Outrunning killer sisters while folding space: A conversation with John Chu

By Honora Quinn ’27

Staff Writer

Many of us living in Western Massachusetts have at one time or another ventured into the pits of Boston and had the (mis)fortune of traversing the city via the Red Line of the MBTA. Missing the train is a rite of passage, perhaps a universal annoyance. So, for author John Chu — who left the city to visit us in South Hadley for a chat about his debut novel, “The Subtle Art of Folding Space” — it felt like the perfect place to begin his protagonist Ellie’s tale. 

Revolving around the complex and mult-generational family dynamics of the main character, Ellie, this science fiction novel has been described by Booklist as “a mystery wrapped in quantum physics and family trauma,” and Library Journal calls it the “intersection between the multiverse, family dysfunction and dim sum.”

On April 8, 2026, just a day after the book hit the shelves, Chu came to the Odyssey Bookshop. He was joined in conversation by fellow author Jedidiah Berry, author of “The Naming Song,” to dive into his debut novel, exploring both its origins as a work of short fiction and the real life family inspirations that bled their way into the fantastical world. Before the doors of the event even opened, Mount Holyoke News was able to sit down with Chu to ask some questions of our own. 

The following interview has been edited for clarity. 

Q: What are three words you would use to describe this book? 

A: The [first] word that sort of comes to mind is “physics.” Because this is a book about people who maintain the physics of the universe and then what happens when physics goes wrong. The second word, I think, is probably “family.”  Ultimately, the story is about the relationships between the characters. Ellie, my main character, has to deal with her sister Chris, and how that relationship evolves is very much at the center of this novel. In addition, this is a novel that is based in part on my experience and actually my entire family's experience with my mother's illness and the choices that we had to make … My third word has to be “fun.” [The book] is  about this family drama, but it's also sort of this very quick-paced, very zippy, very weird, fun ride.

Q: What were the seeds of inspiration for this book?

A: Well, I wrote a novel mostly to see if I could write a novel. But there were a couple of [inspirations]. This novel is an outgrowth of a short story that I wrote called “Hold-time Violations,” and the initial seed of that was basically I kept missing the train at Alewife, which is actually the thing that happens to my main character Ellie in chapter 1. So part of it was reading about the international prototype kilogram… but that led to the sort of the science fiction-y question of, well, what if our fundamental constants were not constant for some reason? What is a science fiction-y reason why that might be the case?… and like I said, finally, a lot of the heart of the novel is based very much on my experiences dealing with my mom's death. I should point out this is all fictionalized — you're not going to be able to read about my mom's death in this book. But those experiences very much informed the writing of it.

Q: You’re being interviewed for a college newspaper, so what advice do you have for college writers that would like to write like you do?

A: My advice always sounds really depressing, and I do not mean it this way … you have to enjoy the process. You have to enjoy what you're doing. You have to enjoy improving as a writer and you have to like parts of writing which can to some people be really tedious, and you have to find some way of enjoying that and wanting to do that over and over again… Your reward is that you write better today than you did yesterday … I find myself extremely lucky in that I have a publishing track record at all, and just mind-blowingly lucky that I have a published novel. But, that's not something you should expect or count on. And to the extent that I've gotten there, it's because I enjoy the process of writing.

Whitney White ’28 contributed fact-checking.

103rd Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Competition names Nessa Joan winner

By Sarah Grinnell ’26

Books Editor

Associate Professor of English Professor Andrea Lawlor began the Contestants’ Reading of the 103rd Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Competition by urging the audience to “watch these poets” well beyond the conclusion of the contest. And if the work the six students read is any indication of the bright poetic careers they have ahead of them, Lawlor’s statement was indeed a well-placed one.

The Glascock Competition is an annually occurring event in which Mount Holyoke College hosts three poet judges to review the work of six students: One from Mount Holyoke and five others from various institutions across the country. The competition has a long and illustrious history, with the contestants of its 103rd iteration joining the impressive company of Sylvia Plath, Mary Jo Salter and James Agee, among other past contestants. This year’s contest was judged by the powerhouse panel of Miller Oberman, Dianelly Antigua and George Abraham, who follow in the stead of past judges like Robert Frost, Audre Lorde and W.H. Auden.

The Contestants’ Reading, held on April 9 in Gamble Auditorium, began with opening words from the Chair of the Glascock Committee, Associate Professor of English Andrea Lawlor, before the students took to the podium. 

First up was Nessa Joan of Brooklyn College. According to the poet’s personal statement, they “[use] NYC’s grittiness, gutting imagery, syringe-deep tone and hazy allusions to weave a basket of surreal and visceral experience of works.” Innovatively playing with dialect and language in poems like “GUNABIA, JUANA BE,” Antigua praised Joan’s particular “talent for rhythm and sound” at the Judges’ Reading the following day.

Kiara Korten, from the University of Connecticut, delivered a very calm, commanding reading of poems that explored themes of place and memory. Oberman singled out her use of line breaks “in surprising ways,” and Antigua heralded her work as being “as grounding as it is imaginative,” with “a sensory richness that is striking and also very tender.” “I’ll never look at a lizard the same way,” she joked, alluding to Korten’s poem “Off Biscayne Bay.”

Next was Tess Nelson of Bard Microcollege Holyoke, who read an incredibly endearing set of poems that painted intimate snapshots of everyday life. Nelson earned many chuckles from the audience for wry titles like “Dick, I Really Miss You” and “Ode to That Morning on the PVTA.” The judges were impressed by her ability to “[linger] in the core, essential simplicity of living,” as well as the strength of their voice; as Abraham expressed, “I always want to tell young poets that when you have a clarity of voice, that matters more than anything else,” and Nelson is a poet that Abraham “knows they know who they are.”

Following Nelson was Mount Holyoke’s own Amelia Potter ’26. Potter’s concentration in public history and archival studies was on skilled display in her poems that wove together history and time, with her personal statement expressing her belief that poetry can be used as a way “to question and attend to the past and to find a redressive orientation toward the future.” Each of her poems were precise in their historical quotations, yet far-reaching in thematic scope; at once timeless and strikingly relevant. The judges expressed being “taken by [her] sense of historicity” and ability to hold “beauty and devastation” simultaneously.

In a text interview with Mount Holyoke News, Potter reflected on her experience by saying that “seeing all the unique, experimentative styles of the other student poets has definitely given me new perspectives on writing. They were playing so compellingly with form, and silence, and illegible sound in ways that I really envy/admire!” 

Potter shared that one of the major insights she received from the judges and contestants was that “if poetry has any political use, it’s in functioning as a rehearsal for future action” — which the content of her own poems certainly displayed.

Reem Thakur of Tufts University then read a selection of poems drawing from South Asian culture and poetic forms, such as the “THE CHUDAIL’S SESTINA,” in which she identified herself with the mythical, witch-like creature of the same name. Abraham called the sestina “a feat,” even saying that it will be the poem they will most remember from the competition. Although Thakur read just two poems, both were expansive in length and vision, exploring race and identity on the level of embodiment as well as language.

Last to read was María Vielma-Baxter from Hampshire College, who shared the “Playlist Poems” from her collage poetry thesis. The pieces were a mix of more traditionally structured poems, as well as unique formal experimentations in “Metamorphosis,” which utilized blanked-out elements to give the poem a gaspy cadence when read aloud. “Metamorphosis” was particularly praised by the judges for its “inventiveness” and use of visuality and sound.

The next day, students and community members had the opportunity to hear the judges read their own work on Friday, April 10 in the Stimson Room. Each judge was very movingly introduced by student members of the Glascock committee.

First to read was Oberman, a self-described “trans Jewish anti-Zionist” and the author of two poetry collections, “Impossible Things” and “The Unstill Ones.” Oberman read a number of poems from “Impossible Things,” such as “The Wind is Loud,” that explore fatherhood and the haunting presence of his dead brother. He also writes extensively about his subjectivity as a trans man, in poems like “The Centaur,” which play with pronouns and hybridity.

Following Abraham was Diannely Antigua, a Dominican American poet, Massachusetts native and the Thirteenth Poet Laureate of Portsmouth from 2022-2024. The author of two poetry collections, “Ugly Music” and “Good Monster,” much of Antigua’s work draws from experiences with mental illness, such as in “The Moon is on Wellbutrin.” The title “Good Monster” derives from a therapeutic strategy called “internal family systems,” and according to Antigua, this process involved naming her own “monster” as her “depression, anxiety, and boundless need.” Antigua envisioned the collection as a “love letter” to this monster.

Last to read was George Abraham. A Palestinian American poet and current writer-in-residence at Amherst College, Abraham has worked with a number of Mount Holyoke students in their classes and joked that they want “more Mount Holyoke students at Amherst, please for the love of god!” 

They began by reading the words of “Palestinians who aren’t in the room with us” in the form of Maya Abu Al-Hayyat’s “Autobiography of Fear.” Through their own politically-driven work, they expressed to the audience that one of the things poetry is most useful for is as “a vessel for confronting fear within oneself.”

Once the judges concluded their readings, the winner of the contest was finally announced. While Oberman made a point to note that it “felt silly and hard to choose a winner”  — and the Contestants’ Reading made clear what a tall order such a decision was — Nessa Joan was ultimately crowned as the victor, looking visibly stunned by the result. 

Antigua assured them that they are “really doing something special” with their work, though it is an understatement to say that the future of poetry is in very capable hands with each and every one of the participating student poets. 

Whitney White ’28 contributed fact-checking.

