In this week’s episode, I talk to fiction writer, Irvine Welsh, and share his reading from his new novel, A Decent Ride, at Miami Book Fair. Aleksander Hemon also read from his novel, The Making of Zombie Wars.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

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The Making of Zombie Wars" target="_blank">

NOTES

Thanks to Pressure Wave (Jared Silvia) for his song "Two Thousand Six."

In this week’s episode, I talk to the poets Rita Dove and Robert Pinsky, and share the reading they gave together at Miami Book Fair International.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

Listen to my previous interview with Robert Pinsky here.

In this week’s episode, I talk to the essayist Sarah Sweeney about her debut collection, Tell Me If You're Lying, the impediments and the value the academy can be to writing, and the essential relevance of poetry to the prose arts.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

Read Sarah Sweeney's essay about catfishing musicians here.

In this week’s episode, I talk to fiction writer Glendaliz Camacho near the end of her residency at the Kerouac House in Orlando.

NOTES

Check out Glendaliz's work:

• Pigeons (short story)
• Full Battle Rattle (personal essay)
• Dominoes (short story)

Reinaldo Arenas's story "The Glass Tower" appears in Mona and Other Tales.

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On this week’s show, I talk to the literary historian Bill Savage about the re-release of George Ade's 1931 classic, breezy history of drinking culture in America.

TEXT DISCUSSED

NOTES

Watch and hear Bill's rant against the term dive bar.

In this week’s episode, I present an Election Day version Jesse Bradley’s prose reading series, There Will Be Words, or in this case, There Will Be Words and/or Doom. The readers included  myself,

Rachel Kolman,

Glendaliz Camacho,

And Whitney Hamrick.

Thanks once again to our host, J. Bradley.

On this week’s show, I talk to the nonfiction writer Sayantani Dasgupta about creative nonfiction, the romance of reading, and the powerful appeal of the in-between.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

Listen to Sayantani's essay about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea here.

In this week’s episode, I talk with Vanessa Blakeslee about David Foster Wallace’s “E Unibus Plurim: Television and U.S. Fiction.”

TEXTS DISCUSSED

Read David Foster Wallace’s 1993 essay “E Unibus Plurim: Television and U.S. Fiction” here.

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Save

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On this week’s show, I talk to the nonfiction writer Pamela Skjolsvik about creative nonfiction, anxiety, and death,

plus I briefly eulogize a triumvirate of entertainers: Leonard Cohen, Robert Vaughn, and Kevin Meaney.

TEXT DISCUSSED

NOTES

Check out Pamela Skjolsvik's essay about David Sedaris back on episode 50.

Miami Book Fair International‘s amazing weekend street fair will take place on November 19th and 20th.

In this week’s episode, I talk to the journalist and nonfiction writer, Craig Pittman.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

• On November 8th, come hear me, Gelndaliz Camacho, Rachel Kolman, and Whitney Hamrick read at There Will Be Words at The Gallery at Avalon Island.
• Watch The Drunken Odyssey's latest video: Craig Pittman, Tod Caviness, Jesse Bradley, Susan Fallows, and David Thomas Moran read in the Loose Lips reading series.
• Miami Book Fair International's amazing weekend street fair will take place on November 19th and 20th.

This week is a live show: Horror Movie Poetry Night III. The Drunken Odyssey All Stars were Glendaliz Camacho, Curtis X. Meyer, Stacy Barton, Jim Driggers, Shawn McKee, Jared Silvia, Whitney Hamrick, Teege Braune, & your host, John King.

Episode 229 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.

In this week’s episode, I return to Jesse Bradley’s Halloween installment of his prose reading series, There Will Be Words.

Plus a final performance from The Terrible Mr. Sundrop.

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On this week’s show, I present a quartet of readings from HP Lovecraft: "The Beast in the Cave," "The Tree," "Beyond the Wall of Sleep," and "From Beyond."

Our readers are Chris Booth,

Elise McKenna, and Tom Lucas.

THE TEXT

NOTES

This episode is a companion to Episode 227, a roundtable discussion of Lovecraft.

If you like this show's readings, check out the previous literary reading episode, 123, on the year without a summer that spawned the ghost story contest between Lord Byron, the Shelleys, and Dr. Polidori.

If you are near Orlando on October 19th, come to Horror Movie Poetry Night 3.

