We're thrilled to be hosting a class (starts next week!) on the super fascinating science fiction writer Octavia Butler. During our two weeks together, we'll focus on three short stories from one of her most famous collections, Bloodchild. We'll also eat some sci-fi themed snacks. 

To introduce you to Octavia a bit more, here's a class preview from your co-teachers, Felicia and Wynnie. You can get more details on the class and sign up here, but here's one fun fact to start you off with: Butler was the first sci-fi writer to win a Macarthur Genius award. Neat. 

From Felicia

On Why Octavia Butler Matters

I began my love affair with Octavia E. Butler at the impressionable age of 13. Ever the lover of all things quirky and weird, science fiction became where anything I could possibly imagine could actually be and for a chubby kid with a healthy dose of eccentricity, the genre became my home.

Finding Butler's 'Wild Seed' was like opening Pandora's Box once I saw my dark skin, my almond eyes, and my African descent in the characters. I was fascinated by the villages, the customs, the people and it all felt so real to me. Learning Butler was African-American was the icing on the cake and I sought after others like her and sadly, until recently had found none.

I pored over the minute details of her personal life that I could find in articles at the library (before the Internet was born) and carried what little I could find of her with me. Butler's talent was on par with many of her generation yet I feel as though her ideas were way before her time. As I look at movies like 'I am Legend' and 'Blade' and I think of some of the stories from the 'Bloodchild' series and 'Fledgling', it is apparent that she was quite the visionary. I also think of the challenges that she faced: Dyslexic, African-American. Female and poor trying to make a living as a writer during the 60's sounded like an impossible feat, but she persevered. It is her strength both in drive and ambition that has always inspired me as a writer and an African-American woman as well.

From Wynnie:

On Octavia E Butler & Her Influential Style

I've always been a huge fan of science fiction and fantasy. Starting with a 'A Wrinkle in Time' and 'The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe', I quickly developed a love for all things fantastical at a pretty young age. When I finally came across Octavia's work in junior high, I became so enamored with the stories, that the author (who she was, why she wrote) was completely unknown to me. When I ultimately learned years later that this person, with a somewhat strange name, was female and black, I was completely blown away. 

Her ability to reshape reality so powerfully was unparalleled in her time. Octavia took everyday issues like racism, sexism, and female sexuality and transplanted them into universes that were so strange you couldn't help but wonder, how did she do it?? Her words reel you in so wholly and completely into the story, that your reality begins to feel unreal. 

Focusing on Bloodchild will be both a great refresher for diehard Octavia fans as well as a perfect introduction for any newbies! Through detailed discussion and analysis, we will attempt to answer questions like: What role do women play in her fiction? How does she talk about race without explicitly referring to it? What techniques does she use to bring the concept of 'other' to the forefront?

Octavia E Butler influenced me in so many ways. Hopefully, this course will be both a great learning and sharing experience!