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

Updated: 06 Dec 2025 • 704 episodes
thedrunkenodyssey.com

Join author John King for eclectic interviews with writers from a variety of genres, including fiction writing, poetry, memoirs, and journalism. From literature to genre writing to the movies, all writing is up for discussion. In particular, The Drunken Odyssey features discussion of all aspects of the writing process—not just the published manuscript, pristinely presented to the entire literate world, but also the scrawled notes and tortured drafts that lead writers there. In long-form interviews, writers discuss their process and the way that writing has influenced their lives. Besides this interview, each episode also features a short memoir essay from a writer about a beloved book, plus John King responds to listener's questions and observations about the writing (and the drinking) life. For more information, see our website at www.thedrunkenodyssey.com.

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06 Dec 2025 • EN

694: Anne Waldman!

In this week's show, John interviews the poet Anne Waldman about her extraordinary new work, Mesopotopia.

65 min
00:00
01:05:59
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29 Nov 2025 • EN

693: Emily Van Duyne

Emily Van Duyne discusses her remarkable tome of scholarship on Sylvia Plath, including a literary history of how Plath's legacy has been shaped. Emily also guides Rachael and John's attempts to de-Hughes-ify the available texts.

72 min
00:00
01:12:52
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John concocted a daft poetry game for friends with a body of work substantial enough  to withstand randomization of theme and topic 'til our drunken voices and ears escape beyond the hurly-burly of the everyday and enter the ethereal mindscape of friendship. Here is one's nights Fire x Fire x Fire for your listening pl

112 min
00:00
01:52:54
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16 Nov 2025 • EN

691: AJ Rodriguez!

On this week's show, John speaks with fiction writer A.J. Rodriguez, the June-July 2025 Kerouac Project of Orlando resident.

53 min
00:00
53:59
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01 Nov 2025 • EN

690: Ivonne Lamazares!

On this week's show, John speaks with Ivonne Lamazares about her new novel, The Tilting House.

63 min
00:00
01:03:27
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At the end of Schloctoberfest 2025, Jeff Shuster and I discuss the 1968 horror masterpiece Night of the Living Dead because how could we not? Our foray into 1960s black and white films is now ended.

58 min
00:00
58:38
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