In this week’s episode, I and my inestimable guests have a fine conversation about Lovecraft and his bizarre tales and his rather strange life and his exceptionally unfortunate opinions

The participants included Elise McKenna, Tom Lucas,

Julian Chambliss,

and Dianne Turgeon Richardson.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

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In this week’s episode, I talk to poet Vidhu Aggarwal,

plus Adelia Johnson writes about Ned Vizzini's It's Kind of a Funny Story changed her life.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

Check out my essay, "There, But," in the latest issue of Animal: A Beast of a Literary Magazine.

In this week’s episode, I talk to the journalist and historian, Bob Kealing,

plus Heather Whited reads her essay, "Onigiri, Shirasagi, and Me."

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

 The Daytona News-JournalThe Daytona News-Journal documented Edward Albee's involvement with the Atlantic Center for the Arts.

On September 30th, Richard Blanco is coming to Valencia College for the Winter Park Writers’ Festival. Richard Blanco’s reading is FREE, but you MUST reserve a seat via the Festival’s Eventbrite page.

EVENT DETAILS

• Location: Winter Park Campus, Valencia College, 850 W Morse Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32789, Rooms 237/2424
• 4 PM: Community Writing Class with Richard Blanco
  
• 5:30 PM: Open Mic Reading (Emceed by John King)
  
• 7:00 PM: Richard Blanco Reading
  

You can find my interview with Richard Blanco back on episode 76.

The deadline for submissions for Condoms and Hot Tubs Don't Mix is fast approaching.

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In this week’s episode, I talk with Vanessa Blakeslee about Virginia Woolf’s "Modern Fiction" and "Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown,"

plus Mingzhao Xu writes about Diana Gabaldon's Outlanders series changed her life.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

Suki Kim's nuanced take on what happened in Brisbane can be read at The New Republic.

Lionel Shriver's "Identity Politics and Fiction" can be read at The Guardian.

On September 30th, Richard Blanco is coming to Valencia College for the Winter Park Writers’ Festival. Richard Blanco’s reading is FREE, but you MUST reserve a seat via the Festival’s Eventbrite page.

EVENT DETAILS

• Location: Winter Park Campus, Valencia College, 850 W Morse Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32789, Rooms 237/2424
• 4 PM: Community Writing Class with Richard Blanco
  
• 5:30 PM: Open Mic Reading (Emceed by John King)
  
• 7:00 PM: Richard Blanco Reading

Save

In this week’s episode, I talk to the novelist Vu Tran about the appeal of detective fiction, the importance of literary substance over style, the problem with femme fatale characters, the Iowa MFA experience, and many, many other things,

plus Jared Silvia sings another Woody Guthrie number in honor of Labor Day, as part of his annual Labor Day musical project.

TEXT DISCUSSED

NOTES

On September 30th, Richard Blanco is coming to Valencia College for the Winter Park Writers' Festival.

Richard Blanco's reading is FREE, but you MUST reserve a seat via the Festival's Eventbrite page.

EVENT DETAILS

• Location: Winter Park Campus, Valencia College, Rooms 237/2424
• 4 PM: Community Writing Class with Richard Blanco
  
• 5:30 PM: Open Mic Reading (Emceed by John King)
  
• 7:00 PM: Richard Blanco Reading
  

In this week’s episode, I talk to the poet and novelist Ryler Dustin near the end of his residency at the Kerouac House in Orlando, after a weeklong tour of weddings.

We speak about the horrors of what happens to poetry in educational environments, the dawning sense of contemporary poetry as a form of play and life, as opposed to some kind of stillborn puzzle. Ryler also talks about the poetic impulse overtaking him before he even knew what poetry was, and walks me through his experience in slam poetry and MFA life, and the creative writing PhD, and the drive to move beyond genres. For some reason, I bring up my favorite bit of dialogue from the movie Major League despite Bull Durham being a much better movie. The role of honesty and novelty in writing also brilliantly come up. (We were both sober.)

NOTES

• On September 30th, Richard Blanco is headed to Valencia College for its 2016 Winter Park Writers Festival.
• Rest in peace, Mr. Sundrop (Episode 213), or else let your caterwauls join the heavenly chorus.

Episode 222 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.

In this week’s episode, I share There Will Be Fan Fiction 2, a special edition of Jesse Bradley’s prose reading series, There Will Be Words.

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This installment features the fan fiction of Shauna Basques (Jason Todd-era Batman), J. Bradley himself (The Mighty Ducks/Fatal Attraction crossover, obviously), Brontë Bettencourt (Frozen), A. C. Warner (Star Trek: The Next Generation, as read by me), and me (Flash Gordon).

