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

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.