A Reading Circle that discusses Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and N. K. Jemisin's "The Ones Who Stay and Fight."

Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" is a haunting reminder that whatever we build as a society, we must build it on top of something. A short philosophical story, "Omelas" reminds us that community and utopian drive always come at a cost.

N. K. Jemisin's "The Ones Who Stay and Fight" is a spiritual sequel to Le Guin's meditation, considering a different option that Le Guin offered in response to discovering uncomfortable and disheartening foundational secrets of the world.

As we learn more about what surrounds us, we must come to large and consequential decisions that affect us, those around us, and those who will come after us. In our world today, as more conversations and discussions about our countries and communities occur, we will need to be able to face these issues head on. This Reading Circle will look at Omelas and Um-Helat in relation to the United States, specifically, and what is happening in this country in the current moment. As we learn more about the wrongs that occur every day, how will we respond? Join us as we discuss these topics through two excellent meditations on the subject.

These two texts are available online.

This Reading Circle will meet on July 25 at 11 a.m. Mountain through online video chat. It will be capped at fifteen participants.