Reading Octavia Butler
Taught by Wynnie & Reuben
Wynnie & Reuben have been Octavia Butler enthusiasts for decades. They are both Educators who focus on working with people of African Descent and have used the words of Octavia to encourage critically conscious conversations. Wynnie is of Haitian descent and is the founder of The Haitian Creole Language Institute of New York. Reuben is of Ghanaian descent and is a Higher Education Administrator at CUNY. Wynnie & Reuben have engaged in dynamic conversation around Octavia at the Brainery for the past several years. They have been married for almost a year and are craftily dodging baby questions from their very traditional families.
Octavia E. Butler is arguably one of the best sci-fi writers of her time. A rarity in her day--African-American and female-- she broke boundaries and created extraordinary, life-changing stories.
In this class, we will examine two of her short stories - one from the "Unexpected Stories" collection and another from the "Bloodchild" collection. We will discuss the central themes throughout her work which include sexuality, dystopia, and loss of humanity.
Participants will receive electronic copies of the short stories before each class, so that they can come prepared to discuss.