<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd"><channel><title><![CDATA[Serial Fiction: Neither Slave nor Free]]></title><description><![CDATA[Risking crucifixion, Onesimus, an enslaved shepherd, flees his bitter half-brother and master, Philemon, only to find that freedom requires more than mere escape. NEITHER SLAVE NOR FREE is a serial novel issued in weekly chapters. It tells a literary-fictional, historically-plausible backstory to the New Testament letter, Philemon. New chapter every Sunday. <br/><br/><a href="https://ameadwriter.substack.com/s/neither-slave-nor-free-a-serial-novel?utm_medium=podcast">ameadwriter.substack.com</a>]]></description><link>https://ameadwriter.substack.com/s/neither-slave-nor-free-a-serial-novel</link><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:02:16 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/4986379/s/379266.rss" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><author><![CDATA[Aaron Mead]]></author><copyright><![CDATA[Aaron Mead]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[amead@ameadwriter.com]]></webMaster><itunes:new-feed-url>https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/4986379/s/379266.rss</itunes:new-feed-url><itunes:author>Aaron Mead</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Risking crucifixion, Onesimus, an enslaved shepherd, flees his bitter half-brother and master, Philemon, only to find that freedom requires more than mere escape. NEITHER SLAVE NOR FREE is a serial novel issued in weekly chapters. It tells a literary-fictional, historically-plausible backstory to the often-misread New Testament letter, Philemon. New chapter every Sunday.</itunes:subtitle><itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type><itunes:owner><itunes:name>Aaron Mead</itunes:name><itunes:email>amead@ameadwriter.com</itunes:email></itunes:owner><itunes:explicit>No</itunes:explicit><itunes:category text="Fiction"/><itunes:category text="Religion &amp; Spirituality"><itunes:category text="Christianity"/></itunes:category><itunes:image href="https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/4986379/s/379266/e085f365d1a52e99d82ba75a0942a8d5.jpg"/><item><title><![CDATA[Morning Shave]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>This post is a chapter of <em>Neither Slave nor Free</em>, a serial novel that tells a literary-fictional, historically-plausible backstory to the New Testament letter, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philemon&#38;version=NRSVUE">Philemon</a>. New chapter every Sunday.</p><p><strong>Risking crucifixion, Onesimus, an enslaved shepherd, flees his bitter half-brother and master, Philemon, only to find that freedom requires more than mere escape.</strong></p><p>“. . . a masterful grasp of the cultural, political and spiritual context of the time . . . The heart of the novel beats for hope, and asks one essential question: what does it mean to truly be free?” —<a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/profile/2304712-claire-gibson">Claire Gibson</a>, author of <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/beyond-the-point-a-novel-claire-gibson/fe9fa0d344088b9a?ean=9780062853745&#38;next=t"><em>Beyond the Point: A Novel</em></a></p><p>“. . . one of the best historical novels I’ve ever read on a New Testament figure . . . Mead’s novel utilizes cutting edge scholarship as he weaves a beautiful and inspiring story of hope and faith.” —<a target="_blank" href="https://uwm.edu/world-languages-cultures/about/directory/williams-demetrius/">Demetrius K. Williams</a>, Professor of Comparative Literature and Religious Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukie; Editor of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/9780800663414/Onesimus-Our-Brother"><em>Onesimus Our Brother: Reading Religion, Race and Slavery in Philemon</em></a></p><p>“Through characters that are vividly complex, defying any easy, moralizing categorization, Mead delivers a thrilling piece of historical fiction that sheds needed light on a tiny letter whose controversial impact has been, and remains, gargantuan.” —<a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/@tommygivens">Tommy Givens</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://fuller.edu/faculty/g-tommy-givens/">Associate Professor of New Testament Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to sub·plot at <a href="https://ameadwriter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">ameadwriter.substack.com/subscribe</a>]]></description><link>https://ameadwriter.substack.com/p/neither-slave-nor-free-a-serial-novel-morning-shave</link><guid isPermaLink="false">substack:post:204960279</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aaron Mead]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/204960279/5ce9b0927143179a662489c1814181fa.mp3" length="11065200" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Aaron