NOTES

Check out the first installment of There Will Be Fan Fiction, which featured Teege Braun writing Small Wonder, Jared Silvia writing King of the Hill, Stephanie Rizzo writing about a post-apocalyptic Lewis and Clarke, Genevieve Anna Tyrrell writing Dexter, and me, that is John King, writing a Benny Hill Show/Ace Frehley crossover that includes David Foster Wallace, Yoda, My Little Pony, and a hint of Cthulu.

Also check out J. Bradley's latest book, Jesus Christ, Boy Detective, and here us talk about it back on episode 216.

Check out Brontë Bettencourt's blog, 21st Century Brontë.

In this week’s episode, I talk to my friend, fiction writer Sam Slaughter, who I met back in 2014, when he wrote a little something about Denis Johnson's Jesus' Son for the show. We talk about his short story collection, God in Neon, his chapbook, When You Cross That Line (inspired by Florida Man stories), alcoholism, how we evolve as writers, and the Orlando writing scene.

plus Tom McAllister of Book Fight fame reads his personal essay, "A Brief History of World Travel (Part 8): Notes on Baltimore, MD."

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

• Check out Sam Slaughter's website.
• Hear Sam read his essay about Denis Johnson's Jesus's Son back on episode 119.
• Or hear Sam read his essay about his misadventures in brewing beer back on episode 126.
• Or hear Sam reads his essay about helping himself to some sacramental wine as part of our Repeal Day 2014 show back on episode 129.
• Read the text of A Brief History of World Travel (part 8) - Notes on Baltimore, MD, or check out Tom McAllister's other essays in this series, and his other work, on his website.
• Consider pre-ordering Tom McAllister's forthcoming novel, The Young Widower's Handbook.

Listen to the music of The Bambi Molesters.

Episode 220 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.

Save

Episode 219 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.

In this week’s episode, I share a recording of Loose Lips, the monthly current events literary thing hosted by the inestimable Tod Caviness.

The line up on that evening was Ryan Rivas,

my awesome self,

 Mary McGinn,

Logan Anderson,

and Amy Watkins!

In this week’s episode, I talk to historian and creative writer Todd James Pierce,

plus Heather Whited reads her essay, "The General."

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTE

Check out the Disney History Institute.

In this week’s episode, I talk with Vanessa Blakeslee about On Writing, a book of selections from Charles Bukowski's letters,

plus poet Henry Hughes writes me a letter about his own correspondence with Bukowski back from 1989 and 1991.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

• On August 2nd, I'll be reading in Tod Caviness's Loose Lips reading series at L'il Indies.
• On August 9th, I'll be reading at THERE WILL BE FAN FICTION at The Gallery at Avalon Island.
• Check out Henry Hughes's website here.

In this week’s episode, I talk to J. Bradley about his new novel, Jesus Christ, Boy Detective,

plus Tom McAllister reads his essay, "A Brief History of World Travel, Part 6."

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

• For those of you who'd like to read "A Brief History of World Travel, Part 6," or follow Tom McAllister in general, go here.
• Subscribe to The Florida Review for only $15 a year.

In this week's episode, I interview actor and author Lisa Wolpe about her one woman show, Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender, plus Mistie  Watkins reads her essay "Why I Write."

Save

Episode 213 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.

In this week’s episode, I share a recording of a joint production of The Drunken Odyssey, The Functionally Literate Reading Series, and the In Between Series: an experimental show called The Pink Fire Revue.

This featured the musicians John Curtis, Derek Duda (Dudagruv), Jared Silvia (Pressurewave), and visual artist Ginger Leigh (Synthestruct),

and the writers, namely myself,

Nicole Oquendo,

Mary McGinn,

Tod Caviness,

&, by proxy, The Terrible Mr. Sundrop.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

If you like in the city beautiful that is Orlando, do check out Bright Light Books, my favorite local used book store, especially for their overstock sales every Saturday.

Episode 213 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.

In this week’s episode, I interview fiction writer and humorist Erik Deckers,

plus Emma Atkinson reads her essay, "The Little Maybe."

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

Follow Erik's humor columns here, his professional blog here, or on twitter.

Check out Chuck Cannini's review of New York Classical Theatre's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

In this week’s episode, we have a roundtable discussion of Hunter S. Thompson.

