By Isabel Dunn ’27
Books Editor
In a time of uncertainty surrounding politics, advancements in technology, and climate change, it often feels difficult to know how to respond. Each year, Mount Holyoke College hosts a Common Read event, in which a book is chosen that represents current global topics, and everyone is invited to read it together, bringing students together for a place of community discussion. The selection for the 2025-26 academic year was “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler. On Tuesday, Oct 28, President Danielle Holley sat down with Mount Holyoke alum and Butler scholar Dr. Susana Morris ’02 to discuss the novel and its current impact.
The novel, released in 1993, follows a girl named Lauren and her family as they fight to survive in an apocalyptic future ravaged by climate change and authoritarian rule. Holley and Morris opened their conversation by reminiscing about their first experiences with the novel. Morris recalled seeing a book with a Black woman on the cover in the science fiction section: Something that was uncommon for the time.
“It changed the trajectory of my life,” she said.
The idea that Octavia Butler has achieved a nearly prophetic status was an overarching theme of the discussion. The book takes place in an imagined 2024, and Holley andMorris joked about how far away the year seemed when they first read the book.
“When the book came out, people thought it was outrageous for so many things to be happening at once,” said Morris. She compared the events to a Shonda Rhymes show in which disaster after disaster seems to occur.
Despite many of her accurate predictions, Morris cautioned against calling Butler a prophet. Butler studied history, and she drew from things she saw in the past and present to predict the future.
“When she was writing the book, she was writing about Reagan, not Trump,” said Morris. Butler paid attention to the seeds being planted in the present and made predictions as to how they would flourish in the future.
Despite the somewhat bleak nature of the novel, Morris still finds hope in its messages. She and Holley discussed how the book resonates now, especially through the idea of resilience in the face of change.
“We are not simply puppets or cogs in the machine,” said Morris. “We have power and can affect great change.”
Later in the conversation, questions turned to Morris’ book “Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler.” In the book, Morris describes Butler as a “midwife of Black feminism.”
“She helped birth the moment we are in now,” said Morris, describing how Butler worked in coalition with other Black feminist authors like Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde and Alice Walker to change the literary landscape and build the foundation for those who came after them.
Morris also shared some advice for current students with hopes of becoming writers.
“If you want to be a writer, you have to read a lot,” she said. “If you want to write nonfiction, you have to read fiction. If you want to write fiction, you have to write nonfiction.” She concluded with a plug for the Speaking Arguing and Writing Center.
Before moving on to audience questions, Holley asked what Butler would say about this moment. Morris thought for a moment before responding.
“She wouldn’t be one to gloat, but she would lay out what she said decades ago,” she said. Returning to the idea of Butler as a prophet, she added: “It’s only a prophecy if you don’t listen.”
Whitney White ’28 contributed fact-checking.