Master Storyteller, Author, Musician and Educator

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Explore Odds Bodkin's written works, featuring The Rowan Canticles, a 13,000 epic poem written in doggerel tetrameter.

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Mastering the art of storytelling has been a lifelong pursuit for Odds and he has become a storyteller like no other. Not only does he tell captivating stories, but he sets them to music from multiple instruments (see the live instruments right here on this page!) but he also incorporates a wide variety of sound effects. His performances dazzle children, teens & adults alike. We hope to see you at a performance soon!

Read and Listen Stories™

Read and Listen Stories™ feature a unique way of experiencing storytelling. Through the written word and audio streaming, you can either actively read epic titles like The Rowan Canticles or listen along if you’re cooking or cleaning! If you’re engrossed in the lyrical prose, you can read AND listen, immersing yourself in the poetry. Try it out for free with The Rowan Canticles!

The Rowan Canticles is an epic poem written in doggerel tetrameter. In other words, although each line contains eight syllables and rhymes with other lines nearby, like Shakespeare, I’ve used enjambment (one line spilling over into the next) here and there, especially in dialog sections. Mostly, though, I’ve striven for iambic tetrameter, which makes for a nice rhythm. You’ll notice that couplets, quatrains and other rhyme schemes refresh with each long Canticle. The old school language of The Rowan Canticles can be dense, but hey, it’s fun and it fits the fantasy.

Each week I will post a fresh Canto here at Substack, adding to the story. You’ll find ninety-nine Cantos in all contained in the three Canticles. The work is 13,000 lines long, about the length of Homer’s The Odyssey.


A highly intelligent but murderous pirate steals a dark sloop to complete his mysterious life’s mission. That The Waistgold’s wheel is encrusted with gems and her decks are fine parquetry, well, that’s stunning enough. But when the hard-swearing Phineas Krull learns that The Waistgold cannot sink—even when upside down in the sea—he marvels at this ship’s magical construction. It’s a wonder. But who built this strange craft? It’s only after he discovers a blood-soaked journal and learns about the young queen who built The Waistgold—and that she’s probably coming after him–that his wonder turns to worry.

Written in pirate patois, Voyage of the Waistgold is Odds Bodkin’s original story written in pulsing doggerel rhyme. Quite profane, it’s told from the pirate’s first-person view. Somewhere between Jonathan Swift’s cutting social commentary and William Burroughs’ drug-addled visions, this at times humorous, at times shocking high fantasy tale is for mature adults only.

18+

Content contains adult themes and expressions. For mature audiences only.


Odds Bodkin’s stories are now accessible on-the-go! Paid Substack subscribers can now enjoy stories for the whole family anywhere in the world. Subscribe now and start streaming your favorite stories for the whole family!

The Adventures of Little Proto (For Kids)
Sir Percival and the Grail (For Teens)
The Odyssey (For Adults)