The participants included Geoffe Benge, Frank Messina, Josh Dull, Shawn McKee,

and Dianne Turgeon Richardson.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

In this week’s episode, I interview fiction writer and philosopher Ron Cooper,

plus I chat with actor Jeremy Palko, who many of you might recognize as Andy from season 6 of The Walking Dead.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

In this week’s episode, I share a recording of the latest live performance of The Drunken Odyssey All Stars, in The Ink Show.

This performance included your humble host,

Teege Braune,

Nicole Oquendo,

Mistie Watkins,

Adrian Alexander,

Stephanie Rizzo,

Tom Lucas,

and Amy Watkins.

NOTES

Infinite thanks to Beyond Ink Tattoos in Winter Park.

Listen to the powerful surf rock of The Intoxicators.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

In this week’s episode, I interview fiction writer Mark Leyner,

plus Catherine Carson writes about how Kelly Groome's I Wore the Ocean in the Shape of a Girl changed her life.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

The music accompanying Catherine Carson’s essay is “Wingspan” by Carlton Melton, from their album “Photos of Photos.”

Check out the music of The Tequila Worms.

In this week’s episode, I interview the novelist and poet Jeffrey Ethan Lee,

plus Heather Whited reads another travel memoir essay, "Masada."

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

• Check out Jeffrey's first appearance on TDO, back on Episode 111.
• The Pink Fire Revue is a Modular Collective Art event on June 4th at 7pm at the Gallery At Avalon Island.  Poetry by John King, Nicole Oquendo, Tod Caviness, and Mary McGinn. Visualizations by Synthestruct. Improvised electronic music by Jon Curtis, Dudagruv, and Pressure wave. The Pink Fire Revue is presented by Functionally Literate, The Drunken Odyssey, and The In-Between Series. This event is free and open to the public.
• Follow The In Between Series here.oad.

In this week’s episode, I share a recording of latest Best Of show in Jesse Bradley’s prose reading series, There Will Be Words, in which I was a reader, along with Tom Lucas, Jared Silvia, and Karen Price.

NOTES

If you live in the City Beautiful, that is Orlando, come see me collaborate with others in The Pink Fire Revue on Saturday, June 4th.

In this week’s episode, I talk about Wallace Stevens's "The Noble Rider and the Sound of Words" with Vanessa Blakeslee,

Plus Tom McAllister reads his essay, “A Brief History of World Travel, Part 1: Notes on Portland Maine.”
 

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

Check out The Two Cities Review, as well as its podcast.

If you want to read Tom McAllister's “A Brief History of World Travel, Part 1: Notes on Portland Maine,” go here.

Check out my review of Book Fight, or Book Fight itself.

In this week’s episode, I throw myself into the Star Wars universe from a writer's perspective.

NOTE: This show was not authorized by Lucasfilm or any other company.

NOTES

Learn more about Marcia Lucas's influence on 2.5 of the early Star Wars films here.

In this week’s episode, I interview poet Campbell McGrath about XX, his tenth book of poetry.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

All 7 panels from Litlando 2016 are now available on youtube here.

Read Amy Watkins's review of XX here.

My creative nonfiction piece, "Just Barely," recently appeared in the Fantastic Floridas section of Burrow Press Review.

My flash fiction, "Gentle Spirit," appeared in THAT Literary Review #1.

On May 10th, I'll be reading with Jared Silvia, Tom Lucas, and Karen Price in The Best of There Will Be Words.

Check out "The Battle Over the Sea Monkey Fortune" at The New York Times Magazine.

The Picasso film I reference is The Mystery of Picasso, from 1956, which is not actually in the 1970s at all.

Check out the music of The Bambi Molesters. Their songs "Rising East" (As the Dark Wave Swells) and "Chaotica" (from Sonic Bullets: 13 from the Hip) are heard on this episode.

In this week’s episode, I share Litlando 2016's publishing panel, featuring Danita Berg, Lisa Roney, Raquel Henry, and Ryan Rivas.

plus Chris Bedell writes about how Sara Shephard's Pretty Little Liars: Toxic changed his life.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

Check out the music of The Tequila Worms.

In this week’s episode, I present my lecture, Postmodernism for Creative Writers.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

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In this week’s episode, I talk to the poet and memoirist Brian Turner,

plus Heather Whited reads her essay, "Scotland Break Up."

TEXTS DISCUSSED NOTES

According to The Guardian, some readers were not amused by Calvin Trillan's "Have They Run Out of Provinces Yet?".