Wild Honey: A joyful night of multilingual poetry despite program cuts

By Isabelle Peterson ’28

Staff Writer

In the words of the Nobel Prize-winning Russian language poet, Anna Akhmatova, “Wild honey smells like freedom.” As Mount Holyoke College’s German and Russian programs pooled resources to host a final poetry night, these words, potentially the inspiration behind the biannual celebration’s name, felt particularly relevant.

Wild Honey has its roots in the conservative, recitation-heavy teaching methods favored by the political exiles who helped shape Russian language pedagogy in the U.S. However, this year, participants emphasized it as a gesture of humanistic defiance in a world that seems to place increasing emphasis on more lucrative, STEM-adjacent programs, if it places any emphasis on education at all.

The event, located in Williston Memorial Library’s Stimson Room, was well attended, with a record number of over twenty readers reciting poems in thirteen languages: Bulgarian, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Spanish and Vietnamese. Presenters came from a variety of different language backgrounds. Some were native speakers eager to share their language with a broader audience, some were beginners looking for an opportunity to improve their pronunciation, while others were advanced students excited to share how far they had come. Side-by-side translations were provided in the program, and a multitude of subjects were covered, ranging from tyrants to snails to the moon.

In the wake of Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine, which began Jan. 24, 2022, and Mount Holyoke College’s decision to cut its Russian and German language departments, the event expanded in size. It first grew to accommodate other Slavic languages, such as Georgian and Polish, and finally, as of this semester, all non-English languages.

Professor Daniel Brooks of the Eastern European and Eurasian Studies Department describes it as shifting “from kind of a cursory fun event at the end of the semester to something which occurs twice a semester, pulls in a lot more people, redirects funds towards meaningful causes and involves a wider swath of the campus.” The event, which has been raising money for various Ukrainian aid organizations since 2023, is estimated to have generated around $1,500 through donations.

When interviewed about the significance of multi-lingual events such as Wild Honey, Giselle Spalding ’28, a German student, stated, “It’s really important to me that we continue to show up for languages, because they’ve really been dismissed and kind of put to the side … I think it’s a really beautiful way of just showing a part of humanity that doesn't get appreciated enough.”

The need for supportive spaces where poetry is appreciated and shared came up again when I interviewed Tobias Hawe ’28, a student reading at Wild Honey for the first time. “A lot of us have a very self-directed perfectionism, where all the grace that we need to give back to ourselves is directed at other people, and not ourselves. We’re so kind to each other, which really helps at events like this.”

Meanwhile, Sasha Shishov ’26, the president of the Eastern European and Eurasian Club, stressed how imperative it is that we continue to work towards making Mount Holyoke a more globally-oriented place. Shishov said, “Having an event that can be cross-cultural [and] cross-linguistic is really, really important, now more than ever given the fact that one of the most fascist tools of oppression is limiting our global reach and connection to outside communities … by suppressing language acquisition.”

As language departments at Mount Holyoke College continue to face closures, budget cuts and staff reductions, it is more important than ever to showcase that we, as a student body, remain deeply invested in celebrating languages and language acquisition. Despite the College’s decision to dissolve the departments behind Wild Honey, their profound impact on our campus community is something that cannot be erased.

Whitney White ’28 contributed fact-checking.

Dr. Deborah Gray White talks on archives and autobiographical history

By Emily Finnila ’27

Contributing Writer

Two months ago, renowned historian Dr. Deborah Gray White came and spoke to the Mount Holyoke College community on February 4 and 5. Dr. White’s focus as a historian is on Black women in U.S. history, and she is a pioneer of her field. Her debut book “Ar’n’t I A Woman? Female Slaves in the Plantation South” — published in 1985 — was one of the first history books to focus on the lives of Black women in the United States. Its publication led the Library of Congress to create a new subject category in its system in 1985, “Women Slaves” a category that, until then, had never existed. Some of the other work Dr. White is best known for is “Too Heavy a Load: Black Women in Defense of Themselves, 1894-1994” and “Let My People Go, African Americans 1804-1860.”

Dr. White gave two talks at the College. The first was a roundtable discussion on Feb. 4 in the Archives, located in the basement of Dwight Hall. Students got to explore the world of archival research by hearing about Dr. White’s career path as an historian and her stories of navigating different archives. She talked about everything from her enjoyment of investigating an archive, to the importance of bringing allergy medicine with you in case you become allergic to what you’re researching.

Dr. White’s second talk, on Feb. 5 in Gamble Auditorium, was Mount Holyoke College’s keynote speech for Black History Month. In her keynote, Dr. White shared her own family’s history, exploring personal archives, the importance of oral tradition in telling Black history, and the complexities of familial memory. The talk she gave was a preview of her upcoming autobiography, tentatively called "Winning Against Ugly: A Black Historian's Tale of Love, Loss, and the Historical Profession."

When asked about her main takeaways from hearing Dr. White’s talk, Maddy Broussard ’26 said, “Where institutional knowledge fails, autobiography expands Black women’s histories. Memory allows us to lift their lives from a line in the census.”

Maxine Ahenkora ’27 appreciated “how Dr. Deborah Gray White seeks to rescue Black women from invisibility and obscurity within archives that seek to erase their lived experiences and stories of resistance.”

Mount Holyoke News held an email interview with Assistant Professor of Gender Studies, Sarah Stefana Smith, who attended Dr. White’s speech in Gamble and also co-facilitated a round-table discussion with Dr. White at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on February 6th.

On Dr. White’s keynote speech at the College, Smith said, “The larger takeaway from White's visit is the importance of negotiating historical documents with care and attentiveness — work that requires multiple methodological tools. In this sense, the talk itself enacts a practice of historical re/memory that will sit with me for some time, by fleshing out what it means to tell the truth of a family's story through personal recollection, family recounting, and some institutional documents.”

The release date of Dr. White’s upcoming autobiography is yet to be announced, but readers, future archivists, and historians should keep an eye out for it on bookshelves, as it is sure to be a read that teaches us a lot about navigating and telling the stories of an archive.

Whitney White ’28 contributed fact-checking.

‘Shy Girl’ controversy: AI slop or an unfortunate witch hunt?

By Honora Quinn ’27

Staff Writer

You don’t have to travel very far at Mount Holyoke College to get wrapped up in a conversation regarding AI and its implications in creative or intellectual works. Recently, the English department hosted a roundtable with students and faculty, and a course called “Writing & AI Technology” will be co-taught this fall by English department Chair Kate Singer and film media theater professor Amy Rogers. Outside of our campus gates, it’s still a constant topic of debate, with think-pieces and arguments flooding the internet by the dozens, if not hundreds.

As we all wait with baited breath to see who will toe the line into further uncharted waters, it appears that AI might have already found its way into traditional publishing, and even more alarming, into the catalog of one of the Big 5 publishers — Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and HarperCollins — right under our noses.

Is “Shy Girl”, merely the first example of “AI slop” to slip through the cracks and into the big leagues of publishing, or is this whole saga just an unfortunate witch hunt that will set a precedent in the coming years?

It started three months ago, when Reddit user herendethelesson, created a post on r/horrorlit titled “Shy Girl by Mia Ballard. Does anyone else think this was written by ChatGPT?” This post broke down the numerous reasons why the reported veteran editor suspected Ballard used a Large Language Model — abbreviated as LLM — while working on the book, ahead of its slated US release for April 2026.

Further, on March 19, the New York Times published an article by Alexandra Alter, who reported that Pangram — an AI detection platform — had run the book through its system and produced “results [which] indicated that the book was 78 percent A.I. generated.” This number alarmed the book’s publisher, Hachette, so much that they pulled the book from publication soon after, according to a followup piece, also by Alter, with the UK edition also discontinuing after months on the shelves.

Ballard, came out against the accusation of AI use in her novel in the original article from the New York Times, and in a now-deleted comment on the 2 hour and 40 minute Youtube video by frankie’s shelf “i’m pretty sure this book is ai slop” from Jan. 19. In her response to the article, Ballard said that she had not used AI, and that instead “an acquaintance she hired to edit the self-published version of the novel had used A.I.”

Yet the court of public opinion had already made its decision. The publisher was lauded for standing firm against AI and the career of the author was destroyed, despite her denial of the practice and limited proof beyond the initial test, which was later confirmed to be on a pirated edition of “Shy Girl” circulated, according to Youtube and Substack creator the Drey Dossier.

On the topic of AI in publishing and “Shy Girl”, Mount Holyoke News contacted creative writing professor Andrea Lawlor, to try to understand this turning point in publishing.

In an email interview, professor Lawlor stated, “My sense is that publishers have multiple concerns about authors using AI, and from the publishers' perspective I think there are two major downsides to AI use, both economic. First, publishers are rightly concerned that work generated by or created with generative AI / LLMs is not currently possible to copyright, which impacts their ability to collect income based on owning specific rights to the work. And secondly, I suspect that the use of AI will impact writers' perceived prestige, and that will also impact book sales. I'm sure some publishers are also concerned about ethical and aesthetic implications.”

While the “Shy Girl” situation is still shifting, the fact remains that AI discourse and online rumors can spiral out of control, damaging authors and publishers alike, a new reality within the literary world. In understanding this as a reality, it is only increasingly important that we learn to further question our sources and investigate on our own, rather than spreading rumors. For not doing such simply adds fuel to the fire, regardless of who gets burned.

Whitney White ’28 contributed fact-checking.

