For the past couple of weeks the Grove High School’s English teacher Natalie Thompson eloquently organized and offered two creative writing workshop inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s book: “Parable of the Sower.”
This school year, a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities have made it possible for English Professor at University of Redlands, Heather King and colleagues to provide community events featuring themes surrounding the Parable-book that takes place in 2024 and beyond (but was published in 1993).
Last night, the Redlands community was invited to discuss the book in more depth. Close to twenty people showed up, I was one of them.
Dr. Heather King responds to comments from the participants at the One City/One Book event.
If you have not read “The Parable of the Sower” and would like to read other community related stuff about Redlands, you are welcome to skip this themed thread I keep throughout this year learning about community through fictional work. Look for the next post!
If you on the other hand are fascinated like me in the ways literature can help us understand the world we live in better, read on!
For a writer participating in a creative writing workshop, I was for a brief moment in heaven. Until I learned the prompts, like “What’s in your emergency bag?” - “How do you define survival and how does survival look like in your community (Redlands)?” - “Where would you flee (if you were on foot)?” - “What does community mean to you?”
I imagined having to force my way to safety in the aftermath of a world shattering earthquake. Would I be able to carry my stack of filled journals on my back? I think not. Sweat percolated down my back, and I took a sigh of relief as we moved into the next prompt.
The two Saturday sessions not only made us reflect on the world we live in today, but also how we thought we would react in the case of future disasters and most of all what positive and hopeful elements we would rely on.
Just like Lauren Oya Olamina did in the book, building community from the ground up. For every building block of the importance of community, I realized Olamina consisted every bit of them: strength, compassion, empathy, leadership, kindness, safety, conflict resolver and shared purpose. In reality I had described Olamina in what a community means to me.
For anyone not familiar with writing or journaling as a creative outlet, I recommend it as an opportunity for reflection.
Another opportunity was last night’s community discussion at the One City/One Book-event at the Contemporary Club hosted by Dr. Heather King.
Thoughtful questions with background information were handed out to each participant as we arrived one by one.
One of the most popular themes discussed from the book was the affliction Olamina suffered from hyper-empathy. She intimately feels the pain (or pleasure) of others in her sight.
Let me ask you this hypothetical question: How would you react if you felt the pain of others as your own? Would you avoid other people at all cost or would you try to mitigate their pain?
King raised the question whether Olamina had biological enforced empathy (from her condition) or philosophical cultivated empathy or maybe a combination of both, which was the result we arrived at.
For most of the participants at the discussion, the book had been a difficult read if not impossible. The collapse of society and disasters that followed including graphic violence were not easily digested. King explained that the book is supposed to be read uncomfortably. That we should never be comfortable with any of the problematic issues raised in the book: climate change, exploitative business models, high rates of drug use, water shortage, no health care and no public education system, etc.
As one participant said: “No change happens without a wound, and the world (today) is pretty wounded.”
Just as we face many different serious problems, so too do we have the potential to face them by changing our approach.
One of the points that came across from reading the Parable-book was how one individual is powerless but in a community, the group together become powerful. No real solutions for a positive future can be achieved without people coming together.
“Embrace diversity.
Unite —
Or be divided,
Robbed,
Ruled,
Killed
By those who see you as prey.
Embrace diversity
Or be destroyed.”
(Earthseed verse at the beginning of Chapter 17, page 196, “Parable of the Sower”)
Participants discussed the new religion, Olamina dictates in the book and whether it could be seen as a religion or something else. Was it a spiritual guidance lacking the component of love or a God-like entity?
As if on cue, everyone’s summary of the book ended in where one can experience community right here in Redlands, right now.
One mentioned the fantastic work by Akoma, a youth center in San Bernardino where volunteers provide homework support, sports, arts and tech classes, and a community garden. For anyone who needs to belief in the future, the volunteer from this place said, there is no better way to volunteer than being a positive influence to the youth. (www.akomaunitycenter.org)
Another mentioned Braver Angels, an organization that attempts to bridge the divide between polarizations. (www.braverangels.org)
And finally, there is the upcoming opportunity to meeting your creative community by attending The Art for Heaven’s Sake this weekend. It’s a great way to enjoy arts and crafts in the beautiful surroundings of the Redlands United Church of Christ. The 45th annual art festival is full of live music and gorgeous art pieces to browse.
Where do you cultivate community? Where do you meet people unlike yourself?
The next events in “The Parable of the Sower” event series are on October 26 and 30 respectively. Hope to see you there.