In this week’s episode, I talk to the New York Times bestselling novelist Ridley Pearson from Walt Disney World,

plus Mistie Watkins writes about how The Night Circus changed her life.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

TEXTS DISCUSSED

In this week’s episode, I talk about Carole Maso's Break Every Rule with Vanessa Blakeslee,

plus Jeremy DaCruz writes about a lucky day on the Econlockhachee River.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

Episode 196 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing, literature, and drinking, is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.

In this week’s episode, I interview the actor Joe Vincent,

Plus John McMahon writes about how Moby Dick changed his life.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

In this week’s episode, I interview the creative nonfiction writer Sarah Viren,

Plus Amy Oestreicher writes about a book that changed her life.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

Sarah Viren's My Murderer's Futon.

NOTES

Learn more about Sarah Viren here.

Learn more about Amy Oestreicher, including upcoming dates of her one-woman show, Gutless and Grateful, here.

In this week’s episode, I interview the poet J. Scott Brownlee,

plus Dan Lauer reads his memoir essay, "Helen of Troy."

TEXTS DISCUSSED

In this week’s episode, I interview fiction writer Mary Gaitskill, and share her reading from Miami Book Fair International,

plus Beverly Army Williams and I discuss Mary Gaitskill's new novel, The Mare.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

Check out Beverly Army Williams's site, Mothershould.

Get tickets for Litlando here.

The music used in this show was by Michael Hearst. "Alprazolam" (Songs for Fearful Flyers) and "Nicht Lustig Fight" (Film Music and Other Scores, Vol. 1) appeared in the opening, and "Theme From Magic Camp" (Film Music and Other Scores, Vol. 1) at the close.

Check out his wonderful music.

If you live in Orlando, check out Orlando Shakespeare Theater's 2016 production of The Tempest.

This week features our 4th annual Erotic Poetry Night, featuring Jesse Bradley, Teege Braune, Stephanie Rizzo, Danielle Kessinger, Amy Watkins, David James Poissant, Ashley Inguanta, Sarah Viren, and (ahem) John King.

In this week’s episode, I interview poet Erin Belieu,

plus I share the Miami Book Fair International reading she participated in with Carl Phillips, Rowan Ricardo Phillips, and Kevin Young.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

• Check out my first interview with Erin Belieu back on episode 44, when we talked about VIDA and the count.
• On Superbowl Sunday, February 7, 7 P.M., The Drunken Odyssey will be Super Balling at Writer’s Atelier. More info is here.

Get tickets for Litlando here.

In this week’s episode, I interview Adrian Todd Zuniga, the host of Literary Death Match,

plus Heather Whited writes about how Susanna Clark's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

Learn More about Literary Death Match here.

Get tickets for Litlando here.

In this week’s episode, I talk about Lawrence Ferlinghetti's Poetry as Insurgent Art with Vanessa Blakeslee,

Plus Alice Lowe writes about how Virginia Woolf's A Writer's Diary changed her life.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

Coney Island was much more interesting in 1907 than it turned out to be in 2007 when I visited.

Parachute Literary Arts managed a much better poetic experience at Coney Island.

_____

Episode 189 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on iTunes, or right click here to download.

In this week’s episode, I interview memoir writer J.J. Anselmi,

Plus Patty Hawkins eulogizes David Bowie.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

Check out Drew Perlmutter's kickstarter campaign for his upcoming documentary, US Highway 98: The Florida I Never Knew. He was my cinematographer for The Drunken Odyssey's first documentary, The Weeki Wachee Spectacular.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7Cg6lFnfl4

Patty Hawkin's recommends Bowie's Jazzin for Blue Jean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXvAaNcXNzI

In this week’s episode, I interview fiction writer Kelly Link,

Plus I share the reading she participated in, "Short Stories, Tall Tales," also featuring Adam Johnson and Padgett Powell.

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

• A Quaker high school in Philadelphia has removed Huckleberry Finn from its curriculum.
• Mein Kampf will be published in Germany for the first time in 70 years.
• Neil Gaiman straightened out an impatient George R. R. Martin fan back in 2009, which is perhaps why fans are being nicer to Martin right now, after he missed a deadline for the latest installment of A Song of Ice and Fire.

In this week’s episode, I interview the poet and memoirist Nick Flynn,

Plus I share the reading he participated in about 45 minutes after our interview, a reading that also included Ed Skoog and Denise Duhamel (Episode 134).

TEXTS DISCUSSED