Celebrating Women's History Month with a bookish twist

Graphic by Betty Smart ’26

BY ISABEL DUNN ’27 AND SARAH GRINNELL ’26

BOOK EDITORS

With English consistently ranking among the top five majors on campus, Mount Holyoke College has long had a thriving literary community, and students who apply here are quick to find themselves part of an illustrious legacy of creative writers. As we celebrate Women’s History Month this March, it seems fitting to highlight just some of the great literary names to have passed through the gates, as well as offer some book recommendations to get you in the spirit!

The Mount Holyoke alum lineup boasts no shortage of poets, novelists, playwrights and screenwriters. Perhaps the most famous is Amherst native Emily Dickinson, who attended the College when it was still known as Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. Dickinson actually attended for just one academic year from 1847-48, with historians speculating reasons ranging from homesickness, to a fraught relationship with the College’s strict religious schooling. 

As for more recent alums, Suzan-Lori Parks ’85 made history in 2002 as the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her acclaimed play “Topdog/Underdog”, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of A Play in 2023. 

And, while the name “Glascock” is surely familiar to students, due to the iconic annual competition, the legacy of the contest’s namesake is less known. Katherine Irene Glascock ’22 died shortly after graduating from Mount Holyoke, but she left an immense impact as a former editor-in-chief of the Mount Holyoke News and a winner of the 1922 Alumnae Poetry Prize. Her creativity lives on during the annual Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Competition, the oldest continuously-running undergraduate poetry contest in the nation.

Right now, many Mount Holyoke students are cheering on director and screenwriter Chloe Zhao ’05 in the Oscars race, with her most recent film venture, “Hamnet”  — co-written with “Hamnet” author Maggie O'Farrell —  scoring eight Academy Award nominations and already having secured other major awards like the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Zhao previously swept the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021 for “Nomadland,” which scored her a historic win as the first female director to win in the best director category. 

These alums of course can only capture a small fraction of women/femme writers’ achievements, at Mount Holyoke and beyond. If you are looking for more ways to celebrate the creativity and experiences of femme authors this Women’s History Month, be sure to indulge in some of the following MHN-curated recommendations!

“A Wizard of Earthsea” by Ursula K. Le Guin

Writing at a time when fantasy was still a largely male-dominated genre, Le Guin has become one of its most iconic women writers. Her Earthsea Cycle easily rivals the work of high fantasy giants like Tolkien in its richness and intricacy, making it a must-read series. With beautiful prose, complex themes and of course no shortage of dragons, “A Wizard of Earthsea” is the perfect gateway book for anyone new to the fantasy genre.

“The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson

This 1959 gothic novel secured Jackson’s legacy as one of the biggest names in horror. Though the horror scene has historically been dominated by men — the likes of Poe, Lovecraft and, more contemporarily, Stephen King — Jackson’s introspective and psychological approach makes her stand out as one of its most complex authors. “Hill House” may be her most famous work, but “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” and her short story collections are also excellent picks for anyone who enjoys multi-faceted and delightfully deranged heroines.

“Assata: An Autobiography” by Assata Shakur

Alongside the work of Audre Lorde and Angela Carter, this is basically the Bible of Black feminist literature, in this writer’s humble opinion. Given Shakur’s death only last September, there is no better way to remember the incredible legacy of this revolutionary than by reading her autobiography. Detailing her experiences with the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army, as well as her conviction and consequential torture for first-degree murder — culminating in a 33 year prison sentence, and her ultimate escape to Cuba — Shakur’s remarkable life story offers a searing indictment of the U.S. prison system, police brutality and the intersecting machines of capitalism, racism and imperialism. 

“Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer

If you are a Red Pegasus, you might remember “Braiding Sweetgrass” as the 2022-23 Common Read. Potawatomi writer Robin Wall Kimmerer’s unique blend of scientific writing and lyrical prose is arresting to read, and over the course of individual but interrelated essays, she explores everything from Indigenous folklore, to botany, to the connection between capitalism and ecological destruction. If you are looking for a book with an environmental focus that does not completely fill you with existential dread, this is certainly the one to read. Kimmerer offers a stunning model of reciprocity, kinship and community care, highlighting the importance of Indigenous knowledge in the fight against climate change. 
“Every Dark Cloud” by Marisca Pichette ’19

In this new novella by Mount Holyoke alum Marisca Pichette ’19, a young girl must fight to survive in a horrific world ravaged by climate change. With various dystopian elements, this book is perfect for fans of Octavia Butler’s “Parable of the Sower.” Although the story depicts something we all fear the future coming to, readers will find that it ends with a sense of hope. 

“Girl Dinner” by Olivie Blake

Olivie Blake’s latest novel centers internet trends, sorority culture, motherhood and cannibalism. It seems to be a lot to cover, but Blake seamlessly connects every thread. In one perspective, a young mother struggles to stay relevant in her academic field while also struggling to connect with her husband and new baby. In another, a college sophomore joins a sorority rush and finds herself pulled into a much darker world than she could have imagined. Blake brings a fresh perspective to online discussions of “trad wife” culture and what it really means to be a successful woman. 

“Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell

Regardless of whether you have seen the new movie or not, Maggie O’Farrell’s “Hamnet” is worth the read. The novel follows the family of William Shakespeare without ever mentioning him by name. This de-centering of the historic figure allows for readers to focus instead on the complex dynamics between those he left behind. Much like the film, the novel is powerful and emotional and depicts grief in a raw and unflinching manner. Be sure to read the latter half with a box of tissues nearby. 

Abigail McKeon ’26 contributed fact checking.

‘Wuthering Heights’ is a feast for the eyes, but not much else

By Honora Quinn ’27 & Cat McKenna ’28

Staff Writers

What better way to spend Valentine’s day than a trip to the movies with some of your closest friends?

Despite writing an article for the Mount Holyoke News last fall regarding the online discourse and backlash the new adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel, "Wuthering Heights,” was facing, we tried to go into Emerald Fennell’s adaptation with open minds. After all, the visuals we saw in the trailers were gorgeous — even if historically inaccurate — and Jacob Elordi had proved himself a competent period actor in Guillermo Del Toro’s now Academy Award-nominated “Frankenstein” just months prior.

However, just minutes into watching the “Saltburn” director’s follow-up venture, it became clear that the style on screen was not amounting to much substance. Notably, characters who were important to the plot of the novel were significantly changed or even not present in the film at all. One significant instance was the absence of Hindley, Catherine’s brother, who in the book is abusive and takes his aggression out on Heathcliff. In the film, Fennell combined the character of Hindley with Catherine’s father Mr. Earnshaw, who in the book is kind-hearted instead of a drunken, abusive, gambling addict before his early death, ultimately changing the dynamics and history of the Earnshaws and those that work for them at Wuthering Heights.

While those going into the film without the context of the novel may not notice these character changes, the lack of these plot points leaves a void in the audience’s understanding of the story. For example, eliminating Hindley’s relationship with Heathcliff, along with the whitewashing of Heathcliff’s character, which we addressed at length in our initial piece from the fall, erases the generational class, race and power struggle. In the novel, Heathcliff uses Hindley’s downfall to purchase the Wuthering Heights estate, symbolizing his victory over a generational hierarchy that once abused him.

The lack of Hindley and others is seemingly replaced by Catherine’s affair with Heathcliff while married to Edgar Linton. Whereas in the novel Heathcliff and Cathy never consummated their relationship, Fennell shifts the focus to a highly physical affair, deviating from the novel’s focus on the gothic tragedy elements and changing the story to what some viewers describe as just awkwardly filmed sex.

The changes to the plot, characters and setting have led to the film hardly feeling like the story envisioned by Brontë over a century and a half ago, and we’re not the only ones feeling that way. Other viewers have noted that while the film shares a title with the classic novel, its characters more closely resemble another notorious work of literature and film, “Gone With The Wind.” Online creator Jananie, who goes by the handle @thisstoryaintover on social media, pointed out how the plot of the 1939 film matched that of Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” more accurately than it matches the novel it claims to be based on, even going so far as to wonder if Fennell had first wanted to remake the Civil War drama before switching gears to a slightly less controversial pillar of gothic media.

And this just made the viewing experience all the more disappointing for us. The costumes — designed by Jacqueline Durran, who has previously designed costumes for films like 2005’s “Pride and Prejudice” — despite not being accurate to the period, were gorgeous and interesting to see on screen. The landscapes, which felt endless yet claustrophobic at times, paired with the decadent color grading which has been missing from far too many new features, were absolutely beautiful. And yet every decision and change Fennell made to the heart of the story — to the central characters of Catherine and Heathcliff — felt like they were made to shock the viewer, rather than being made out of a genuine respect for the source material.

In the words of Claire Parker, co-host of the Good Noticings podcast, who also commented on the ongoing backlash facing the film, “If you’re going to use the clout from [Intellectual Property], you need to be held to the standard of IP.”

Angelina Godinez ’28 contributed to fact checking

Behind the books: A Q&A with LITS on February’s book display

Isabelle Peterson ‘28

Staff Writer

The LITS Books Display, softly illuminated by the towering Chihuly sculpture at the center of Williston Library’s atrium, has come to form a constant presence in the college experience of many. February’s display featured a vibrantly colored exhibit that focused on graphic novels and comics made by Black creators. Curious to learn more about the exhibit, Mount Holyoke News reached out to the LITS book display team, who were kind enough to respond to our questions via email. As you peruse this article, take note of some wonderful books to break up the monotony of late winter, learn more about the inner workings of LITS and maybe even find yourself inspired to curate a display of your own!

Q: When did you first have the idea for this exhibit? How long did it take to decide which books to include in the display? 

