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Books · Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan

Ascend - The Great Books Podcast

by Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan

#175 Arts
▼40 today

Welcome to Ascend! We are a weekly Great Books podcast hosted by Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan. What are the Great Books? The Great Books are the most impactful texts that have shaped Western civilization. They include ancients like Homer, Plato, St. Augustine, Dante, and St. Thomas Aquinas, and also moderns like Machiavelli, Locke, and Nietzsche. We will explore the Great Books with the light of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Why should we read the Great Books? Everyone is a disciple of someone. A person may have never read Locke or Nietzsche, but he or she thinks like them. Reading the Great Books allows us to reclaim our intellect and understand the origin of the ideas that shape our world. We enter a "great conversation" amongst the most learned, intelligent humans in history and benefit from their insights. Is this for first-time readers? YES. Our goal is to host meaningful conversations on the Great Books by working through the texts in chronological order in a slow, attentive manner. Our host Adam Minihan is a first-time reader of Homer. We will start shallow and go deep. All are invited to join. Will any resources be available? YES. We are providing a free 115 Question & Answer Guide to the Iliad written by Deacon Harrison Garlick in addition to our weekly conversations. It will be available on the website (launching next week). Go pick up a copy of the Iliad! We look forward to reading Homer with you in 2024.

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

NEW BOOK CLUB and Neil Gaiman’s “Chivalry” with H.E. Eduard Habsburg

We have BIG NEWS! We have launched the new Ascend Book Club! Ascend: The Great Books Podcast has partnered with “The Ascent” here on Substack to transform it into the ne

Sep 15
1 h 13 min

Red Shadows: A Savage Tale of Solomon Kane with Alberto Fernandez

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick is joined by the always wonderful Alberto Fernandez to discuss "Red Shadows," a salvage tale of Solomon Kane by Rob

Sep 8
59 min

Enduring Chill by Flannery O'Connor with Dr. Joseph Boyne

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick is joined by Dr. Joseph Boyne to discuss Flannery O'Connor's "Enduring Chill" as part of Short Story September. V

Sep 1
1 h 40 min

Plato's Ion with Erik Rostad, Dr. Grabowski, and More

Dcn. Harrison Garlick hosts a full house to discuss the short, strange, forgotten dialogue of Plato's Ion, subtitled "On the Iliad." 10 Question Written Guide on Plato'

Aug 25
1 h 38 min

Hippias Minor (On the Lie) with Dr. Grabowski and Friends

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick, Dr. Larson, Dr. Grabowski, and Mr. Thomas Lackey discuss the short, strange, and forgotten dialogue of HIppias Min

Aug 18
1 h 34 min

Plato's Lovers with Dr. Larson and Dr. Grabowski

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick, Dr. Larson, and Dr. Grabowski discuss Plato's Lovers--a strange, short, and somewhat forgotten dialogue seeking th

Aug 11
1 h 01 min

Plato's Hipparchus with Dr. Frank Grabowski

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick and Dr. Grabowski discuss a short, strange, and somewhat forgotten Platonic dialogue - The Hipparchus. Check out o

Aug 4
1 h 11 min

Rediscovering Holy Eros

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Garlick invites you into a rich, methodical exploration of eros: the primal desire to satiate in beauty and be happy. W

Jul 29
1 h 29 min

A Cantankerous Review of the Odyssey Movie

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick delivers an unapologetically curmudgeonly critique of Christopher Nolan’s new film The Odyssey. Check o

Jul 27
46 min

NEW BOOK: The American Odyssey with Dr. Patrick Deneen

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick hosts Dr. Patrick Deneen to discuss his NEW BOOK: The American Odyssey: What an Ancient Story Reveals About Our Div

Jul 21
59 min

The Odyssey Books 23-24 with Dr. Justin Jackson and Dr. Benedict Whalen

Today, we end our 12-week study of the Odyssey with a discussion on Books 23-24 with Dr. Justin Jackson and Dr. Benedict Whalen of Hillsdale College alongside host, Dcn.

Jul 14
2 h 24 min

The Odyssey Book 22 with Dr. Alex Priou

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick welcomes Dr. Alex Priou to discuss Book 22 of the Odyssey, the Slaughter of the Suitors. Check out our LI

Jul 7
1 h 33 min

The Odyssey Books 20-21 with Thomas Lackey and Dr. Grabowski

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, we are discussing Books 20 & 21 with Mr. Thomas Lackey and Dr. Frank Grabowski. NEW ARTICLE: Why Should Christians Read Homer?

Jun 30
1 h 25 min

The Odyssey Books 17-19 with Dr. Frank Grabowski

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Frank Grabowski dive into Books 17–19 of Homer’s Odyssey, where the disguised king returns to It

Jun 23
1 h 26 min

The Odyssey Books 15-16 with Jack Drury and Dr. Grabowski

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick is joined by returning mentor Dr. Frank Grabowski—Third Order Franciscan, diaconate candidate, and Dean

Jun 16
1 h 23 min

The Odyssey Books 13-14 with Dr. Alex Petkas and Dr. Grabowski

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick is joined by Dr. Frank Grabowski and Dr. Alex Petkas (host of the Cost of Glory) for a rich discussion o

Jun 9
1 h 27 min

The Odyssey Books 11-12 with Luke Heintschel and Dr. Grabowski

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick discusses Books 11-12 of the Odyssey with Dr. Frank Grabowski and Mr. Luke Heintschel, the Academic Headma

Jun 2
1 h 49 min

The Odyssey Books 9-10 with Dr. Gregory McBrayer

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and the Dr. Gregory McBrayer discuss Books 9-10 of the Odyssey--the first half of Odysseus telling his own

May 26
2 h 03 min

The Odyssey Books 6-8 with Dr. Frank Grabowski

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Frank Grabowski discussing Books 6-8 of the Odyssey discussing Odysseus' time with the Phaeacians.

May 19
1 h 48 min

The Odyssey Book 5 with Dr. Glenn Arbery and Dr. Frank Grabowski

Odysseus rejects becoming a god... why? Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick is joined by Dr. Glenn Arbery of Wyoming Catholic College and Dr.

May 12
1 h 48 min

Chart trend

Position in the Arts chart (US), last 90 days.

#9
all-time peak
1
day in the top 10 since Dec 2024

Chart positions

Where Ascend - The Great Books Podcast ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 19, 2026).

#175 ▼ 40 Arts US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

I desired to begin my journey through Homer's Iliad and Odyssey but I didn't know where to go. I stumbled across this podcast and I am so grateful I did. I'm only a few episodes in and I find this podcast so insightful. They make The Iliad approachable while still digging into deep themes and history.

Taryn L. Davidson · Oct 2025

This podcast made ancient texts unexpectedly addictive. Now I understand why they been read for hundreds of years.

Sylvan Odyssey · Sep 2025

This is such a fantastic podcast! It has been a please to journey through The Iliad with Harrison and Adam. Both hosts provide a wealth of insight

Pjoordz · May 2025

Decided to mix some of the great books into my reading list last year and knew it would be beneficial to do so with a podcast to guide me. So glad I found this one! The hosts are a great example of the intellectual revival we should be having thanks to the internet and podcasting. I was pleasantly surprised that they’re involved Catholics as well.

Mtdilln · Apr 2025

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.

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About Ascend - The Great Books Podcast on Reason.fm

Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Ascend - The Great Books Podcast, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

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