Lydia Millet at MU Honors College: A Children's Bible, Reading as Action, and the Power of Imagination

  • Welcome and context
    • Dean Catherine Rim (Honors College) welcomes ~900900 new Honors students to Mizzou Honors College.
    • Thanks to Honors faculty and staff for organizing and checking in students; gratitude to sign language interpreters in the front.
    • Recognition of the sign for applause as a nod to the interpreters’ work.
    • Emphasis on the Honors College as a community that values reading, discussion, and engagement with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
  • Honors College philosophy: books as a core communal activity
    • The College loves books and uses reading to bring people with different backgrounds together.
    • Reading is valued not for a specific book but for the conversations and exposure to diverse perspectives it enables.
    • There is a long-standing commitment to reading and discussion, including a program called the summer one ring (note: transcript says “summer one ring”).
  • Honors opportunities and programs
    • One-credit general Honors class: Honors Book Club (GNHON, General Honors prefix).
    • This semester’s focus: a deep dive into A Children's Bible and related texts/themes.
    • Instructors for Honors Book Club: Honors faculty and Honors faculty Fellows; many are present; a call to stand if they’re teaching.
    • Breakfast with faculty and Lydia Millett (Millet) highlighted the enthusiasm for the classes.
    • Classes will be diverse due to faculty backgrounds; promise of a good experience for those enrolled.
  • Unbound Book Festival partnership and opportunities
    • Columbia, Missouri hosts the Unbound Book Festival; MU Honors College has a long-standing relationship.
    • A limited number of five student classes allow reading works by authors who attend the festival; students meet the keynote speaker during their on-campus visit.
    • Attendance at the festival is free even for students not in those classes.
    • This morning’s speaker: Lydia Millet in conversation with Professor Sam Cohen (English).
  • Announcements and guiding principles for incoming students
    • You represent all majors and colleges; honors students share curiosity and a desire to go deeper.
    • A high likelihood that about half of you will switch majors at some point; many will add second majors, dual degrees, or certificates.
    • Honors can be a constant framework as you explore many paths at Mizzou.
    • The goal: help you create your own path through Honors and make it your own.
  • Building community and pathways to engagement
    • Expect to find communities related to major, career path, faith, identity groups, hobbies; Honors can become one of those communities.
    • Student experience in Honors is self-directed and customizable.
  • Getting the most from Honors: actionable steps for new students
    • Honors College has a student council that plans academic, social, and service events; reach out and get involved.
    • All incoming students are required to take at least one general Honors class in the first year, preferably in the first semester.
    • General Honors classes are labeled with the prefix GNHON; ensure one is on your schedule.
    • A few students still need a GenOn class; additional seats have opened in the one-credit Honors Book Club class.
    • Read the Friday student newsletter for events, deadlines (e.g., registration), scholarships, and study-abroad fellowships; newsletters arrive by email.
    • Regularly check email; campus faculty typically communicates via email and Canvas.
    • A practical tip about phone numbers: calls from area code 573 with prefixes 882 or 884 are MU phone numbers (Honors College or MU Health Care) – don’t ignore these.
  • Honors advising and drop-in support
    • Each student has an Honors advisor; many met during Summer Welcome.
    • Schedule or connect via MU Connect; there are drop-in advising hours: Monday–Thursday, 22–44; Friday 99–1111.
    • Drop-ins are at the Second Floor of Lowry Hall; you can see any Honors advisor, not necessarily your assigned one.
  • Fall orientation and ongoing sessions
    • Three orientation discussions planned to help students acclimate:
    • Late September (before early registration): preview of signature general honors courses for spring and tips on registration.
    • Late October: getting involved with research and applying for external fellowships.
    • November: mental health for honors students.
    • Dates are posted on slides and will be reiterated in the Friday newsletter.
    • Follow Honors on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram).
  • Stage management and event flow for today
    • After Millet speaks, there will be a Q&A with two microphones; students are welcome to line up to ask questions.
    • Guests (including teachers from Columbia Public Schools) are present; Q&A is reserved for students.
    • Post-Q&A: book signing with Lydia Millet in the lobby; attendees should sit and wait for Millet to finish onstage before proceeding to the lobby.
    • If you don’t plan to have your book signed, you may exit through back doors with guidance from staff.
    • Book signing is expected to last about an hour; even late in line, you are likely to get a signature.
  • Attendance and permissions
    • All students checked in; expected to stay for the entire event unless pre-approved due to another required commitment (for those who had prior permission, as communicated in advance).
    • If you have permission to leave for a conflicting obligation, depart quietly so others can continue listening.
  • One Read Committee acknowledgement and introductions
    • Associate Dean Rachel Harper and I teach a seminar called Honors One Read Committee; students from last year’s class assisted with the book selection.
    • Acknowledgment of the previous year’s committee members who selected A Children's Bible: Avery McKenna, Sophie Quarles, Zoe Abraham.
    • Hayden Rogers (a junior from Louisville, KY, majoring in health sciences) will introduce the speaker today.