A: We have a few tentpole displays that we plan for annually, and Black History Month is one of those, so we’re always collecting ideas that we can use in the future. One early inspiration for Black Ink is the excellent anthology “It’s Life As I See It,” which collects work by black cartoonists in Chicago between 1940 and 1980 and showcases the longevity and range of Black cartooning. We first had the idea a couple of years ago, but were still early in our collecting efforts in this area. This year we felt like we had a strong selection of titles that we could include, and we’re always eager to highlight areas of the collection that may be less expected, like graphic novels and comics. 

LITS librarians and professional staff selected titles for this display over the course of a couple of weeks. Selection time can vary depending on the theme and whether we are co-creating the display with a student organization or campus partner, which we love to do! A good rule of thumb is to expect 6 weeks of work from the initial idea to the display being set up. 

Q: Are there any specific books or authors you’d like to highlight?

A: Our table poster features art from “Nubia: Real One,” by L.L. McKinney and Robyn Smith (a Hampshire alum!), which is a beautiful exploration of Nubia, an underdeveloped figure in the Wonder Woman canon. We also have the graphic novel adaptation of “Parable of the Sower,” this year’s Common Read, on display!

Q: How are graphic novels incorporated into the College’s library system? 

A: As a liberal arts college … we collect materials across a wide variety of genres and disciplines, and this includes graphic novels, comics, and manga, which are frequently used in classes and research. In line with the College’s mission, we strive to cultivate a collection that encompasses diverse voices, particularly from identities that have historically been underrepresented in academia.

Many graphic novels and comics in the fiction category are shelved under call number PN6700 (those are in the 5 south stacks here at MHC). Nonfiction titles would be classified in their specific subject area, and titles for children or young adults would be classified in the PZ call number ranges (those are in the 7 north stacks here at MHC). If you’re not sure where to look, ask a LITS staffer!

Q: Finally, are there any upcoming releases by authors within this exhibit, or other black graphic novelists/cartoonists that you’re looking forward to? 

A: Two recent publications we have our eye on are “Nubia: Too Real,” the sequel to the above mentioned “Nubia: Real One” and a more adult-focused graphic memoir titled “We All Got Something,” by Lawrence Liddell, author of “Blackward.”

And somewhat further out: Ebony Flowers, whose beautiful comics collection “Hot Comb” is on display, has a new graphic novel in the works titled “Baltimore Brownfield,” slated for publication in 2027, about memory, intergenerational connection, and gentrification in a fictionalized Baltimore neighborhood.

Answers have been edited for length and clarity. 

Angelina Godinez ’28 contributed fact-checking.

Mariah Rigg on ancestry, empire and her debut short fiction collection

Photo courtesy of MHN

By Honora Quinn ’27 and Cat McKenna ’28

Staff Writers

“Fifty-eight years before Harrison’s granddaughter is born, the U.S. government drops a two-thousand-pound bomb on the island of Kaho‘olawe.”

This is the opening line of the first story, “Target Island,” in “Extinction Capital of the World,” the debut short story collection by Mount Holyoke Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in English, Mariah Rigg. The collection, which quickly gained traction after being released by HarperCollins’ Ecco Imprint in August 2025, has been named a “Best Book of 2025” by Esquire and other publications.

On Feb. 5th, South Hadley’s Odyssey Bookshop hosted Rigg for a reading and conversation with another member of the English Department faculty, Associate Professor Andrea Lawlor, during which Rigg read a portion of “Target Island.”

Ahead of this, Mount Holyoke News was able to sit down with Rigg to ask some of our own questions, ranging from the author’s writing process to the long struggle and resistance against the American Empire in Hawaii, Rigg’s home.

Speaking on that last point, Rigg told Mount Holyoke News, “I hope that my collection is a detour of Hawai‘i for people that kind of have looked at it through a touristic settler-colonial lens in the past,” a sentiment that was returned to at several points during the conversation with Lawlor. In regards to her writing process, she took us on the journey of stitching together the stories for her debut fiction collection.

“I am most classically trained in fiction, my MFA is in fiction, and my Ph.D. is technically in fiction, but it's also English and theory, specifically Indigenous Studies. I actually came out with a creative nonfiction chat book first … But I think that the first book was a short story collection, just because it was what I was most classically trained in, and because it was the thing that I had the most material for,”

The ten stories, ending with the titular "Extinction Capital of the World,” were written over several years, with installments like “Field Dressing” — and the Lawlor-described “Heated Rivalry”-esque “After Ivan” — appearing in Carve Magazine and The Cincinnati Review respectively. But others are original to the collection, further expanding the shared universe on display in Rigg’s previous work.

We asked Rigg which of the stories they think will most surprise readers heading into the collection, and she had this to say:

“Probably the last one, which is the titular story. It's more … veering on the edge of novella, probably more novelette, but it starts off in the point of view of a 50-year-old man who is a professor at the University of Hawai‘i, and so you assume that it's going to be in this guy's point of view the whole time. But then it also jumps into his daughter's point of view in different sections, and actually also tips into … the collective point of view — the “we” point of view — which is actually the point of view of the island and the ancestors. And so I think that … will surprise people. And I think that it's a good wrap up for the collection, in some ways, because it allows some closure, allows many voices to be heard, but also allows for this idea of kind of stepping off into the future too.”

Jumping off of that, we asked Rigg what they hope readers get out of this book.

“I, jokingly, always say that I want readers to stop, or people to stop asking me, why are you here? when I told them I grew up in Hawai‘i, but I think that this idea of pushing against [the] settler colonial images of Hawai‘i is what I really want people to get out of it, and this idea of existing beyond the bounds of imperialism, which is what so many writers are writing towards right now.”

Rigg had these final words of advice for Mount Holyoke students: “A lot of my students in my classes have finished project[s] and don't know what to do with it next. And I feel like just finding a group of people that you can share your work with is one of the most important things, and finding a group outside of the classroom that you can do that with. So often we think that in academia, the classroom is the only place where we can create and be in dialogue with each other. But I think finding third spaces outside of that, and communities outside of that, is so important.,”

“Extinction Capital of the World,” the debut short story collection from Mariah Rigg, is available now wherever you purchase your books.

Sophie Francis ’28 and Maeve McCorry ’28 contributed fact-checking.

The beauty and horror of survival: ‘Dawn’ by Octavia Butler

Graphic by Audrey Hanan '28

By Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27

Editor-in-Chief

Years before she published this year’s Common Read, “Parable of the Sower,” Octavia Butler wrote and released “Dawn.” “Dawn” is one of the most brilliant and creative science fiction works I’ve ever read, and my personal favorite among the first contact subgenre, which comprises works of fiction dealing in humanity’s first contact with alien life. Throughout the book, Butler jumps to confront often-warring ideas about autonomy, adaptation, imperialism, gender and anthropocentrism — the idea that humans are inherently superior to all other lifeforms — head-on. Time and time again, she sticks the landing.

The book opens with its protagonist, Lilith Iyapo, waking up in a white room that appears to be some sort of prison cell. This is the slowest part of the novel, and once Lilith is let out of the room, the pace quickly accelerates. She comes to learn that she has been “rescued” — though the use of that word is somewhat debatable — from an apocalyptic Earth by a group of aliens known as the Oankali. Lilith also learns that there are other survivors from Earth who she must unite and ensure the wellbeing of, similarly to Lauren Olamina’s task from “Parable.” However, the Oankali haven’t been preserving humanity for free, and expect a rather hefty return on their investment.

Lilith is a more mature and less sheltered version of Lauren in a lot of ways. She’s highly educated, incredibly adaptable, resilient and future-focused. Before the world ended, she had a husband and a son, and studied anthropology at university. She applies her previous experiences and skills to connect with other survivors and study the Oankali, which gives her narration a unique perspective I don’t think any other character could’ve provided.

Many of Lilith's accompanying survivors are from the Anglosphere and Europe, and while the survivors’ home countries may be dead, their legacies of prejudice and oppression aren’t. Out of all the survivors, Lilith is the strongest and most knowledgeable, but she often struggles to maintain control of the group. Many of her charges simply aren’t interested in listening to her or following her rules.

Many first contact stories will cast aside the nuances of human identity to create a “unified” humanity in opposition to alien forces, but Butler takes a much more nuanced and, in my opinion, realistic approach. As a Black woman, Lilith has to work overtime to ensure the safety of those who are rather ungrateful and unkind to her. It often felt as if the men of the group presented a greater imminent threat to Lilith and the other women than the Oankali.

The angle through which Butler tackles the subject of sexual violence from in “Parable” is a direct continuation of the approach she takes throughout “Dawn.” Sexual violence is too often treated as a formative experience for women characters; something that opens the eyes of the ingénue to the cruel reality she lives in. It's simultaneously sensationalized and normalized in the worst way possible. Butler's take on the issue — that sexual violence is both everyday and repugnant, and that having experienced it has no bearing on the character of a survivor — is refreshing.

Butler's wonderful disinterest in bloodshed and warfare is a fixture of the novel. Characters occasionally reference the events that led to the end of the world, but it's not a focus of the story. Outbreaks of interpersonal violence persist amongst the humans, but more time is devoted to the social and psychological implications of that violence than describing it in action. That being said, a lack of outright violence doesn’t necessarily mean “Dawn” is a cozy story. Discomfort’s reign is perhaps even more supreme than that of the aliens.

The alien society of the story is characterized by an unwavering, all-consuming and almost soft systemic violence that fluctuates in volume between near silent white noise and an overwhelming cacophony. The Oankali seem more likely to mournfully smother you with a pillow than to angrily bludgeon you to death. It’s clever, interesting and not necessarily what one might expect from an expansionist alien species. Psychological and existential horror assume the place of genre-typical gore and battle.

