The Rawlsian Podcast

In today’s episode, I talk about being accepted as a book reviewer for Reedsy Discovery.

I also read my review of DR Ranshaw’s Gryphon’s Heir: Book I of the Annals of Arrinor, originally published in written format on November 16, 2022 to The Rawlsian on Medium.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

If you are a self-published author interested in creating an audio version of your book, then please consider me as a narrator. You can sample my narration and audio production work on ACX or The Rawlsian Podcast, both linked above.

Music by Markus Staab (2013).

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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On Wednesdays, I read a text from the public domain for The Rawlsian Podcast’s Story-Time episode. In this episode, I read the third part Joseph Conrad’s The N*** of the ‘Narcissus.’

As I mention in this episode, I am working on a multi-year project called Reading Joseph Conrad During the Great Reset. Due to his anti-black racism, Conrad should not be pushed on anyone (especially by way of mandatory course readings). Without overlooking that racism, however, I find Conrad’s fiction helpful in navigating through our era of global industrial and political transition, which the World Economic Forum calls “The Great Reset.”

Before listening to my reading, please read my introduction to this project and my preview of this book:

Reading Joseph Conrad During the Great Reset: Literary Resistance in Totalitarian Times(September 3, 2022);
“Affectionately Called Jimmy: Previewing The N*** of the ‘Narcissus’ (1897) by Joseph Conrad” (September 6, 2022).

Audio versions of each article are linked just underneath their titles.

For my reading of part one and two of this story, see here:

The Rawlsian Podcast airs Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on Substack.

The Rawlsian Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

If you are a self-published author interested in creating an audio version of your book, then please consider me as a narrator. You can sample my narration and audio production work on ACX or The Rawlsian Podcast, both linked above.

Music by Markus Staab (2013).

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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On Wednesdays, I read a text from the public domain for The Rawlsian Podcast’s Story-Time episode.

I missed last week’s Wednesday podcast due to my dad’s health, so this week I will read the second and third parts Joseph Conrad’s The N*** of the ‘Narcissus.’

As I mention in this episode, I am working on a multi-year project called Reading Joseph Conrad During the Great Reset. Due to his anti-black racism, Conrad should not be pushed on anyone (especially by way of mandatory course readings). Without overlooking that racism, however, I find Conrad’s fiction helpful in navigating through our era of global industrial and political transition, which the World Economic Forum calls “The Great Reset.”

Before listening to my reading, please read my introduction to this project and my preview of this book:

Reading Joseph Conrad During the Great Reset: Literary Resistance in Totalitarian Times(September 3, 2022);
“Affectionately Called Jimmy: Previewing The N*** of the ‘Narcissus’ (1897) by Joseph Conrad” (September 6, 2022).

Audio versions of each article are linked just underneath their titles.

For my reading of part one of this story, see here:

The Rawlsian Podcast airs Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on Substack.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

If you are a self-published author interested in creating an audio version of your book, then please consider me as a narrator. You can sample my narration and audio production work on ACX or The Rawlsian Podcast, both linked above.

Music by Markus Staab (2013).

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

This review was originally published in written format on November 8, 2022 to The Rawlsian on Medium.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

If you are a self-published author interested in creating an audio version of your book, then please consider me as a narrator. I am currently offering narration and audio production services through Amazon’s ACX.

Music by Markus Staab (2013).

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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In this episode, I discuss Eric R Kandel’s 2018 popular science book, The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tells Us About Ourselves, which I wrote a review of on October 26, 2022.

Please note that this episode contains profanity, references to drugs and alcohol, and Scottish Gaelic.

Thank you for reading The Rawlsian Podcast. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

If you are a self-published author interested in creating an audio version of your book, then please consider me as a narrator. I am currently offering narration and audio production services through Amazon’s ACX.

Music by Markus Staab (2013).

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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This week in The Rawlsian Podcast’s Friday Fireside, I discuss an article from Michael L Fox, a retired psychologist writing on Medium. Titled “Denial and The Madness of a Species,” Fox’s article explains how your desire to avoid unpleasant thoughts is used to extract money from you.