Mead</itunes:author><itunes:explicit>No</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>922</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/4986379/post/204960279/8bd9836f7db123c8246f96a85cba6364.jpg"/><itunes:season>1</itunes:season><itunes:episode>4</itunes:episode><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Will]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>This post is a chapter of <em>Neither Slave nor Free</em>, a serial novel that tells a literary-fictional, historically-plausible backstory to the New Testament letter, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philemon&#38;version=NRSVUE">Philemon</a>. New chapter every Sunday.</p><p><strong>Risking crucifixion, Onesimus, an enslaved shepherd, flees his bitter half-brother and master, Philemon, only to find that freedom requires more than mere escape.</strong></p><p>“. . . a masterful grasp of the cultural, political and spiritual context of the time . . . The heart of the novel beats for hope, and asks one essential question: what does it mean to truly be free?” —<a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/profile/2304712-claire-gibson">Claire Gibson</a>, author of <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/beyond-the-point-a-novel-claire-gibson/fe9fa0d344088b9a?ean=9780062853745&#38;next=t"><em>Beyond the Point: A Novel</em></a></p><p>“. . . one of the best historical novels I’ve ever read on a New Testament figure . . . Mead’s novel utilizes cutting edge scholarship as he weaves a beautiful and inspiring story of hope and faith.” —<a target="_blank" href="https://uwm.edu/world-languages-cultures/about/directory/williams-demetrius/">Demetrius K. Williams</a>, Professor of Comparative Literature and Religious Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukie; Editor of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/9780800663414/Onesimus-Our-Brother"><em>Onesimus Our Brother: Reading Religion, Race and Slavery in Philemon</em></a></p><p>“Through characters that are vividly complex, defying any easy, moralizing categorization, Mead delivers a thrilling piece of historical fiction that sheds needed light on a tiny letter whose controversial impact has been, and remains, gargantuan.” —<a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/@tommygivens">Tommy Givens</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://fuller.edu/faculty/g-tommy-givens/">Associate Professor of New Testament Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to sub·plot at <a href="https://ameadwriter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">ameadwriter.substack.com/subscribe</a>]]></description><link>https://ameadwriter.substack.com/p/neither-slave-nor-free-a-serial-novel-the-will</link><guid isPermaLink="false">substack:post:204735576</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aaron Mead]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 05 Jul 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/204735576/8008ea98fd6824bca1f003cbe6f09d7f.mp3" length="6530552" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Aaron Mead</itunes:author><itunes:explicit>No</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>544</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/4986379/post/204735576/909005d624ffef330ae546bf2273460a.jpg"/><itunes:season>1</itunes:season><itunes:episode>3</itunes:episode><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[Funeral Procession]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>This post is a chapter of <em>Neither Slave nor Free</em>, a serial novel that tells a literary-fictional, historically-plausible backstory to the New Testament letter, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philemon&#38;version=NRSVUE">Philemon</a>. New chapter every Sunday.</p><p><strong>Risking crucifixion, Onesimus, an enslaved shepherd, flees his bitter half-brother and master, Philemon, only to find that freedom requires more than mere escape.</strong></p><p>“. . . a masterful grasp of the cultural, political and spiritual context of the time . . . The heart of the novel beats for hope, and asks one essential question: what does it mean to truly be free?” —<a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/profile/2304712-claire-gibson">Claire Gibson</a>, author of <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/beyond-the-point-a-novel-claire-gibson/fe9fa0d344088b9a?ean=9780062853745&#38;next=t"><em>Beyond the Point: A Novel</em></a></p><p>“. . . one of the best historical novels I’ve ever read on a New Testament figure . . . Mead’s novel utilizes cutting edge scholarship as he weaves a beautiful and inspiring story of hope and faith.” —<a target="_blank" href="https://uwm.edu/world-languages-cultures/about/directory/williams-demetrius/">Demetrius