How NY Times Bestselling Author John Kenney Writes

How NY Times Bestselling Author John Kenney Writes

From The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience by Kelton Reid

May 29, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

John Kenney discusses his career as an author and ad-man, including insights on his latest novel.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Kelton Reid

Guest: John Kenney

Topics covered

  • writing
  • humor
  • novels
  • advertising
  • creativity

Keywords

  • John Kenney
  • I See You’ve Called in Dead
  • The New Yorker
  • advertising
  • humor
  • novels
  • writing process

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The New Yorker, Ogilvy, McGarry Bowen, Publicis, American Express, Citi, Chevron, Heineken, Cadillac

Books & works: I See You’ve Called in Dead, Truth In Advertising, Love Poems (For Married People)

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