New Lit on the Block :: The Drunken Odyssey with John King Podcast
The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life is a new weekly podcast that features interviews with established writers about the writing life. Editor John King explains that each episode will also have a memoir essay about a writer’s relationship to a beloved book. “Each episode,” he says, “will close with me responding to listener mail. All aspects of the writing life—including any possible genre—will be discussed.”
King says that the name of the podcast “invokes both the mythos of the writer as drinker, and also the mythos of the writer as heroic misadventurer. Both identities can overlap. But liquor is not the only path to drunkenness. As the late ray Bradbury said, ‘You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.’”
King says, “Writing is an isolating activity, and discussion of writing in the media prioritizes the finished product of writing. This podcast, then, is an opportunity to build a sense of community among writers, and to offer some catharsis in discussing the struggle of writing, and all aspects of this business of writing, rather than merely the accomplishments of writing.”
The first podcast includes an interview with Nathan Holic, an editor, and Ryan Rivas, a publisher, who are behind the 15 Views of Orlando project and a memoir essay from Olivia Kate Cerrone which discusses her relationship to Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. King says that future episodes will have interviews with Lisa Claire Roney, the Shakespearean actor Kevin Crawford, and novelist Darin Strauss.
King is looking for content, especially memoir essays about beloved books. He is also looking forward to responding to listener mail and encourages listeners to write to him through the contact information on the site.
