authenticity. Photo by Vanessa Borer. T...

358: Mark Blake, Part 2!

16 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk again with Mark Blake, biographer of Peter Grant, about what happened to Led Zeppelin after Led Zeppelin. Photo by Ross...

357: Mark Blake, Part 1!

09 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to music writer Mark Blake about his new biography of Peter Grant, the man who empowered Led Zeppelin to become the mos...

356: Chad Anderson!

02 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to fiction writer Chad Anderson near the end of his residency at The Kerouac House here in Orlando, Florida. We spoke a...

355: Teresa Carmody!

23 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to fiction writer Teresa Carmody about the joys of making books, the patterns needed for experimental work, and approac...

354: Todd James Pierce!

16 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to Todd James Pierce about his new biography of Ward Kimball from an epic corridor of The Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disn...

353: A Discussion of Two Classic French Post-structuralist Essays!

10 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Vanessa Blakeslee and I survive reading Roland Barthes's "The Death of the Author" and "What is an Author?" by Michel Foucault...

352: Terry Ann Thaxton

02 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I chat with my friend Terry Ann Thaxton about poetry, parents, mortality, yard work, mud, and the underrated useful of writin...

351: Elliot Ackerman!

27 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I speak with the war veteran, journalist, and novelist Elliot Ackerman about composition and revision strategies, and the emo...

350 Eleanor Matthews!

20 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I speak with the Kerouac House's fall 2018 resident, Eleanor Matthews about Victorian novels, characterization and plots, and...

349: A Craft Discussion of The Birth of Tragedy!

13 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I croak with Vanessa Blakeslee and Mark Pisczek about the Apollonian and Dionysian origins of storytelling as explored in Fr...

348: Ben Fountain, Celeste Ng, & Gary Shteyngart!

05 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week has Miami Book Fair International conversations with Ben Fountain,Celeste Ng, and Gary Shteyngart! Ben Fountain and beverages in the Confuci...

347: Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Juan Felipe Herrera, and Billy Collins!

29 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 347 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to down...

346: A Bootlegged Xmas Gift!

22 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Here's a present, something I acquired when collecting bootlegs in the 1990s. I hope you enjoy it while I get over this damned cold.

345: Chip Kidd!

15 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I share a conversation I had with author, editor, comic book fan, and book designer Chip Kidd, from about 40 feet away from Bi...

344: Loose Lips December 2018

08 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I share a recording of Loose Lips, the monthly current events literary thing run by Burrow Press, who selected Katherine J. Pa...

343: A Very Italian Christmas!

01 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with Vanessa Blakeslee about the new story anthology, A Very Italian Christmas, from New Vessel Press. In our disc...

342: Linda Buckmaster!

24 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to poet and memoirist Linda Buckmaster about how our subjects sometimes choose us, the wondrous weirdness of Florida, a...

341: The Interplanetary Acoustic Team!

17 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to Brian Turner & Jared Silvia about making a beautiful, experimental poetic album of space ballads and duets. Episode...

340: LaTanya McQueen!

10 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to creative nonfiction writer LaTanya McQueen about how our stories sometimes choose us, how to write a really good foo...

339: Kimberly Lojewski!

03 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to fiction writer Kimberly Lojewski! TEXT DISCUSSED NOTES Check out my interviews with Tony Hoagland back on episode ...

338: Horror Movie Poetry Night V!

27 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I am joined by Joshua Begley, AC Warner, Katherine Parker, Elise McKenna, Tom Lucas, Amy Watkins, Joshua Dull, Dianne Turgeon...

337: A Roundtable About Stephen King's Danse Macabre!

20 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I am joined by Dale Lucas, Tom Lucas, and Elise McKenna for a deep dive into Stephen King's 1981 treatise on the horror genre...

336: Sean M. Conrey!

13 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to the poet Sean Conrey about poetry, religion, trees, and our long ago time at Purdue University.

335: Jane Ridgeway!

06 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to fiction writer Jane Ridgeway about our stories and characters choosing us instead of the other way around, the deli...

334: Ben Gwin!

29 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to novelist Ben Gwin about postmodern satire, addiction, whether MFAs ruin or sustain writers, and for some reason I i...

333: Peter Kuper!

22 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk to Peter Kuper about Kafka, the remarkable art form of comic books, the indie comic book scene in the late 1980s, Spy ...

332: A Craft Discussion of Chuck Palahniuk's Stranger Than Fiction

15 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 332 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to down...

331: A Celebration of Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums

08 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I host a party in honor of the 60th anniversary of the publication go my favorite Jack Kerouac work, The Dharma Bums.

330: Kurt Vonnegut Roundtable!

01 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I am joined by Chris Lafave, Erik Deckers, and David James Poissant for a discussion of Kurt Vonnegut. TEXTS DISCUSSED NOT...

329: Blair Hurley!

25 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I chat with novelist Blair Hurley about our experiences in NYU's MFA program, how to plot novels, religion, and how to really...

328: Dale Lucas!

18 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I interview Dale Lucas, the author of the Fifth Wardand Doc Voodooseries of novels about exploring ethics in long-form narrative, world-bu...

327: Adrian Todd Zuniga!

11 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I interview Adrian Todd Zuniga, the host of Literary Death Match, about how to plot a novel, and how he plotted his novel, Co...

326: Patrick Greene!

04 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with the Orlando legend, Patrick Greene, about the power of being an autodidact, the importance of curiosity outside ...

325: Abraham Smith!

28 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with the poet Abraham Smith about his latest release, the book-length work, Destruction of Man. TEXT DISCUSSED

324: Vanessa Blakeslee!

21 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with Vanessa Blakeslee about short story writing over the long haul, and about her brand new book, Perfect Conditions...

323: Emily Wilson!

14 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I chat with the classicist and translator, Emily Wilson, whose translation of the Odyssey feels both superbly magical and co...

322: Sean Pratt!

07 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I chat with the actor Sean Pratt, who is approaching his 1,000th audiobook reading. We talk about breaking into voice work, h...

321: A Craft Discussion of Aspects of the Novel, with Vanessa Blakeslee!

30 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, I talk with Vanessa Blakeslee about E. M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel as my copy of it crumbled and dissolved. I defen...

320: Bloomsday 2018!

23 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's program, The Drunken Odyssey enjoys perhaps its final Bloomsday live show, and its perhaps final visit to The Gallery at Avalon Island....

319: Julian Chambliss!

16 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's program, Julian Chambliss returns to the secret headquarters of TDO so we could share notes about the first season of the new televisio...