K. Williams</a>, Professor of Comparative Literature and Religious Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukie; Editor of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/9780800663414/Onesimus-Our-Brother"><em>Onesimus Our Brother: Reading Religion, Race and Slavery in Philemon</em></a></p><p>“Through characters that are vividly complex, defying any easy, moralizing categorization, Mead delivers a thrilling piece of historical fiction that sheds needed light on a tiny letter whose controversial impact has been, and remains, gargantuan.” —<a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/@tommygivens">Tommy Givens</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://fuller.edu/faculty/g-tommy-givens/">Associate Professor of New Testament Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to sub·plot at <a href="https://ameadwriter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">ameadwriter.substack.com/subscribe</a>]]></description><link>https://ameadwriter.substack.com/p/neither-slave-nor-free-a-serial-novel-funeral-procession</link><guid isPermaLink="false">substack:post:203837760</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aaron Mead]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/203837760/62c491eae3d2cb7918773c538ba126ce.mp3" length="8951790" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Aaron Mead</itunes:author><itunes:explicit>No</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>746</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/4986379/post/203837760/e96c70fa3fa70cc762f5c9cb89c07c26.jpg"/><itunes:season>1</itunes:season><itunes:episode>2</itunes:episode><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[Down the Mountain]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>This post is a chapter of <em>Neither Slave nor Free</em>, a serial novel that tells a literary-fictional, historically-plausible backstory to the New Testament letter, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philemon&#38;version=NRSVUE">Philemon</a>. New chapter every Sunday.</p><p><strong>Risking crucifixion, Onesimus, an enslaved shepherd, flees his bitter half-brother and master, Philemon, only to find that freedom requires more than mere escape.</strong></p><p>“. . . a masterful grasp of the cultural, political and spiritual context of the time . . . The heart of the novel beats for hope, and asks one essential question: what does it mean to truly be free?” —<a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/profile/2304712-claire-gibson">Claire Gibson</a>, author of <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/beyond-the-point-a-novel-claire-gibson/fe9fa0d344088b9a?ean=9780062853745&#38;next=t"><em>Beyond the Point: A Novel</em></a></p><p>“. . . one of the best historical novels I’ve ever read on a New Testament figure . . . Mead’s novel utilizes cutting edge scholarship as he weaves a beautiful and inspiring story of hope and faith.” —<a target="_blank" href="https://uwm.edu/world-languages-cultures/about/directory/williams-demetrius/">Demetrius K. Williams</a>, Professor of Comparative Literature and Religious Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukie; Editor of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/9780800663414/Onesimus-Our-Brother"><em>Onesimus Our Brother: Reading Religion, Race and Slavery in Philemon</em></a></p><p>“Through characters that are vividly complex, defying any easy, moralizing categorization, Mead delivers a thrilling piece of historical fiction that sheds needed light on a tiny letter whose controversial impact has been, and remains, gargantuan.” —<a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/@tommygivens">Tommy Givens</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://fuller.edu/faculty/g-tommy-givens/">Associate Professor of New Testament Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to sub·plot at <a href="https://ameadwriter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">ameadwriter.substack.com/subscribe</a>]]></description><link>https://ameadwriter.substack.com/p/neither-slave-nor-free-a-serial-novel-down-the-mountain</link><guid isPermaLink="false">substack:post:196013708</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aaron Mead]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2026 08:19:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/196013708/54bc0b8edb0695513bf3a1b5d5d463cb.mp3" length="15657840" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Aaron Mead</itunes:author><itunes:explicit>No</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>1305</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/4986379/post/196013708/f0340299b3acb1c75c67039b245895d6.jpg"/><itunes:season>1</itunes:season><itunes:episode>1</itunes:episode><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item></channel></rss>