Drunken Pen Writing Podcast

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 (and its issues), what we like and dislike about the books so far, and the cultural differences between Japanese fiction and Western writing.

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 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 at www.calebjamesk.com. 

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 Books of the Month we did not finish. Though this time things turn out quite different!

You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast.

You can check out Caleb's work at www.calebjamesk.com. 

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 fun, we read some pages of Ulysses by James Joyce to prove just how dumb we really are.

You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dpwpodcast

You can check out Caleb's work at www.calebjamesk.com. 

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 Caleb's work at www.calebjamesk.com. 

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.com. 

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.