Drunken Pen Writing Podcast

In today's cold open, we talk about our current writing progress. After that, we discuss Stephen King's bestselling novel IT. Rather than talk about the story, which almost everyone knows already, we discuss the icky bits that nobody wants to hear about. You know the scene! Also, all the racism and gross nonsense, but we don't dwell on that stuff too much. We break down some of the writing tricks...

In today's episode, we finish our discussion of Haruki Murakami's giant novel, 1Q84. We share our thoughts on how the book ends, as well as the lack of resolution for the characters we've spent far too much time with. This leads to a brief comparison to the other notable Murakami, Ryu Murakami, who tends to write in a much faster-paced, grittier, and harder-hitting way.  There are a lot of things...

In today's episode, we discuss our current writing projects and how the social climate affects said projects. Such as, can white authors write a story that only has black characters? After that, we briefly read the worst lines in fiction. Briefly, because the list we found was awful. Then we move on from awful to terrible as we discuss another list about famous novels and why they actually suck, a...

In today's Murakami Minute, we discuss Book Two of 1Q84. A lot of bizarre things occur in this book, but nothing quite like what might be the worst sex scenes we've ever read! Book Two features plenty of murder, cats, and super erections. You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast. You can check out Caleb's work at www.calebjamesk.com . 

In today's cold open, we read from Edmund Spenser's epic fantasy poem, The Faerie Queene. We also discuss the Arthurian language used and why the work is so difficult to read. After that, we settle down and talk about bad writing and ways to fix it! We cover an article on the subject from www.aliventures.com, which gives some great examples of bad writing and tips on how to fix it. Of course, we s...

We're back with a brand new episode of our hit mini-series, A Murakami Minute! This time around, we tackle Haruki Murakami's nearly 1200-page monster of a sci-fi, magical realism, and romance novel, 1Q84.  In this first episode, we discuss book one of three (the novel is broken down into three books). Our conversation focuses less on the story and more on Murakami's writing style, the translation...

We begin today's cold open by complaining about awful book influencers who charge a lot of money for terrible book reviews. Then we read an excerpt from Lonesome Dove! After all that, we settle in and talk about the best non-superhero comic books of the 2020s, or at least according to a list we found. You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast. You can check out Caleb's work...

In today's cold open, we briefly discuss some writing updates and a writers' group we attended. After that, we break down pacing in fiction and give tips on how to do it well. We also share examples of good and bad pacing in famous novels. Yeah, we name and shame! You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast You can check out Caleb's work at www.calebjamesk.com . 

In today's cold open, we discuss what reading level the average adult should be at. Studies have shown that the average currently sits between a 5th-grade and 7th-grade reading level, but we feel that's way too low. We also recommend some books that we feel adults should be able to read and comprehend without any issues.  After that, we challenge our reading levels by revisiting one of the few Boo...

No cold open today. Instead, we dive right into the topic of the day. We examine the current illiteracy crisis going on in the US and discuss a study done with English majors who were found to be unable to read or inadequate in understanding the opening to Charles Dickens' novel Bleak House.  We read the opening of Bleak House ourselves to see if we're capable of understanding it, and then, for fu...

We get controversial in today's cold open by discussing the nonsense that is organized religion. After that, we have a fun chat about the American books you should read at least once in your life. Well, at least according to a list we found. This should be the last American book list we discuss for some time.  You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast. You can check out Cal...

We begin today's episode with a rant against all the people trashing the new Odyssey movie for illegitimate reasons. After that, we discuss current and future reads.  You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast. You can check out Caleb's work at www.calebjamesk.com . 

In today's extended cold open, we perform a terrible review of the wild novel "Ham on Rye" by Charles Bukowski. After that, we do an even more terrible job of discussing the 2026 Bram Stoker Awards.  You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast. You can check out Caleb's work at www.calebjamesk.com . 

We kick today's episode in the ass with some Charles Bukowski talk! After that, we discuss another list about the Great American Novel. This one tries to define what that truly means and if it's possible for a single novel to take the crown as the definitive Great American Novel.  You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast. You can check out Caleb's work at www.calebjamesk.c...

We kick off today's episode by discussing how terrible everything is and how it's similar to John Steinbeck's super-depressing novel The Grapes of Wrath. After that, we read a list of the most American novels according to the folks over at Esquire.  You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast You can check out Caleb's work at www.calebjamesk.com . 

We begin today's episode with a terrible review of Gravity's Rainbow, followed by our current reads. After that, we read and discuss the top 100 books according to the readers of The Guardian.  You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast You can check out Caleb's work at www.calebjamesk.com . 

We open today's episode with an interesting question: if you could become the greatest ever in one art form, what art form would you choose? Writer, painter, actor, singer? Somehow, this segues into a conversation about who we think the greatest comic book writer in history is.  After that, we talk about how DISGUSTING Gravity's Rainbow is. Like, Epstein Files disgusting! WTF is wrong with Thomas...

We open today's episode with an unorthodox review of The Devil Wears Prada 2. After that nonsense, we discuss the types of stories you rarely, or never, read about or see in the movies. Such as Caleb's latest story, "Santuario," featured in Starlite Pulp Review Issue 8, coming in July 2026! You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast You can check out Caleb's work at www.cale...

Today, we sit down with a past guest, journalist, poet, and owner of Starving Author Press, Nick Ulanowski. We discuss his Kickstarter for his newest book, Truth Before Comfort: Confessions of a Comic Book Journalist. We dive into Nick's past working as a journalist and reviewer in the comic book industry, his views on corporate influence on art and media, the importance of separating art from the...

We begin today's episode with some poor writing updates. After that, we discuss how to get casual readers interested in tackling more challenging classic literature. We also give our recommendations of what books we think would be best to start readers on their classic literature journey.  You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast You can check out Caleb's work at www.caleb...

In today's cold open, we discuss some old/new publishing news as of the recording of the episode. After that, we discuss some of the most infamously difficult books in literature and why you should either read them or throw them over a mountain. You can follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @dpwpodcast You can check out Caleb's work at www.calebjamesk.com . 

The government has decided to pay us not to work and instead focus on our art! Or at least that's the scenario we discuss in today's cold open. What would you do with your free time if you received a universal basic income and no longer had to work a day job? After that, and on the back of Andy Weir's hit book turned movie, Project Hail Mary, we learn about plans for a new sci-fi flick adapted fro...

While this is our most recent recording, we bumped this up to air before our other episodes in the queue because we discuss a bunch of current events. Mainly, fresh publishing news, an on-air car accident announcement, and some current reads. You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast You can check out Caleb's work at www.calebjamesk.com . 

We begin today's episode with a conversation about collecting vinyl records. After that, we discuss the graphic novel adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel "The Road" by Manu Larcenet.  We also talk about what books we would like to see adapted into graphic novels, and what books we think would be impossible to adapt. You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast. You can check...

In today's cold open, we discuss the nonsense that is Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. It's about rockets and man boners. That's probably all you need to know.  After that, we settle in and talk about famous literary novels that started off as pulp. Or so we're told! There's a lot of goofiness packed into this one. You can follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @dpwpodcast.  You can che...