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

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

John Vanessa Italian Christmas

In our discussion, we manage to talk about yuletide loneliness, poverty, despair, prostitution, elk herds, Christmas, fascism, prostitution, friendship, Paul Auster's screenplay for Smoke, and David Sedaris's classic essay, "Dinah the Christmas Whore."

TEXTS DISCUSSED

A Very Italian ChristmasHolidays on IceSmokeVeryFrenchChristmas-FrontCover

NOTES

Check out Vanessa and I talking about A Very French Christmas from last year.

Check out my interview with Davis Sedarisback on episode 50.

Direct download: The_Drunken_Odyssey_Episode_343.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:52am EDT

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, and how the find form in the flux of composition.

Linda Buckmaster

TEXT DISCUSSED

space heart

Direct download: The_Drunken_Odyssey_Episode_342.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:26pm EDT

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

Interplanetary Acoustic Team

Episode 341 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.

Direct download: The_Drunken_Odyssey_Episode_341.mp3
Category:Arts/Culture/Writing -- posted at: 11:00pm EDT

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 footnote, and how to try to talk about history and race in America.

LaTanya McQueen

TEXT DISCUSSED

And it Begins Like This

Direct download: The_Drunken_Odyssey_Episode_340.mp3
Category:Arts/Culture/Writing -- posted at: 1:01am EDT

In this week's episode, I talk to fiction writer Kimberly Lojewski!

Kimberly Lojewski Author photo

TEXT DISCUSSED

worm-fiddling-nocturne-in-the-key-of-a-broken-heart.w300

NOTES

Check out my interviews with Tony Hoagland back on episode 40and 132.

Direct download: The_Drunken_Odyssey_Episode_339.mp3
Category:Arts/Culture/Writing -- posted at: 9:06pm EDT

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 Richardson, and Vincent CramptonCount Orlock for Horror Movie Poetry Night V!

Direct download: The_Drunken_Odyssey_Episode_338.mp3
Category:Arts/Culture/Writing -- posted at: 12:30am EDT

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, Danse Macabre.

Danse Macabre 2Photo by Katherine J. Parker.

TEXT DISCUSSED

Danse MacabrePhoto by Katherine J. Parker.

NOTES

Check out Don Peteroy's amazing essay on how to read the entire Dark Tower series while still having a life.

Direct download: The_Drunken_Odyssey_Episode_337.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am EDT

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

Sean M Conrey

Direct download: The_Drunken_Odyssey_Episode_336.mp3
Category:Arts/Culture/Writing -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

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 delicious problem of historical fiction, and what teenagers today like to read, among other topics.

[caption id="attachment_23534" align="alignnone" width="2048"]Jane RidgewayJane Ridgeway by Steve Erwin.

Direct download: The_Drunken_Odyssey_335.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:02am EDT

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 insist that he needs to write poetry,

Ben Gwin 2_photo credit Jared Alan Smith

plus I talk to Jared Silvia about synth music, Woody Guthrie, the vagaries of how folk music gets recorded, and Jared's annual recording project every Labor Day.

jaredbio

Direct download: The_Drunken_Odyssey_Episode_334.mp3
Category:Arts/Culture/Writing -- posted at: 12:40am EDT