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

TDO listeners can get 20% of a premium subscription to Scribophile. After using the above link to register for a basic account, go here while still logged in to upgrade the account with the discount.

If you are an amazon customer, one way to support this show is to begin shopping with this affiliate link, so that the podcast is granted a small commission on anything you purchase at no additional cost to yourself.

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.