Drunken Pen Writing Podcast

In our first IRC (Inebriated Reading Challenge) episode we read the cult classic, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.

Mr. Ashleigh Hatter, the expert in weird fiction himself, joins Caleb James for this new weekly reading episode where they'll be discussing their progress of the book and break down all the weird ass things that happen in this novel. Though, novel might be a generous title for what this is.

If you are interested in reading the book, this is the perfect jumping on point as the guys spend the episode introducing the work, author, and discussing what they hope to get out of House of Leaves.

Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children.

Now, for the first time, this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and newly added second and third appendices.

The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.

Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.

Holy Moly Donut Shop! We actually stayed on topic this episode. That's a new record for us. And that topic is fine literature. Mainly classic literature. But if you think this episode is going to be a bit dry, you're completely wrong!

We wax philosophical on the classics, what makes for good literary fiction versus pretentious modern art BS, and what work we recommend to those who are interested in checking out literary fiction but don't know where to start. We even bring up comics without going into a full-blown comic book discussion. 

Side note: we weren't drunk in this episode which may have contributed to the rise in quality.

If you want to check out OUR fiction, head on over to www.drunkenpenwriting.com and see what we've been up to.

In our first Storycast episode, Caleb James reads a short story entitled "The Ocean The World Ignored" by DPW writer, Ashleigh Hatter.

"This is for the men and women, for the families and communities and livelihoods that have been lost and forever altered. I can never know how much you’ve lost in these floods, and I know these words won’t fix anything. But I wanted to show you that you aren’t forgotten, your trials are not insignificant, and no matter how hard the media tries to ignore the pain this catastrophe has inflicted on you, I will do my part to make sure your needs are voiced and your stories heard.

For all the victims of the 2019 Midwest Flood, we remember you."

You can read the story at https://drunkenpenwriting.com/2019/05/25/the-ocean-the-world-ignored/

In this week's episode, we bring fellow DPW writer Ashleigh Hatter on to discuss why YA fiction is so popular and why we don't care for it. This was our first attempt at bringing a guest on via Skype and the audio isn't the best, but the discussion is pretty fun regardless.

We do divert from the main topic multiple times and go into some random craziness (much like the cold open), but it's all in good fun.

To check out our fiction, you can head on over to www.drunkenpenwriting.com for some great, free content.

After some technical difficulties, we go into this episode talking about some of the most hated characters in literature. Then we discuss some of our personal favorite characters to hate.

If you want to check out the list, head on over to https://www.bustle.com/p/10-of-the-most-hated-characters-in-literature-from-heathcliff-to-umbridge-2446564

In this episode, we travel around the world and find words that we should incorporate into the English language. Of course, it wouldn't be a DPW Podcast without the butchering of these words' pronunciation.

We also go off topic multiple times and get into some bizarre discussions, but for the most part, we keep our focus on the strange words and their meanings. 

 

If you're interested, you can check out the list here at http://mentalfloss.com/article/50698/38-wonderful-foreign-words-we-could-use-english

In this episode we start off by talking about the many words and phrases used to describe boobs and penises, then we try to act like adults by going over a list of the top Japanese authors you should check out.

Not only do we break down the authors and their work, but we also go into Japanese culture and how it differs from the western world. Then we end things with a quick rant about the new trailer for the Watchmen TV show. 

If you want to read our fiction, head on over to www.drunkenpenwriting.com and don't forget to check out our new book group on Goodreads while you're at it. A lot of fun stuff going on there.

In this episode, we discuss the rules of writing magical realism. We break down what magical realism is and how it differs from fantasy. Then we knock some smarts into you by going over the differences between hippies and hipsters, why Caleb dislikes Philadelphia, and what kind of events we want to cover in the future. 

Head on over to www.drunkenpenwriting.com for more great content. And be sure to follow us on Twitter @drunkpenwriting. 

You can check out the inspiration for this episode by going to www.penandthepad.com/write-magical-realism-2159950.html

In this Drunken Bullshit episode, we talk about our hatred for people who purposely post movie spoilers online, our upcoming press gigs, and our issues (no pun intended) with the current state of the comic book industry. This is a pretty relaxed episode. At least for our standards.

If you're interested in checking out our writing you can head on over to www.drunkenpenwriting.com for plenty of great content.

After discussing the dynamics involved in the revolting practice known as boofing, we actually have a good writing discussion about the importance of showing rather than telling in regards to your fiction. 

Of course, it wouldn't be a DPW episode without some shenanigans, but we manage to stay in line in this episode. And for once we didn't talk about comics at all. That might be a new record for us!

You can check out the article used in this episode written by Leona Brits over at https://writingcooperative.com/my-golden-rules-to-show-dont-tell-f4d030eca8c9

You can also check us out at www.drunkenpenwriting.com where we share fiction, poetry, articles, and more.