“Dawn” is also relatively accessible because of this. While it has its moments, I didn’t find it to be a particularly graphic narrative. Think more along the lines of Vince Gilligan’s “Pluribus” than Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road,” as far as end-of-world stories go. For the discerning reader, I would caution that the interactions between the humans and the Oankali are still — perhaps expectedly — rife with issues surrounding consent and communication. The Oankali are delightfully flawed and problematic, as are many of the humans. I enjoyed this, but I also understand many may not.

In conclusion, I would personally choose to cohabit with a genderless alien over a human man. Even if the survival of humanity as we know it was in jeopardy. Thank you, Octavia Butler.

Sophie Francis ’28 and Maeve McCorry ’28 contributed fact-checking.

New year, new books: 2026 releases to look forward to

Graphic by Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27, reference image courtesy of Pixabay via Pexels

By Honora Quinn ’27

Staff Writer

“An Arcane Inheritance” by Kamilah Cole, out Dec. 30, 2025 

“An Arcane Inheritance” is technically a 2025 release, but it was originally slated for January 2026. Regardless, this late 2025 entry should still be considered for your early reads in the new year. The author of the “Divine Traitors” duology, a Jamaican-inspired young adult fantasy, returns with her adult debut novel. Pitched as a “dark academia fantasy … perfect for fans of ‘Babel’ and ‘A Deadly Education,’” “An Arcane Inheritance” is set at the fictional Ivy League institution, Warren University: A school  steeped in secrets going back centuries. The plot follows freshman Ellory Morgan as questions begin to arise. She believes she’s been at Warren University before, but she’ll need some help to uncover the truth, which of course takes the form of the brooding legacy student that seems to hate her guts. 

According to her author website, “Kamilah Cole is a national bestselling author who has been nominated for a Lodestar Award, a Lambda Award and a Dragon Award. Jamaican-born and American-raised, she works in publishing by day, and by night she writes like she’s running out of time.” 

“Half His Age” by Jennette McCurdy, out Jan. 20, 2026

Even if you’re not on the literary side of the internet, it’s possible you’ve heard of the former Nickelodeon star’s memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” a #1 New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2023 American Library Association Alex Award. “Half His Age” follows 17-year-old Waldo and her desire to seduce her creative writing teacher, Mr. Korgy, regardless of the fact that he has a wife and kid and is way too old for her. From the sexual implications of the cover to the age of the protagonist, this book has gotten a lot of heat despite not yet hitting shelves, with some presuming that the underage relationship will be romanticized in the novel. However, if McCurdy taught us anything with her memoir, it’s to literally not judge a book by its cover.

And according to her publisher, Penguin Random House, “McCurdy is creating, writing, executive producing, directing and show running an Apple TV+ series loosely inspired by “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” starring Jennifer Aniston. “Half His Age” is her debut novel.”

“Out Of The Loop: A Mystery” by Katie Siegel, out Feb. 10, 2026

Have you ever wondered what happens after you get out of a time loop? Well, Katie Siegel’s third novel, “Out of the Loop,” hopes to answer that question while raising some more. After two years being stuck inside a time loop, Amie Teller finds herself finally freed. At last, she can move on and live a day beyond September 17th. But then she learns that one of her neighbors was murdered during the loop, on the day that Amie knows better than anyone else. But Amie won’t be solving the case alone: According to the publisher, Penguin Random House, joining her is “an ex-girlfriend who wants to make their friendship work, and a grumpy neighbor who spends his days building Rube Goldberg machines,” as she “sets out to track down who killed (and killed and killed and killed) Savannah Harlow.”

“Katie Siegel (she/they) is a creative from New Jersey. Her debut novel, “Charlotte Illes Is Not A Detective,” was published in June 2023 by Kensington Books. Her second book, “Charlotte Illes is Not A Teacher,” was released in July of 2024 and was a finalist for the 2025 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Mystery,” according to Siegle’s website.

“The Encore” by Juliet Izon, out March 3, 2026 

Another debut novel on this list is Juliet Izon’s “The Encore,” which takes place across past and present times. In the past, the novel introduces us to Anna Buckley and Will Pendleton, two rising stars at the Brookfield Conservatory in Boston. Both have big dreams and aspirations, and after a chance encounter, their stories become permanently linked. In the present, 16-year-old piano virtuoso Lottie Thomas is struggling under the stress of her prep school and the mystery of her mother’s true identity. Another chance encounter lands her back in the path of both her birth parents, sending them all on a cross-country adventure in the most perfect transport for the circumstances: a tour bus. 

According to her author website, Juliet Izon “is a New York City and Hudson Valley-based journalist and author. Her work has appeared in national newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and magazines like Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine and Architectural Digest.”

“Whidbey” by T Kira Madden, out March 10, 2026

From the author of the memoir “Long Live The Tribe of Fatherless Girls” — and a former Visiting Lecturer of English at the College — comes her debut novel “Whidbey,” which charts the stories of three women who have never met, yet whose lives intersect through the murder of a man who they had all known. Birdie Chang knew Calvin Boyer as a child, Linzie King wrote about him in her memoir and Mary-Beth was his mother. His death had ripple effects in all their lives, sending them scrambling to put the pieces together and to discover who truly gets to own the narrative. 

According to her website, T Kira Māhealani Madden (she/her) “is a diasporic Kanaka 'Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian) writer and author of the novel “Whidbey,” forthcoming with Mariner in winter 2026. Her memoir, “Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls,” was named a New York Times Editors' Choice, among many other accolades. Winner of the 2021 Judith A. Markowitz Award, she served as the Distinguished Writer in Residence at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and currently teaches at Hamilton College as an assistant professor in Creative Writing and Indigenous literatures.” 

Abigail McKeon ’26 contributed fact checking. 

Interview with upcoming Glascock Judge, Diannely Antigua

Photo by Sarah Grinnell ‘26

Diannely Antigua, former Poet Laureate of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, will serve as the judge of the yearly Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest at Mount Holyoke College next semester in April 2026.

BY AMELIA D’ACHILLE-POZNIAK

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Diannely Antigua is a Dominican American poet from Massachusetts and former poet laureate of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Her poetry collections “Ugly Music ”published by YesYes Books in 2019 and “Good Monster” published by Copper Canyon Press in 2024 are amongst her many accomplishments.

In April 2026, Diannely will serve as a judge of the Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest. This October she answered questions for Mount Holyoke students about her career and experience in the literary field in an email interview with Mount Holyoke News. 

Q: We are so excited at Mount Holyoke to have you as a judge for this year's Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest. As Poet Laureate of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, you pioneered efforts to “demystify poetry, making it truly accessible to all in a way that nourishes the soul.”  How does your upcoming role as a Glascock judge support this goal?

A: My mission has always been to make poetry feel less like an ivory tower and more like a kitchen table. Judging this contest feels like an extension of that work. I get to witness the wide range of what poetry can look and sound like in the hands of emerging voices. What excites me most is the conversation these poems will create not just among poets, but among listeners, readers and community members. For me, accessibility doesn’t mean simplifying art. It means expanding the invitation.

Q: You currently teach writing at the University of New Hampshire. What intrigues and inspires you as a writer in the position of professor?

A: Teaching keeps me humble and curious. My students remind me every day that poetry is alive and evolving, questioning, shapeshifting. They take risks that reinvigorate my own practice. I’m especially drawn to the dialogue that happens in a classroom: those moments when a student discovers something about their own voice, or when we realize that language can hold grief and joy at once. We recently read “Song of My Softening” by Omotara James, and I could see how my students were challenged and changed. And it is through witnessing this transformation that I, too, am changed. Being a professor allows me to constantly re-enter the world of wonder that made me a writer in the first place.

Q: Your most recent book, “Good Monster,” has an oxymoron in its title. What was your process in deciding on this title to reflect the collected works?

A: “Good Monster” emerged from my fascination with contradiction — the way tenderness and terror can coexist in a single body. The title came after realizing that every poem was orbiting around that tension: what it means to hold goodness and monstrosity at once, to be both the wound and the healer. I wanted the title to make readers pause, to feel the discomfort of those two words together and to recognize that in that friction lies our humanity. My monster is my anxiety, depression and boundless need—a trinity of my shame. This book is a love letter to her and to what she has survived, even when the enemy was me.

Q: The playlist for “Good Monster” is available to the public on Spotify. What inspired you to create a musical accompaniment for your writing?

Music has always been a parallel language for me. When I write, I often have a song looping in the background, something that shapes the emotional weather. I created a playlist for my first book, “Ugly Music,” which felt appropriate given the title and that the sections are named after parts of a song. Translating the frequency of each poem into music was so immersive and transformative for that book that I wanted to do the same with “Good Monster.” To me, the playlist feels like an extension of the book’s emotional arc: joy, grief, desire, rage, recovery. It’s also a way for readers to experience the work sonically and to feel its pulse. Sometimes, the right song says what a line can’t.

Q: On your podcast Bread & Poetry you said, “Poetry will find you again.” For those apprehensive about opening that door, how would you recommend they connect with poetry?

A: I’d say: start small. Read one poem out loud in the morning while sipping coffee. Or write one sentence a day. Let the words live in your mouth, not as something to analyze, but something to feel. Poetry doesn’t ask for perfection; it asks for attention. It’s okay to not “get it.” Sometimes the poem is working on you in ways you don’t yet understand. And if the door feels heavy, remember: poetry isn’t just on the page. It’s in conversation, in music, in prayer, in the quiet moments. This year has been one of deep grief, and poetry has been waiting patiently for me to return to her when I’m ready. It’s also okay to rest. Poetry isn’t a jealous god. 

