EPISODE · May 29, 2026 · 53 MIN
How NY Times Bestselling Author John Kenney Writes
from The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience · host Kelton Reid
New York Times bestselling and award-winning author John Kenney spoke with us about life as an ad-man, writing humor for The New Yorker, and the paperback release of his latest novel I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD. John Kenney is the bestselling author of three novels and four books of poetry, including Love Poems (For Married People), a New York Times bestseller. His first novel, Truth In Advertising, won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He is a longtime contributor to The New Yorker magazine’s Shouts & Murmurs column. His most recent novel, I See You’ve Called In Dead (available in paperback June 2nd), is described as “The Office meets Six Feet Under meets About a Boy” and was an instant bestseller. The book follows Bud Stanley, an obituary writer who accidentally publishes his own obituary and begins attending strangers' funerals to find meaning of life. In a starred review Booklist said of the book, “I See You’ve Called in Dead is a witty and heartwarming reminder of the bottomless despair, limitless absurdity, and undeniable joy of the human experience.” John Kenney has worked as a copywriter for more than 25 years at Ogilvy, McGarry Bowen, and Publicis. He has created campaigns for American Express, Citi, Chevron, Heineken, and Cadillac, to name a few. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file John Kenney, Milena, and I discussed: His past life as a high profile copywriter 10 years of rejections from the New Yorker Why he still has impostor syndrome The personal inspiration behind his latest novel Writing self-deprecating poetry Why he’s writing a memoir about rewriting his mother's obituary And a lot more! Show Notes: byjohnkenney.com I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney (Amazon) John Kenney Amazon Author Page John Kenney on Instagram John Kenney for The New Yorker Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram Kelton Reid Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Embed this episode
Ready to play
How NY Times Bestselling Author John Kenney Writes
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.
Similar Podcasts
No similar podcasts found.