Skip to main content

Search TrendsNew Ads Appearances Podcasts API

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click “Accept All” to consent, or “Decline non-essential” to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.

Drunken Pen Writing Podcast

Drunken Pen Writing Podcast

#231: Esquire's Top Horror Books Of 2026

Oct 13, 2026 · 38 min · 10 segments

We kick off today's cold open by officially announcing our October Book of the Month, "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" by Stephen Graham Jones. We also bring up some disturbing AI news going around and…

We kick off today's cold open by officially announcing our October Book of the Month, "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" by Stephen Graham Jones. We also bring up some disturbing AI news going around and what it might mean for us writers. After that, we go into a new list by Esquire naming their top horror novels to read for Halloween. 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 cold open by officially announcing our October Book of the Month, "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" by Stephen Graham Jones. We also bring up some disturbing AI news going around and…

Spotify Amazon Music Website

Show signals: Audience≈2k followers

Speakers: Caleb JamesHostSpencerHost

Top entities: Artificial intelligence×12 Esquire×7 Goodreads×9 Harry Potter×7 Arkansas×7

AI Submitting Fiction1:25 – 5:52

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:25

Uh, so troubling news, which you reminded me of.

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:29

I don't even know how to take this, honestly.

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:31

AI is now submitting prose, like stories and poetry, to...

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:36

I, I guess on its own, to publications.

S

SpencerHost

1:39

Yeah.

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:40

So I've seen this in, like, three different instances now where somebody shared, like, the emails or the submission queries where it's like, "Hey, I'm Smokey the AI, and I wrote...

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:50

Or I can write a poetry or poem or something," whatever the submission call was, and it had, like, this big paragraph about how payment would work and-

S

SpencerHost

1:58

Mm-hmm

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:58

... all this shit.

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:59

I'm like, "What the fuck?" First off, why does it need paid?

S

SpencerHost

2:02

Yeah.

S

SpencerHost

2:02

[laughs]

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:02

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:02

Why does it want paid?

S

SpencerHost

2:04

'Cause it's greedy like everything else.

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:06

I guess, but it's just...

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:07

That's very worrying though, is that... 'Cause here's my, here's my theory.

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:12

So right now it's asking, saying-

S

SpencerHost

2:13

Mm

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:13

... "Will you take AI work written by AI?" Blah, blah, blah.

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:16

Okay.

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:17

I would assume somebody's gotta be behind it still-

S

SpencerHost

2:19

Right

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:19

...

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:19

but I don't know, but at some point it's just not gonna ask.

Artificial intelligenceEntityProfessional field
99%12 mentions
EsquirePeriodicalMagazine
98%7 mentions
GoodreadsWebsiteWebsite
97%9 mentions
Harry PotterBook SeriesNovel series
95%7 mentions
ArkansasAdministrative AreaUS state
94%7 mentions
Megan Mostyn-BrownPersonTelevision writer
93%3 mentions
The Blair Witch ProjectMovie1999 film
91%3 mentions
BudapestCityCapital of Hungary
90%4 mentions
The Buffalo Hunter HunterBookNovel by Stephen Graham Jones
89%9 mentions
Wuthering HeightsBookNovel by Emily Brontë
88%1 mention
Sgt. SlaughterPersonAmerican professional wrestler
86%5 mentions
Chuck WendigPersonAmerican author
85%4 mentions
Stephen Graham JonesPersonAmerican author
84%3 mentions
Jewish peopleEntityAdherents
82%9 mentions
Richard ChizmarPersonAmerican writer and publisher
81%6 mentions
Stephen KingPersonAmerican author
80%3 mentions
American JewsEntityEthnicity
78%7 mentions
ClaudeSoftware ApplicationSoftware
77%2 mentions
FacebookSoftware ApplicationSocial networking service
76%2 mentions
Tony ToddPersonAmerican actor
74%1 mention
InstagramSoftware ApplicationSocial networking service
73%2 mentions
Kiersten WhitePersonAmerican author
72%3 mentions
JumanjiMovie1995 film
70%2 mentions
XEntitySocial networking service
69%2 mentions
Cormac McCarthyPersonAmerican author
68%2 mentions
Amazon.comCompanyMultinational conglomerate company
66%3 mentions
H. P. LovecraftPersonAmerican writer
65%2 mentions
World Wide WebEntity
64%1 mention
China MiévillePersonBritish fiction writer
63%3 mentions
Dungeon Crawler CarlBook SeriesBook series
61%2 mentions
New York KnicksSports TeamBasketball team
60%1 mention
Del Rey BooksCompanyPublishing company
59%1 mention
AvonCompanyComic book publisher
57%1 mention
Google PaySoftware Application
56%2 mentions
ItBookNovel by Stephen King
55%1 mention
Dungeons & DragonsGameGame
53%1 mention
AnthropicCompanyArtificial intelligence company
52%1 mention
James Tynion IVPersonAmerican comic book writer
51%4 mentions
The New York TimesPeriodicalNewspaper
49%1 mention
CanadaCountryCountry in North America
48%1 mention
Role-playing gameEntity
47%1 mention
Josh MalermanPersonAmerican novelist and songwriter
45%3 mentions
HungaryCountryCountry in Europe
44%1 mention
IdahoAdministrative AreaUS state
43%2 mentions
Daniel RobitailleEntityFictional character
41%1 mention
Fred BearPersonAmerican bow manufacturer and hunter
40%1 mention
United StatesCountryCountry in North America
39%1 mention
The Twilight SagaMovie SeriesFilm series
38%1 mention
GandalfEntityLord Of The Rings character
36%1 mention
Joe HillPersonAmerican writer
35%1 mention