  • About the author: Lydia Millet ( Millet )
    • Millet’s background: originally from Boston; currently lives in Tucson, Arizona.
    • Prolific author: more than a dozen novels.
    • Awards and recognitions:
    • Love and Infant Monkeys was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2010.
    • Fight No More, a short story collection, received an Award of Merit from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
    • A Children’s Bible (published in 2020) was a National Book Award finalist; named one of the New York Times 10 best books of the year.
  • A Children’s Bible: plot devices and critical framing (as Millet describes and as the talk frames it)
    • The novel engages with climate change and environmental crises; it foregrounds biblical references interpreted through Jack’s perspective in an illustrated children’s Bible.
    • Millet argues that the looming environmental crisis makes the time for apathy irrelevant and pushes for a sense of urgency and responsibility.
    • The book traces how a group of children form a society independent from their parents, exploring intergenerational tensions and moral questions beyond climate crisis.
    • Themes highlighted: generational conflict; tension between personal desire and social responsibility; coming of age amid uncertainty; dangers of unchecked power; rules and games that structure life; the importance of empathy and hope.
  • Personal reflections on reading and interpretation
    • Millet shares a personal experience of reading A Children’s Bible last fall: found it complex and riveting; appreciated the biblical references as a vehicle to explore moral issues.
    • The ending of the book raised questions: where did the parents go, what is the future for the children, and what deeper meaning does the parents’ disappearance signify? Millet regards this as a strength of the work.
    • She regards A Children’s Bible as a prime example of her talent to capture difficult themes on the page.
  • Millet’s talk on language, the reader’s role, and the craft of fiction
    • Quotes from Millet:
    • "the time for talk is never over because, really, you know, talk is everything."
    • "Language is everything. And … gardens."
    • She describes a creative tension between the natural world and human-made environments, embodied in the metaphor of a garden.
    • Millet emphasizes the value of what we don’t know, the unknown, the unsayable, and the importance of the unknown and the unknowable for the human spirit.
    • Books allow dead people to talk to the living and living people to commune with those not in the world anymore; novels create a narrative internal space that invites readers to insert themselves.
    • The notion of a "ghost in the machine" within a book can provoke readers to question form, intention, and their own roles in interpreting a text.
    • She aims to give readers confidence in the voice of characters (e.g., Evie) and to invite readers to feel they can do something and have power.
    • Millet discusses her exploration of writing with a sense of boundary-pushing “unknowns,” while also trying to avoid forcing funny moments; she prioritized authenticity over humor for a period.
  • Anger, empathy, and the politics of emotion in fiction
    • Millet acknowledges a spectrum of anger in contemporary discourse, including anger about climate change and intergenerational injustice.
    • She distinguishes between anger directed at systems and structures versus anger directed at people or groups; she cautions against blanket hostility.
    • She notes that becoming a parent reshapes judgment: recognizing that everyone has a history and vulnerability, which can soften judgments about others.
    • The narrative acknowledges that people’s behaviors are formed by past experiences and crises, and that recognizing this does not excuse harm but reframes accountability.
  • The balance of fear and action in public life
    • Millet argues that we should hold two truths simultaneously: the world is dangerous and fragile, yet action is the only way out of despair.
    • She emphasizes that imagination and the possibility of change are crucial for motivation and resilience.
  • Intersections with science and policy (tone and takeaway for readers)
    • Millet expresses admiration for STEM fields and the people who work in science and policy; she values their work but acknowledges the drudgery and repetition involved in such fields.
    • Her own work has involved translating legal and scientific language into accessible, media-friendly communication for the public, an ongoing challenge due to the perceived abstraction of science and law.
    • She notes that communicating complex ideas to a general audience is essential in addressing public concerns about climate change and environmental policy.
  • Closing takeaways for students
    • The talk links literature to real-world action: reading can cultivate empathy, critical thinking, and willingness to act.
    • It encourages students to engage with difficult truths about society and the environment, while also preserving hope and imaginative resilience.
    • The broader message: education, reading, and discussion are tools for navigating uncertainties and driving positive change.
  • Real-world relevance and connections to foundational principles
    • Emphasizes the value of interdisciplinary study (literature, environment, policy) and the ways in which the Honors College supports exploration across majors.
    • Highlights community-building, mentorship, and student-led initiatives (One Read Committee, Book Club, student council) as foundational to a university’s learning ecosystem.
    • Connects to broader debates about free speech, civic engagement, and the role of culture in shaping responses to climate change and social injustice.
  • Final notes on today’s event logistics and audience guidance
    • Attendees are encouraged to stay for the entire program and participate in the Q&A.
    • If delaying or leaving early for a pre-approved obligation, do so quietly and with respect for others listening.
    • After the Q&A, head to the lobby for the book signing; those not signing can exit through back doors with staff direction.
    • For future participation, keep an eye on the Friday newsletter for workshop details, registration tips, and opportunities to engage with research and fellowships.