Q: For The Bread & Poetry Project you brought together food and language on the notion that, “Bread sustains life, and poetry has the power to do the same.” Is there one type of bread you couldn’t live without?

A: To choose just one feels like blasphemy. I adore bread in all its forms! But if I must choose, I’d say sourdough. I’m fascinated by its process, how it begins with a living starter, how it requires patience, care, and trust. You feed it, and it feeds you back. It’s wild, unpredictable and yet deeply sustaining. That symbiosis feels like poetry to me — the slow fermentation of language, the waiting, the surprise of what rises. Both sourdough and poetry are alive, shaped by air, time and touch. Each one teaches me how to nurture something that, in turn, nourishes me, even when the world feels uncertain.

Q: From your experience as poet laureate of Portsmouth, what has been the most unexpected experience to come from your career as a poet?

A: The most unexpected gift has been the deep sense of community that poetry creates. When I first started writing, I thought of poetry as a solitary act: me, my notebook and my monsters. But being Poet Laureate taught me that poetry thrives in conversation. It can gather people in a room, at a park or in a café and transform how they see each other. I’ve seen people cry, laugh and find language for something they’ve never said aloud. That shared vulnerability, that collective exhale, has been the most beautiful thing to witness. When I became Poet Laureate, I set out to use poetry to change the world, but instead, the world changed me.

Q: What advice would you give to emerging writers in 2025? Is there any advice you wish you had received in undergrad?

A: My advice is to edit toward strangeness and surprise. In early drafts, we often write toward what feels safe or familiar, but the real electricity lives in the moments that unsettle us—the images or phrases that feel a little uncertain. When revising, ask yourself: Where is the poem behaving too politely? Where can I risk wonder instead of control? In a workshop led by Juan Felipe Herrera, he told us to write the “wild sister” version of the poem we’d just written. Now, I want every one of my poems to be the wild sister. I wish someone had told me that revision isn’t about sanding down the edges of a poem, but about sharpening them. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s discovery. Let your work startle you first. Only then will it have the power to startle someone else.

Cat McKenna ‘28 contributed fact-checking.

The importance of bookstores: Meet Montague Bookmill

By Emily Finnila ’27

Contributing Writer

A beloved bookstore in western Massachusetts, the Montague Bookmill is about a forty minute drive from campus. Mount Holyoke News had the opportunity to interview its owner, Susan Shilliday, about the importance of bookstores.

The following interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How did you first discover the Bookmill?

[My daughter], she's the one who introduced it to me. She would come up here to study. And when I visited her, she knew I would love it. And so she brought me here.

And what made you decide to take over the business?

It seemed sort of a crazy thing to do, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. I had moved here because I couldn't stay in Los Angeles. I was still working as a screenwriter, but my career was definitely winding down because the business had really changed and also, being a woman in the film business is nothing compared to getting older. I mean, ageism is just awful. So there wasn't as much work. And I was just kind of, almost unconsciously, looking for something new.

Do you still work on writing projects at the Bookmill?

In the beginning, I was still writing. Now, not so much. Everybody else can do all the writing now. People are always here working on their books and a lot of theses get written, a lot of school work gets done. It's very much a writer's community and a writer's world.

Why do you think community spaces like the Bookmill are so important?

I think it's really important for people to feel that bookstores are a welcoming place in the community and a permanent part of the community. It's the third place. A place where people can gather and feel comfortable, just hanging out for a while, reading, working, buying books, doing whatever, meeting friends, having first dates. All kinds of things. We all find that [the Bookmill] has a very warm feeling. No one's ever afraid to be here after dark.

And people are still buying books. People will often say, oh, you know, it's so sad, people aren't reading anymore. That's not what we find. People are still buying books, young people are still buying books. Books are still very important to a lot of people. They're not going away.

What kind of books do you sell here? What can students expect to find?

I would say we have books that are of interest to the general public. There's no specialty. All kinds of people bring their books in. A lot of people my age who are downsizing, a lot of students who accumulated a lot of books and need to get rid of some before they move on, all kinds. And that never gets old. Of all the things that I do here, sitting down and going through a box of books is always fun. You never know what you're gonna find. There's something here for everybody. That's really what we aim to do.

What can you tell students about what it’s like to run a bookstore?

It's enormously rewarding, I would say. I'm lucky. One of my favorite things is when someone walks in the door and says, “I don't know what to read. Can you help me find something to read?” And I love that. And I'll ask them, “Okay, what's the last thing you read that you really liked?” And then trying to match somebody with a book is— just tremendous. That's tremendous fun to me and I feel a great sense of accomplishment, if I can find somebody something that they enjoy reading.

What’s next for you and the Bookmill?

I really don't know. This is an important part of the community. I mean, you're not allowed to change anything at the Bookmill. If a chair finally falls apart and I throw it out, somebody will be very upset, because that was their favorite chair. [So,] I'll keep doing [this] as long as I can. I'm not sure how much time I have left. If there is a next. But I will certainly keep this going.

Jillian Stammely ’28 contributed fact-checking.

Dr. Susana Morris discusses Octavia Butler’s legacy in Common Read event

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.

The Importance of Bookstores: An Interview with the Owner of Montague Bookmill

By Emily Finnila ’27

Contributing Writer

A beloved bookstore in western Massachusetts, the Montague Bookmill is about a forty minute drive from campus. Mount Holyoke News had the opportunity to interview its owner, Susan Shilliday, about the importance of bookstores. 

The following interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

How did you first discover the Bookmill? 

[My daughter], she's the one who introduced it to me. She would come up here to study. And when I visited her, she knew I would love it. And so she brought me here. 

And what made you decide to take over the business? 

It seemed sort of a crazy thing to do, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. I had moved here because I couldn't stay in Los Angeles. I was still working as a screenwriter, but my career was definitely winding down because the business had really changed and also, being a woman in the film business is nothing compared to getting older. I mean, ageism is just awful. So there wasn't as much work. And I was just kind of, almost unconsciously, looking for something new.

Do you still work on writing projects at the Bookmill? 

In the beginning, I was still writing. Now, not so much. Everybody else can do all the writing now. People are always here working on their books and a lot of theses get written, a lot of school work gets done. It's very much a writer's community and a writer's world. 

Why do you think community spaces like the Bookmill are so important? 

I think it's really important for people to feel that bookstores are a welcoming place in the community and a permanent part of the community. It's the third place. A place where people can gather and feel comfortable, just hanging out for a while, reading, working, buying books, doing whatever, meeting friends, having first dates. All kinds of things. We all find that [the Bookmill] has a very warm feeling. No one's ever afraid to be here after dark.

And people are still buying books. People will often say, oh, you know, it's so sad, people aren't reading anymore. That's not what we find. People are still buying books, young people are still buying books. Books are still very important to a lot of people. They're not going away. 

What kind of books do you sell here? What can students expect to find?

I would say we have books that are of interest to the general public. There's no specialty. All kinds of people bring their books in. A lot of people my age who are downsizing, a lot of students who accumulated a lot of books and need to get rid of some before they move on, all kinds. And that never gets old. Of all the things that I do here, sitting down and going through a box of books is always fun. You never know what you're gonna find. There's something here for everybody. That's really what we aim to do. 

What can you tell students about what it’s like to run a bookstore? 

It's enormously rewarding, I would say. I'm lucky. One of my favorite things is when someone walks in the door and says, “I don't know what to read. Can you help me find something to read?” And I love that. And I'll ask them, “Okay, what's the last thing you read that you really liked?” And then trying to match somebody with a book is— just tremendous. That's tremendous fun to me and I feel a great sense of accomplishment, if I can find somebody something that they enjoy reading. 

What’s next for you and the Bookmill? 

I really don't know. This is an important part of the community. I mean, you're not allowed to change anything at the Bookmill. If a chair finally falls apart and I throw it out, somebody will be very upset, because that was their favorite chair. [So,] I'll keep doing [this] as long as I can. I'm not sure how much time I have left. If there is a next. But I will certainly keep this going. 

Jillian Stammely ’28 contributed fact-checking. 

Craving a Vampire Novel? Sink Your Teeth Into These Six Spooktacular Reads

Isabelle Peterson ‘28

Staff Writer

It’s that time of year again. The days grow shorter, the nights longer, and talk of the supernatural is nearly inescapable. Unsurprisingly, much of this talk concerns a certain, bloodsucking, creature of night:; Tthe vampire. While stories like “Dracula,” “The Vampire Chronicles,” and “Twilight,” are understandably considered classics of their genre, they all portray an extremely specific type of vampire. To compensate, various other artists have interpreted the myth of the vampire with fresh tales of the undead. In this list, you will find books encompassing a wide range of genres and styles with preference given to contemporary authors. Some are closer to sci-fi than fantasy, some are just about as traditional as it gets, and in some, vampirism is embedded in the structure of the text itself.

So, in the unlikely scenario that you ever find yourself on a dark and stormy night, and miraculously without any tasks to complete, consider checking one of these books out from the Williston Memorial Library! Or, you can embrace the deliciously sinful feeling of ignoring your emails in favour of a novel about VAMPIRES. The choice, dear reader, is yours.

