Parable of the Now (Ongoing)

2024-2027

Parable Of The Now is a series of gatherings in correlation with the 1993 science fiction novel Parable of the Sower written by the late Octavia Butler. Parable of the Sower, set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by climate change and social inequities, paints a picture that is uncanny to some of our own contemporary issues. Some might even say the novel is prophetic. The story is told through the journal entries of a young Black woman beginning in the summer of 2024 through 2027. 

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As a performance I am reading aloud every journal entry of Parable of the Sower on the dates that they occur in real time in our own world, as Afro-future becomes Afro-present, becomes Afro-past. I began performing on July 20, 2024 and will continue to do so until October 1, 2027, when the book ends. Throughout this time I will innate or plug into larger event based around the book, for example  on November 6th, 2024, the day after the election, I held afternoon  filled with performances from 6 artists from across the counter (Billy Marks, Marcela Torres, Shey Rivera Rios, Raheleh Filsoofi, Tsedaye and Alisha B. Wormsley) and student creators. These performances revolve around reflection, ritual, moving through grief, resilience, rebirth, community, change and radical joy. These activations or performances happened periodically throughout the day (allowing people to come and go as their schedules permit) and were punctuated by reading of chapters from the book as we lead up to the final reading of the Nov 6th chapter at 7pm by Nnedi Okarafor. Approximately 200+ people attended. The project was supported by the Institute of the Humanities, The U-M Arts Initiative, The Penny Stamps School of Art & Design and the University of Michigan Libraries.  

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On March 29th I read the entry at the 2025 Ann Arbor Film Festival the March 29, 2025 entry in the book. The performative reading of the dated journal entry will be followed by a performance piece made in response to the book in collaboration with students. This is the second collaborative performance of the Larger Parable of the Now project. 

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Parable of the Now seeks to connect and consider the power that creative works hold through storytelling by holding space and understanding the presence of the passing of time. Through the contemporary performative reading of the journal entries of Parable of the Sower I am marking Change. Change is the central Idea of the Parable of the Sower. Change is inevitable. It is how we come together, how we show up for each other in times of great change that matters most. Octavia Butler's work will be facilitating these moments 30 years after being written and 16 years after her passing, as we live in the Parable of the Now.