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 commerce of art and labor and relationships and all sorts of things.

On #649, John speaks with recent writer-in-residence at the Kerouac Project of Orlando, the poet Ezza Ahmed.

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 of this provocative art form. Yuval's new book, A New Philosophy of Opera, is lucid, persuasive, passionate, and fun.

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 window doesn't open up for the composition of poetry, once should strive to find a trampoline in the woods, and how one can learn from the poetic breakers of decorum.

On #646, John talks to Charles Bock about his extraordinary new memoir, how to make grief readable, the everyday struggles of writing and publishing, and the sacred perfection of the film of The Princess Bride.

On #645, Jeff Shuster and John King delve into two miraculously trashy John Waters films from the 1970s, Pink Flamingos (1972) and Desperate Living (1977), to cap off our annual Schloctoberfesting.

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 chickens, hyper-sexual surrealism, and other important matters.

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. This early '70s work helps us understand what was once called The New Hollywood, and how George Lucas's strengths and weaknesses are on display in this memorable movie.

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 Cronenberg.

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, Jack Nicholson, and Robin Williams in a totally linear conversation.

In this week's replay episode, John talks with the writer, publisher, and podcaster, Michael Wheaton (from 2022).

Thanks to Brian Salmons!

On #640, John talks about poetry and bookselling and MFA programs and AWP conferences and Florida literature with Alex Gurtis, whose latest chapbook, When the Ocean Comes to Me, is now out with Bottlecap Press.

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 Fred Lambert shares a booze news roundup!

On this episode, John speaks with the screenwriter and novelist Jennifer Manocherian about building characters, planning stories, and the discoveries made while drafting.

On this episode, John speaks with the poet Tiffany Midge about the vibrant, often overlooked roles of humor and entertainment in poetry. They also talk about James Cameron's Aliens, popular culture as metaphor, and serial killers.

On #636, John talks to Jeff Alessandrelli about his new novel, And Yet. They discusse the existentital torment of desire, the problem of overthinking the problem of overthinking, and the role of desire in literature, psychology, and history.

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 his new book, Home Movies, available through Bunny Books.

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 Armor. This is a taste of what will be coming to my Patreon content, once I launch a Patreon page for this podcast.

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. They explore the 1940s to the 1960s of Watkin’s career and the common themes present throughout his risky live-action Disney projects such as Darby O’Gill, Robin Hood, and Treasure Island.

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 Nicholson Baker's 2009 comic novel, The Anthologist.

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 talk to Richard Blanco about the accidents that turn us into artists, the grind of editing, and the joys of finding new forms and challenges.

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 journeys of emotional vulnerability, writing as a grad student, and wooden planks reminiscent of Theseus.

On this week's show, Samantha Nickerson talks to Juli Min about reverse-chronology narratives and the captivation of surprises in following characters over decades.

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 rooms of poetry, the systems of the human imagination, and the voice of angels.

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 West Florida. We discuss the vibrantly chaos of Florida, the postmodern pulp possibilities of the western genre, and the importance of a great book cover.

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 school, trauma, and exiting the comforts of metaphor.

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 conversation, this time about translating Charles Fourier and Patterson's original poetry as well.

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 efficacy of writing on ordinary writing pads, and the importance of waiting for the good stuff to come to us as writers.

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 features a storyline about artists during World War I. During this interview, I may have defended IHOP perhaps too strenuously. Talking with Ann was, as always, charming.

Thanks to Brian Salmons for bumpering this replay episode.

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 creative endeavors besides writing.

In this week’s show, John talks with prose writer Michael Korda about telling the historical stories of the poets of World War I.

In this week’s show, John talks with Tyler Mills about her extraordinary multimedia memoir, a poetic people’s history of America’s secretive relationship to the atomic bomb.

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 counterbalances surges of emotion with layers of artifice, which is a mixed metaphor, we know.

In this week’s show, John talks with Jessie Red Marshall about her extraordinary short story collection, Women! In! Peril! The topics discussed include how story collections are like mixtapes, how thematic unity occurs brilliantly by accident, and how the interesting questions to ask ourselves in writing fiction is often what about ourselves, as writers, is problematic to ourselves.

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 gathered at the Kerouac Project of Orlando.

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 literature, The Tale of Genji, and how the ancient world is surprisingly like our own.

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 teaching these stories in MFA craft courses over multiple decades, this book and today's discussion simulates an important part of the MFA experience, for those who wonder what that might be like.

