Could Octavia E. Butler See the Future?

Thanks to funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, students and faculty from the University of Redlands are delving into Butler's 1993 novel predicting the world of 2024, and the whole Redlands community is invited to take part in the discussion.  
 
In 1993, Octavia E. Butler published Parable of the Sower, a dystopian coming-of-age novel set in Southern California in 2024.  As we live through the future Butler imagined, her vision of environmental collapse, political disintegration, and - ultimately - hope in community still has a lot to teach us.  Students at the Universities of Redlands and Woodbury, and those at Crafton Hills and Riverside Community Colleges are diving into the novel as Campus Reads, and the larger Redlands community is invited to join the conversation!  
 
There are many ways to take part!
There will be two opportunities to join a creative writing event: October 5th and 12th, from 12:00-1:30 at the Barton Schoolhouse.  Join a supportive community of writers in responding to the key questions the novel poses.  (each day is a stand-alone event, but you are welcome to attend both!).  Facilitated by Natalie Thompson from The Grove School.

Smiley Library is hosting two events at which the community can engage more deeply with the novel.  On October 15 and 26 we'll have the chance to discuss two versions of the book together - first the prose novel, then the graphic novel (both available to checkout from Smiley and Armacost Library, or to purchase from Frugal Frigate (https://www.frugalfrigate.com/browse/book)

Dr. Heather King will present two mini courses about Parable of the Sower and the graphic novel adaptation at Homecoming, Saturday, October 26th. (You are encouraged the read the book before class if you can, but it is not required)

John Jennings, illustrator of the graphic novel adaptation, will speak as the 2024 English Department Eaton Lecturer at the University of Redlands on Wednesday, October 30th, at 6:00 pm in Room 100 of the Hall of Letters and on zoom. Jennings is an award-winning graphic novelist, professor at UC Riverside, and curator of the Megascope Graphic Novel imprint from Abrams Books.  He will discuss adapting Parable of the Sower, and what it means to visualize Black Speculative Fiction.
 
There will also be events on the U of R campus to explore facets of the novel more deeply: stay tuned for information on a public event in the university's Meditation Room, a Plant Walk at the Sustainable University of Redlands Farm, and public lectures in the spring, including the 2024-2025 Cummings Peace Lecture, given by Pandora Thomas of EARTHseed Farm in Sebastapol. These events are made possible in part by a Spotlight on the Humanities grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the support of the University of Redlands.