More importantly, avoidance behaviour ensures that those unpleasant thoughts will continually disturb your mental health and interfere with your ability to be content.

So how does Fox suggest we proceed? I discuss that here, after a brief digression on fountain pen filling mechanisms, my new TWSBI VAC700R, and pangram writing.

The Rawlsian Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

If you are a self-published author interested in creating an audio version of your book, then please consider me as a narrator. I am currently offering narration and audio production services through Amazon’s ACX.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

On Wednesdays, I read a text from the public domain for The Rawlsian Podcast’s Story-Time episode.

This week, I am reading the first installment of Joseph Conrad’s The N* of the ‘Narcissus’, which upon publication in 1897 was retitled by Conrad’s American publisher as The Children of the Sea. In 1914, however, the publisher reverted to Conrad’s preferred title.

As I mention in this episode, I am working on a multi-year project called Reading Joseph Conrad During the Great Reset. Due to his anti-black racism, Conrad should not be pushed on anyone (especially by way of mandatory course readings). Without overlooking that racism, however, I find Conrad’s fiction helpful in navigating through our era of global industrial and political transition, which the World Economic Forum calls “The Great Reset.”

Before listening to my reading, please read my introduction to this project and my preview of this book:

Reading Joseph Conrad During the Great Reset: Literary Resistance in Totalitarian Times(September 3, 2022);
“Affectionately Called Jimmy: Previewing The N*** of the ‘Narcissus’ (1897) by Joseph Conrad” (September 6, 2022).

Audio versions of each article are linked just underneath their titles.

Thank you for your support, and steer with care.

Justin Donlan

If you are a self-published author interested in creating an audio version of your book, then please consider me as a narrator. I am currently offering narration and audio production services through Amazon’s ACX.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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This album review was originally published in written format on October 18, 2022 to The Rawlsian on Medium. Ensure to check out all of the wonderful music from Jean-Michel Blais.

The Rawlsian Podcast airs on Substack every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

View Details

If you are a self-published author interested in creating an audio version of your book, then please consider me as a narrator. I am currently offering narration and audio production services through Amazon’s ACX. Thank you for your support.

In today’s podcast episode, I read TS Eliot’s “The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock.” Falling within the public domain, this poem was first published in 1915.

Note that some of Eliot’s works remain under copyright. If you are unsure about whether the copyright on a text has lapsed, consult a legal professional before publishing your performance or interpretation of that text.

Going forward, expect new episodes of The Rawlsian Podcast on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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This review was originally published in written format on October 17, 2022 to The Rawlsian on Medium. I hope you find something of interest here, whether it be my thoughts on Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising or my Canadian accents.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

Email | LinkedIn | Medium | Substack | Twitter

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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Originally published in written format on October 20, 2022 to The Rawlsian on Medium, this review of Brandon Long’s short-story collection, Dreamscapes of Modernity, offers a great opportunity to discuss the role of a book reviewer or literary critic. Please check out Long’s book on Amazon, and thank you for listening.

This article references Brooke Meredith’s “The Act of Critiquing Books is Absurd,” available on Medium.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

Email | LinkedIn | Medium | Substack | Twitter

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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Originally published in written format on October 3, 2022 to The Rawlsian on Medium, this preview of Joseph Conrad’s short story “Youth: A Narrative”(1898) introduces the text ahead of my essay, which will spoil plot details.

This podcast episode is part of The Rawlsian’s series called Reading Joseph Conrad During the Great Reset. All previews in this series will be available to free subscribers, and access to essay readings will require a paid Substack subscription. Thank you for listening.

As always, steer with care.