1. “Woman, Eating” by Claire Kohda

Lydia is adrift. She’s just graduated from art school, her internship isn’t what she thought it would be, and her social life is negligible, at best. In the comfort of her windowless apartment, she binge watches Japanese cooking videos on YouTube in an attempt to feel connected to her deceased father, who always placed a special significance on food. Unfortunately, Lydia inherits her mother’s more complicated relationship with eating. She is a vampire, making her unable to consume the human foods her father once loved to cook. Despite the Caravaggio painting on the cover, the style of “Woman, Eating” feels remarkably modern. Kohda’s writing is sparse and tight, and her plot is mainly character-driven. Although this novel is far from the gothic camp that many have come to expect from media concerning vampires, it is a thoughtful examination on the nature of love, family, and food, which, for Lydia, sometimes happen to be the same thing.

2. “Vampires of El Norte” by Isabel Cañas

The meticulously researched page turner, “Vampires of El Norte” takes place during the Mexican-American War and tells the story of the childhood friends, Nena, the daughter of a ranchero, and Néstor, a vaquero. When searching for buried treasure, the thirteen-year old Nena and Néstor are attacked by a vampire, and Nena appears gravely injured. Néstor, believing his friend dead, and anticipating that he will be harshly punished due to his lower class status, flees the scene. When the United States lays claim to the land between the Rio Nueces and the Rio Grande, Nena and her family find themselves caught in the middle. Her training as a curandera — a healer — allows her to follow her father into the auxiliary forces of the Mexican army, and it is here that she reunites with Néstor Nestor. Together, they make their way through horrors both human and supernatural and slowly begin to untangle a plot tying vampires to the encroaching forces of American imperialism.

3 and 4. “The Gilda Stories” by Jewelle Gomez and “Caramelle & Carmilla” by Jewelle Gomez and J. Sheridan Le Fanu

Technically, “The Gilda Stories” and “Carmelle & Carmilla” are three separate books, but really, can you ever have too many sapphic vampires? In the early 90s, Jewelle Gomez’s debut novel “The Gilda Stories” won two Lambda Literary Awards, instantly cementing itself as a classic of queer speculative fiction. “The Gilda Stories” is composed of a series of vignette-like sections that stretch from 1850s Louisiana to the “Land of Enchantment” in 2050. The stories follow Gilda, as she escapes slavery and is taken in by a group of women who run a brothel. She becomes a vampire, assuming a role that transforms her into an arbiter of life and death. As she matures, she attempts to find ways to ethically navigate her immortality and desire for human blood. “The Gilda Stories” contains an incredibly poignant depiction of immortality, and is ultimately a wonderful meditation on the nature of gender, race, sexuality, and ultimately, power.

Make sure to check out Jewelle Gomez’s recently released novella “Caramelle & Carmilla” as well, which juxtaposes a work of original fiction — set in the same universe as “The Gilda Stories” — with Le Fanu’s infamous lesbian vampire novella “Carmilla.”

5. “R E D” by Chase Berggrun

Blackout poetry is on display in its highest form in “R E D,” a book-length erasure poem of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” Berggrun describes erasure poetry as an act of violent extraction, a difficult, and at times infuriating method which is not to be used lightly. In order to firmly establish her own sense of voice, Berggrun created a series of precepts that would become the cardinal rules of her writing process. She never allows herself to use more than five words in a row, always preserving them in their original form and order. In this way, “R E D” is more a vampiric poem than it is a poem about vampires. Berggrun transforms “Dracula,” a novel deeply rooted in the fear of emasculation and female sexuality, into an exploration of womanhood and social erasure.

6. “Fledgling” by Octavia Butler

Shori wakes up with debilitating injuries, and no memory of who she once was, or what exactly, she is. As the nature of her past identity is slowly revealed to her, she gathers friends and lovers in an attempt to return to some semblance of a home. However, mysterious arsonists seem intent on destroying her at every term, and the idea of finding a place where she truly belongs begins to seem ever further out of reach. In typical Octavia Butler fashion, the vampires of “Fledgling” are more science fiction than fantasy, leading to a unique interpretation of how a society of extremely long-lived beings that require human blood for survival might function. “Fledgling” attempts to present a depiction of vampires that actually makes sense, leading to the exposure of some pretty amusing plot holes in the more widely accepted mythos.

Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed-fact checking.

Interview with former MHC professor on her bestselling hiker thriller, ‘Heartwood’

By Cameran Steiger ’26

Contributing Writer

Amity Gaige has been many things: a professor of creative writing at Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College and Yale University, a publishing professional, and a bestselling author. Her most recent venture, “Heartwood” — released in April of this year — is a harrowing lost-hiker narrative following Valerie Gillis, who hits the Appalachian Trail to shake off her experience serving as a nurse during the pandemic. When she vanishes into the Maine wilderness, an entire community must mobilize to find her. Among the searchers are Beverly, a Maine game warden responsible for bringing her home safe, and Lena, an unlikely septuagenarian armchair-investigator. They each carry emotional baggage of their own.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Ms. Gaige to discuss her time in the Pioneer Valley and the depiction of nuanced female characters in “Heartwood.” The following interview has been edited and condensed.

Q: While the vast majority of this story takes place in Maine, you included several references to the Pioneer Valley. What was it about living and working in this region that felt inspirational for you?

A: When we were living in Amherst while I was [a visiting professor] at Amherst College and Mount Holyoke, our house was around the corner from the Emily Dickinson House. And then, you go over to Mount Holyoke, and Smith; the illustrious people that have taught and [studied] there, like Sylvia Plath! There’s a statue of Robert Frost on the campus of Amherst College, and while I was there, I was lucky to meet the poet Richard Wilbur. He started talking about “Bob” and I’m like, “Who’s Bob?” and he’s like, “Robert Frost!” Because, he knew him! You’re surrounded by that, in the Pioneer Valley.

Q: You also hiked part of the Appalachian Trail as part of your research. Do you have any fun stories from that trip?

A: When I was hiking in New York, I met these two women in their seventies who were section hiking the trail. One of them smoked menthol cigarettes. Her name was Real. She said, “‘Cause I keep it real!” It was so funny to hike around her for a couple of days, because I could smell the cigarettes. It was so unexpected, and I asked Real, “Well, why are you hiking the Appalachian Trail?” and she said, “Better than sitting at home, waitin’ to die!” in a Southern accent. I love that gallows humor, and her toughness. There’s a lot of people who don’t conform to your idea of who’s supposed to be hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Q: Notably, “Heartwood” foregrounds multiple tough female characters who are also nuanced and sensitive. Can you tell me about your process here?

A: I always knew my lost hiker would be a woman. Perhaps I, as the author, could identify more with what it might feel like to be out there by yourself as a woman. An author always tries to find ways to relate to their characters. For me, Bev was actually the hardest character to write. [It] took a long time for me to relate to her, and what I ended up gaining access through was her sense of her size. I’m somewhat tall, not nearly as tall as she, but that's how that felt to me in adolescence: That sense of monstrousness. And [it was] her aloneness, and her longing, her longing for community. It was all of those things. It just happened. They were all women, and I ended up connecting with each of them in different ways.

Q: Beverly’s experience as a woman in the warden service is a core element of her character. Can you tell me about your experiences with the Maine wardens during your research for this novel?

A: They were very open to having a fiction writer in their midst. I went on ride-alongs with two different wardens, a man and a woman. Going around with the woman was particularly really useful. She was an amazing, confident person, and so dedicated to her work; she was born to be a warden. I loved being around somebody like that, who was so clearly doing what she was meant to do. And, unfortunately, there aren’t so many female wardens, and now with some of the interruptions in DEI [programming], there will be probably even fewer. In the book, Bev [talks about how] the warden service had so few women that they didn’t have a uniform for the female body until 2020. So, I was both inspired, and [it’s been] bittersweet [to see] the changes that are happening, since they were going in such a great direction.

Q: As an author and a professor of creative writing, what advice would you give to young writers at Mount Holyoke?

A: I would say to the Mount Holyoke writers — and I’m sure there’s many because it's a very creative place — you guys have access to incredible professors both at Mount Holyoke and in the Five College system. Get out there and learn from those people. Every creative writing teacher has a different way of seeing and teaching. Soak it up, confront new ideas and [understand that] writers benefit from knowledge about other subjects. There are great examples of writers whose expertise makes their fiction shine.

Abigail McKeon ’26 contributed fact-checking.

The Odyssey Bookshop hosts Marie Lu to talk about new novel ‘Red City’

By Cat McKenna ’28 and Honora Quinn ’27

Staff Writers

“What did your grandparents do?” is how the #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Holly Black kicked off her conversation with fellow#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Marie Lu at an event at the Odyssey Bookshop on Saturday, Oct. 18.

The question, which Black cited as from Author David Levithan, was just the beginning of a fun and engaging conversation about Lu’s debut novel in the adult genre, “Red City,” published on Oct. 14. Lu paused after this opener, before confessing to the crowd that she wasn’t quite sure.

Before “Red City,” Lu’s novels were within the young adult space, including her 2011 dystopian debut novel, #1 New York Times bestseller, “Legend,” and her 2017 #1 New York Times science fiction bestseller, “Warcross.”

Set in a reimagined Los Angeles, “Red City” puts readers into a world where “alchemy is the hidden art of transformation. An exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates that market it to the world’s elites in the form of sand, a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of themselves: more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.”

After Black’s opening question, she asked Lu how she came about centering the world and magic of “Red City” around alchemy. Lu explained that one summer, she enrolled in an astronomy class at Oxford University. When she encountered a book on the history of alchemy in Oxford’s library, the concept of alchemy being the center of “Red City” began to brew.

