“Speech Sounds” by Octavia Butler is a short story that takes place in Los Angeles, California, after radiation poisoning from a nuclear bomb dropped by the Soviets has rendered human beings incapable of speech — for some, this means written language, for others, spoken language. Inspired by a real-life incident of violence Butler experienced on a bus ride, this story leads us to reflect on how much of our humanity is tied to our ability to communicate…and how we communicate when speech is impossible.
Monday, December 8th · $20 · 7pm – 8pm EST