Justin Donlan

Email | LinkedIn | Medium | Substack | Twitter

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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Originally published in written format on October 1, 2022 to The Rawlsian on Medium, “A Flameout in the Void” is my review of The Eye of the World (1990), the first book in Robert Jordan’s fantasy series The Wheel of Time.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan, BA, JD

Medium | Twitter | LinkedIn | Email

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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Originally published in written format on September 18, 2022 to The Rawlsian on Medium, “Overly Underwhelming” is my review of Susan Cooper’s fantasy novel Over Sea, Under Stone (1965), the first in her The Dark Is Rising Sequence.

Thank you for listening, and steer with care.

Justin Donlan, BA, JD

Medium | Twitter | LinkedIn | Email

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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Originally published in written format on September 6, 2022 to The Rawlsian on Medium, this preview of Joseph Conrad’s novel The N*** of the ‘Narcissus’ (1897) introduces Conrad’s text ahead of my essay, which will spoil plot details.

This podcast episode is part of The Rawlsian’s series called Reading Joseph Conrad During the Great Reset. All previews in this series will be available to free subscribers, and access to essay readings will require a paid Substack subscription. Thank you for listening.

And as always, steer with care.

Justin Donlan, BA, JD

Medium | Twitter | LinkedIn | Email

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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Originally published in written format on September 4, 2022 to The Rawlsian on Medium, “Listening to Bryan Senti’s Manu (2022)” is my attempt to express what Bryan Senti’s music means for me. This article is less music criticism and more music engagement, with some rather lengthy tangents on Walter Pater and Joseph Conrad.

Thank you for listening to The Rawlsian Podcast’s six episode on Substack.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan, BA, JD

Medium | Twitter | LinkedIn | Email

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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Originally published in written format on September 27, 2022 to The Rawlsian on Medium, “Listening to Poppy Ackroyd’s ‘Hanover Birds’ (2022) and Pause (2021)” is my attempt to express what Poppy Ackroyd’s music means for me. This article is less music criticism and more music engagement.

Thank you for listening to The Rawlsian Podcast’s fifth episode on Substack.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan, BA, JD

Medium | Twitter | LinkedIn | Email

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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Originally published in written format on August 30, 2022 to The Rawlsian on Medium, this article discusses Ian Shapiro’s The Moral Foundations of Politics (2003), which surveys the major figures and theories of political philosophy, including John Rawls and his central work, A Theory of Justice (1971).

Over the next weeks, I will publish podcast versions of all of The Rawlsian’s Medium articles, with only the series Reading Joseph Conrad During the Great Reset requiring a subscription fee to The Rawlsian Podcast.

Thank you for listening to The Rawlsian Podcast’s third episode on Substack.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

For written content, please check out The Rawlsianon Medium.

Medium | Twitter | LinkedIn | Email

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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Originally published in written format to The Rawlsian’s Medium publication on August 26, 2022, this review of Antonio Damasio’s Descartes’ Error (1994) probes into whether the lessons that Damasio derives from the case of Phineas Gage are appropriately applied in Damasio’s aside about altruism and meritocracy.

Over the next weeks, I will publish podcast versions of all of The Rawlsian’s Medium articles, with only the series Reading Joseph Conrad During the Great Reset requiring a subscription fee to The Rawlsian Podcast.

Thank you for listening to The Rawlsian Podcast’s second episode on Substack.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

For written content, please check out The Rawlsianon Medium.

Medium | Twitter | LinkedIn | Email

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

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Originally published in written format to The Rawlsian’s Medium publication on August 23, 2022, this review of Garth Nix’s Sabriel makes plot details explicit. Thank you for listening to The Rawlsian Podcast’s first episode on Substack.

Over the next weeks, I will publish podcast versions of all of The Rawlsian’s Medium articles, with only the series Reading Joseph Conrad During the Great Reset requiring a subscription fee to The Rawlsian Podcast.

Thank you so much for listening.

Steer with care.

Justin Donlan

For written content, please check out The Rawlsianon Medium.

Medium | Twitter | LinkedIn | Email

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therawlsian.substack.com/subscribe

The Rawlsian Podcast: Recent Episodes

Justin Donlan