Literary SubmissionsPublishing
Books and ReadingEntertainment
Human-Animal ConflictAnimals > Animal Welfare
AI-Generated Creative WritingTechnology > Artificial Intelligence > Autonomous Agents
Unsolicited Literary SubmissionsTechnology > Artificial Intelligence > Autonomous Agents > AI-Generated Creative Writing
Supernatural and Dark FantasyLiterature > Genres > Horror Fiction
Contemporary Horror Book RecommendationsLiterature > Genres > Horror Fiction > Supernatural and Dark Fantasy
Publication PoliciesPublishing > Literary Submissions
AI Authorship Disclosure and ContractsPublishing > Literary Submissions > Publication Policies
Submission Fees and Payment EligibilityPublishing > Literary Submissions > Publication Policies > AI Authorship Disclosure and Contracts
Book Review MediaEntertainment > Books and Reading
Goodreads RatingsEntertainment > Books and Reading > Book Review Media
Fractional Star Rating UpdatesEntertainment > Books and Reading > Book Review Media > Goodreads Ratings
Police Use of Force Against AnimalsAnimals > Animal Welfare > Human-Animal Conflict
Donkey Shooting IncidentAnimals > Animal Welfare > Human-Animal Conflict > Police Use of Force Against Animals
Animal WelfareAnimals
Horror FictionLiterature > Genres
Autonomous AgentsTechnology > Artificial Intelligence
GenresLiterature
Technology
Entertainment
Animals
Literature
Publishing
Artificial IntelligenceTechnology

AI Submitting Fiction1:25 – 5:52

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:25

Uh, so troubling news, which you reminded me of.

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:29

I don't even know how to take this, honestly.

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:31

AI is now submitting prose, like stories and poetry, to...

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:36

I, I guess on its own, to publications.

S

SpencerHost

1:39

Yeah.

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:40

So I've seen this in, like, three different instances now where somebody shared, like, the emails or the submission queries where it's like, "Hey, I'm Smokey the AI, and I wrote...

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:50

Or I can write a poetry or poem or something," whatever the submission call was, and it had, like, this big paragraph about how payment would work and-

S

SpencerHost

1:58

Mm-hmm

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:58

... all this shit.

C

Caleb JamesHost

1:59

I'm like, "What the fuck?" First off, why does it need paid?

S

SpencerHost

2:02

Yeah.

S

SpencerHost

2:02

[laughs]

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:02

It's AI.

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:02

Why does it want paid?

S

SpencerHost

2:04

'Cause it's greedy like everything else.

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:06

I guess, but it's just...

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:07

That's very worrying though, is that... 'Cause here's my, here's my theory.

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:12

So right now it's asking, saying-

S

SpencerHost

2:13

Mm

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:13

... "Will you take AI work written by AI?" Blah, blah, blah.

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:16

Okay.

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:17

I would assume somebody's gotta be behind it still-

S

SpencerHost

2:19

Right

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:19

...

C

Caleb JamesHost

2:19

but I don't know, but at some point it's just not gonna ask.

Sign up to see more

The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode

Create an account Already have an account? Log in

No account is needed to search Radar.