The stories:

1. Anton Chekhov's "In the Cart" (1897)
2. Ivan Turgenev's "The Singers" (1852)
3. Anton Chekhov's "The Darling" (1899)
4. Leo Tolstoy's "Master and Man" (1895)
5. Nikolai Gogol's "The Nose" (1836)
6. Anton Chekhov's "Gooseberries" (1898)
7. Leo Tolstoy's "Alyosha The Pot" (1905)

This ep. features a conversation with Pulitzer prize-winning poet Diane Seuss about her latest book of verse, Modern Poetry. With bursts of internal rhyme about thorny subjects, Modern Poetry awaits the reader with a spirit of mourning and loss and self-creation, which is, for this reader anyway, joyous.

Thanks to Brian Salmons for bumpering this replay episode.

On today’s show, Samantha Nickerson interviews the fiction writers Celeste Ng and Ben Fountain!

On #613, Chelsea Alice speaks with Jamel Brinkley about his new short story collection Witness, plus John King speaks with M. Evelina Galang about her new short story collection, When the Hibiscus Falls. Special Thanks to Miami Book Fair.

Samantha Nickerson and I delve into Anaïs Nin's posthumously published slender volume of erotica, Little Birds.

On today’s show, John King chats with poet Matt Mason about the poetic necessity of engaging with the popular culture that is part of the fabric of our American life, including rock music and obviously, obviously, the Disney phenomenon.

On today’s show, John King chats with journalist Rebecca Renner and poet Major Jackson at Miami Book Fair.

Today’s show features novelist Meg Cabot and memoirist Kelle Groom in conversation with TDO correspondent Samantha Nickerson, recorded during Miami Book Fair 2023.

On today's show, John talks to the poet and memoirist Maggie Smith about the complexities of trying to merge reality with narrative structure, and discusses the same, in different ways, with the novelist Michael Cunningham!

On today’s show, John talks poet Brian Turner about learning to write the thing we need to write rather than the thing we want to write, the long conversations we have with those we love, and the processes of nature, including grief. His trio of new poetry volumes is out now from Alice James Books.

On today’s show, John talks to author, actor, and producer Felicia Day about her new audiobook masterpiece, Third Eye, which is a hysterically funny fantasy epic that deep down has heart. Nerd culture, self-discovery, and creative writing are discussed at length.

On today's show, John talks to the novelist Elle Nash about her breathtaking new novel, Deliver Me. The chief topic is how to write a strange, nearly impossible story about American poverty without wallowing or romanticizing one’s characters and finding beauty in their ability to strive to understand a maddening world.

Rachael and I return to the subject of William Gibson to discuss his 1984 classic science fiction novel, Neuromancer, which is wonderful in its fusion of noir style and cyberpunk vision.

On today’s show, John talks to Mistie Watkins about her new book of flash essays, Hireath, which might be the most Florida book he's ever read.

On today’s show, John talks to best-selling author Walter Mosley about his process, especially when exploring unsettling, psychological science fiction in his new novel, Touched.

On this episode, John talks to best-selling author Stephanie Land about her newest book, Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education.

On today’s show, John talks to Tom Lucas about his brand new Lovecraftian YA-ish novel, Research Randy & the The Mystery of Grandma's Half-Eaten Pie of Despair, told by an unreliable narrator about a doomed town.

Jeff Shuster and I discuss the surreal techno-horror allegorical masterpiece that is Shin'ya Tsukamot's Tetsuo: The Iron Man.

On this week’s show, Jeff Shuster and I discuss Dario Argento’s strange, mid-eighties masterpiece, Phenomena.

Jeff Shuster and I get rather turned around discussion the invo-convolutions of David Cronenberg's Videodrome (1983).

Jeff Shuster and I discuss Michael Caine's brilliant acting and deranged hair as they appeared in Oliver Stone's directorial debut, The Hand (1981).

Chelsea Alice and Rebecca Makkai talk about diversity in novels, breaking genre conventions, student-teacher relationships, and how motherhood is represented in literature.

On this week's show, I talk to novelist Jack Houghteling about Modernism, football, and the literary value of gangster movies, among other important topics.

On #593, I speak with the poet Ryler Dustin about creating new forms of sanctification and representing rural landscapes with familiarity without fetishizing or satirizing the setting. We probably digressed into a discussion of David Lynch's Twin Peaks.

On today’s show, I speak with Dan Lauer about memoirs, Spalding Gray, depression, the glorious bygone culture of video stores, the less glorious culture of Hollywood, and other matters of dark interest.

On today’s show, I speak with comedian Greg Proops about his new comedy album, French Drug Deal, the way time passes when sober and writing scripts and novels, the perfection of Charlotte Rampling, and other keen matters of interest to think-o-philes.

On today’s show, I speak with creative non-fiction writer Melanie Farmer about memoir, Brazilian jiu jitsu, the relationship between one's family and one's public, the Hurtson-Wright prize, and other matters to interest.