With “Red City” being Lu’s adult debut, Black also brought up questions about her approach to structuring a story for older readers after havinge written for a younger audience for over a decade. On that point, Lu told Black that she “trusts an adult audience to sit with the discomfort of adult themes.”

When Mount Holyoke News interviewed Black about her own thoughts on “Red City,” she touched on this darkness: “[It was] super interestingly brutal in its interpersonal dynamics. Specifically, the family backgrounds of both of the main characters.”

Black and Lu touched on this specifically when they discussed the complex dynamic between Sam, one of the protagonists, and her mother. Lu explained how Sam and her mother’s relationship has elements of Lu’s own upbringing. She and her mother immigrated to the United States when she was five. Parts of her immigrant experience are shown in the novel. For instance, Lu explained that in the opening scene of the book, Sam is waiting in a closet for her mother to finish her waitressing shift. Lu recalled how, in her childhood, she would wait in a restaurant's closet for her mother to finish work as well. On this, Lu and Black both commented that financial hardship seem more real in “Red City” and adult novels in general.

Sam’s co-protagonist, Ari, faces hardship in a different sense. Ari is an apprentice at one of the syndicates. Lu said she finds common ground between herself and Ari in both his apprenticeship and his life. She revealed how, in her own academic life, nothing ever really came naturally. That is reflected in Ari’s apprenticeship and arc in “Red City.” Both Ari and Lu “really have to work for [success],” which Lu posed in contrast with Sam’s character.

When reflecting on both Sam and Ari, Lu said during the event, “I gave half of myself to her and half of myself to him.”

At the end of the talk, Lu talked about her writing process and how she pursued writing projects in college. When asked what advice she had for college students hoping to be writers, she said, “Take your time, take the time you need, find the time in between things. There's a million different ways of getting it done, and all of them are valid.”

The event concluded with a book signing in front of the store. During the signing Lu was asked what she wanted readers to take away from “Red City.”

Lu said, despite the darkness of the novel, she hopes “[readers] take some sense of hope from it, where even though you live in this dark world, there's somebody who remembers you and there's somebody who loves you, and that you know that there is worth in yourself.”

Maeve McCorry ’28 contributed fact-checking.

Olivia Worley keeps you guessing until the bitter end in ‘Final Cut’

By Honora Quinn ’27

Staff Writer

I’ve never been a fan of the things that go bump in the night. I’m a scaredy cat, you could say, always looking over my shoulder for the Jason Voorhees of the world. I’d never have what it takes to be a “final girl.”

But luckily with books like “Final Cut” — the latest young adult thriller from Olivia Worley out Oct. 28 from Wednesday Books — I can imagine what it would be like to be the girl that fights back and wins.

“Final Cut” follows Hazel “Haze” Lejeune, a recent high school graduate and aspiring actress. A major fan of horror films and the final girls that outlive them, it’s her dream to be in a slasher. So imagine her delight when, with just a few student films to her name, she gets cast in “Swamp Creatures,” an indie horror film set and filmed in Pine Springs, Louisiana. The film, at first glance, seems to be loosely based on the Pine Springs Slasher case in which several teens were viciously slain by their beloved high school teacher.

It’s about at this point in the novel that things begin to go awry in Pine Springs, revolving around the often mentioned but never seen screenwriter who's still finalizing the script in the first days of production, Haze’s charming southern co-star Cameron, and the mysteries of the town itself.

It’s not Haze’s first time in Pine Spring, though it’s been well over a decade since she’s last shown her face. Her father, Cal Dupre, is the Pine Springs Slasher, as far as the public is concerned. In the 15 years that followed, Haze and her mother have been on the move, skipping town whenever a new job appears for her mother and whenever the gruesome shadow of the slasher begins to barge into their attempt at a fresh start. But no one knows Haze’s story or her connection to the case. Not her high-strung director, and certainly not Cameron, whose eyes seem to linger a little longer after each stolen glance. And things of course only get more complicated when the bodies start dropping.

The “final girl” as a concept is one that has been loved by audiences for decades. We revel in their screams, in the defiant look in their eyes as they stand — more likely than not — bloodied, yet not beaten. And over the past few years we have seen a subgenre emerging within literature focusing on these stories. From Stephen Graham Jones’ 2012 “The Last Final Girl,” to Grady Hendrix “The Final Girl Support Group” and even looking into the future with Andrea Mosqueda’s 2026 release “Revenge of The Final Girl,” it’s safe to say that we have an abundance of bloody and rich revenge tales. Most of these final girls of the modern age are aware of their position and what it means to be the last one standing. They know all the ins and outs of horror like the back of their hand, and in this capacity, Haze fits right in with the crew. She listens to horror movie soundtracks to unwind during her down time off-set; as a kid, she viewed horror movies as a way to process the legacy passed down by her father, which circulates through her own blood.

So Haze knows the signs to look for, what to read into from a suspicious quirk of an eyebrow or how to track down the monsters that dwell in the shadows. The final girl on film, while portrayed as victorious, is just as often a victim of the plot. She’s thrust into her heroism by default, as the last one standing. Someone must defeat the killer stalking through her small town, college campus, summer camp, resort etc., and there is nothing unique to her character making her more suited to the role than someone else. But this new era of the final girl, which Haze embodies, is less about reluctant ascendance to being the hero and rather a sense of agency and awareness that she’s the best candidate in the first place.

Remember how it felt when you first watched “Scream,” when the killer was unmasked and everything fell into place? That’s how reading “Final Cut” felt. It left me questioning and questioning with each new turn, flying through the pages until the bitter, bloody and glorious end. I’ve only begun to dip my toe into horror, and I still fear the odd bumps and grumbles that lurk in the night, but books like “Final Cut” make me excited to traverse further into the genre. They give me the courage to imagine what it would be like to be the girl that unabashedly survives.

Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact-checking.

A look at the internet’s new least favorite adaptation: ‘Wuthering Heights’

Graphic by Isabelle Peterson ’28

By Honora Quinn ’27 and Cat McKenna ’28

Staff Writers

“I didn’t know ‘Wuthering Heights’ was the fourth installment of the ‘50 Shades of Grey’ franchise,” @Silverfields1 posted under the YouTube trailer for Emerald Fennel’s 2026 adaptation of the Emily Brontë novel.

The film is slated for a February 13 release. But the trailer, posted on Sept. 3, 2025, has already amassed over 11 million views; and that’s not taking into consideration the mountains of articles, video essays and online discourse that have emerged over the last several months as the first set of pictures were released.

The film has been mired with public controversy since it was announced the year following the release of Fennell’s sophomore feature “Saltburn”, with the most notable critique being the casting of the two stars: Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. Elordi’s casting in particular has drawn criticism from fans of Brontë’s novel. Heathcliff — whom Brontë alludes to as being racially ambiguous, “dark-skinned” and from Yorkshire in Northern England — will be portrayed by a white, Australian actor.

To get an academic perspective on this controversy and the legacy of the novel, Mount Holyoke News sat down with Mary Lyon Professor of Humanities and Chair of the English Department at Mount Holyoke, Kate Singer.

“I was also disappointed because I think that Heathcliff … people have talked about him in different ways, as being a Romani character, as being racially ambiguous, and, therefore, a product of some sort of mixed race parentage,” Singer said on the casting of Elordi in particular.

Robbie’s casting has also attracted controversy, although primarily due to her age. Robbie, 35 years old and Australian, is portraying an 18-year-old and English Cathy.

Fennell, however, defended the casting in an interview with People Magazine. She referred to Robbie as “somebody who has a power, an otherworldly power, a Godlike power, that means people lose their minds.”

Well, people are certainly losing their minds over what we’ve seen thus far of Robbie’s portrayal of Cathy. Critics are wondering how these castings will affect more complex themes surrounding her character’s relationship with Heathcliff. Particularly, the social and racial differences between the Earnshaws and Heathcliff as explored in the 1847 novel.

Alongside other plots, “Heathcliff is also taking revenge on the fragile middle-class white woman, and also the white aristocrat, or the white landowner who is both in certain ways entrapping that middle-class white femininity and also … denigrating the Heathcliffs of the world,” Singer noted.

Speculations have arisen about Fennell possibly choosing a more colorblind approach to the casting. Edgar Linton, the aristocrat whom Cathy marries, will be portrayed by Shazad Latif, who is a British actor of Pakistani and Scottish descent.

“I just couldn't tell from the trailer ... if they just love him as an actor, or if there was some kind of racial implication with making Edgar Linton be of a racialized origin, if we're supposed to think that he's tied to the British Empire through a certain kind of South Asian ancestry, and if so, what is that saying?” Singer commented.

Based on the trailer, this seemingly colorblind casting raises questions about the overlooked complexity of Brontë's work. Going back to Elordi’s casting, Heathcliff was found by Mr. Earnshaw in Liverpool, a port that was heavily active in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. With Fennell’s whitewashed Heathcliff, the trailer implies that this adaptation may brush over these key complexities in favor of a more romantic and sexually charged narrative.

With the rise of BookTok, some viewers might see “Wuthering Heights” more along the lines of a gothic Colleen Hoover than that of Mary Shelley. While there is a romantic arc between Cathy and Heathcliff, Brontë still weaves in these complex societal concepts around race, class and gender that are left out in a BookTok romance.

That said, we are still months away from Fennell’s release of the film. Maybe it will be as much of a hit as the 2024 gothic reimaging of “Nosferatu,” or maybe it will be, as YouTube user @The OneTrueJack theorized, “50 Shades of Brontë.”

Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact-checking.