On today’s show, Chelsea Alice interviews Ian Patterson, who translated Finding Lost Time, the final volume of Penguin’s new edition of Proust’s novel cycle, In Search of Lost Time.

This week, I speak with Samantha Nickerson and I discuss the themes of friendship, relationships, depression, and death, and the craft of Kathleen Alcott in creating stories that are difficult to put down in the new short story collection, Emergency.

This week, I speak with game designer Michael Merriam about the mysterious, recent addition to the world of Doomology that is the Myhouse.wad, a retro-fitted narrative freak out to one of the earliest first person shooters in video game history.

This week, I speak with Sarah Viren about memoir, the social structures of academic work, philosophy, and asking serious questions.

On this week’s episode, I speak with Brian Salmons about Leonard Nathan's 1976 book of poems, The Teachings of Grandfather Fox.

This week, New York Times bestselling author David Lipsky discusses journalism, history, inventors, science, and the importance of storytelling to combine all of those ingredients.

On this week's episode, I speak with novelist Blair Hurley about her thrilling new literary novel, Minor Prophets.

David James Poissant interviews fiction writer Andrew Porter about peripheral characters, quiet stories, writerly influences, the theme of disappearance, the importance of music, the teaching of writing, Barry Hannah, and many other matters.

Speculative fiction writer Joy Baglio talks with me about labels, the surprises needed for compelling stories, outgrowing being an MFA student despite the fabulousness of being an MFA student, being a Kerouac Project resident, and other important matters.

Rachael and I discuss horror screenplays and horror story podcasts on an episode in which the podcast turns 11 years old.

This week journalist and cultural historian Bob Kealing returns to The Drunken Odyssey to discuss the Beatles's two momentous visits to Florida in 1964.

This week Samantha Nickerson returns to guest-hosting duties with a fabulous conversation with novelist writer Sarai Walker.

Rachael and I return to the subject of William Gibson in a non-fiction collection that proved charming fun.

Jeff Shuster and John King celebrate May the 4th by discussing three films trying to capitalize on the science fiction success of Star Wars.

On this episode, I speak with the Nick Georgoudiou about owning a used bookstore, maintaining a murder of typewriters, literary citizenship, and many other matters of interest and whatnot.

On this episode, I speak with the poet David van den Berg on the glories of tromping through swamps as a child, the knifeblade dialectic of cynicism and wonder, and discovering a sense of authentic voice.

Back in November 2022, Chelsea Alice conducted three on-site interviews at Miami Book Fair. She discussed Self-Portrait with Ghost with Meng Jin, Pathetic Literature by Eileen Myles, and All the Flowers Kneeling with Paul Tran. At long last, the interviews are now here.

On this episode, I speak with the scholar and poet Mark Scroggins about poetry that simultaneously compels and eludes the reader with its strange music, those depths of unknowing, the literary analogues to punk, reverse engineering a sense of cultural history, the problematic nature of the poetic voice, and whatnot.

Lydia Millet and David James Poissant discuss geography, birds, earnestness, the characterization of children, the structure of plot and novels, and other matters of interest.

Chelsea Alice gave me homework, to read "The Guest" by Albert Camus, the result of which is this existentialist episode, or something like that.

This week, Brook Ziporyn and I discuss the complexities of interpreting the Daodejing, the humor of the book, and its applications to life philosophies, politics, literature, and many other things along the way.

This week, I speak with Ciera Horton McElroy about following through with long form fiction and her extraordinary debut, Atomic Family.

This week, Rachael Tillman and I discuss William Gibson's not especially science fictiony, but post-modern systems thriller, Pattern Recognition

This week, Chelsea Alice talks to Stephanie McCarter about Ovid’s self-reflection, making Ovid's humor visible to a contemporary audience, and feminism as it relates to translation.

This week, I speak with fiction writer Mike Nagel about comic existentialism, alcoholic literature, and the class complexities of real estate.

This week, Samantha Nickerson talks to Felicia Berliner about her new novel, Shmutz, and the challenges of existing within multiple identities,

plus Samantha Nickerson talks to Deb Rogers about her new novel, Florida Woman, group-think, cults, and lots of monkeys.

Today's Guest Host

TEXTS DISCUSSED

NOTES

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On #560, Rachael Tillman and I discuss the art of persona writing through the lens of Philip Schultz's recent book, Comforts of the Abyss.

This week I have a long overdue convo with the extraordinary poet Laurie Rachkus Uttich.

This week I speak with the prose writer Jennifer Worley, the fall 2022 resident of The Kerouac Project of Orlando.

John speaks with his friend Jason about the creative joys of grieving and the power of earnestness and other matters of interest.

The poet and memoirist Lynn Melnick talks with me about the cleverness and heart of Dolly Parton, who can serve as more than a cultural icon as we try to discover how to make our unique ways in the world.