OctaviaButler.net A fan blog for Octavia E. Butler, writer.

A wonderful event happens tomorrow.  The National Black Writers Conference Bi-Annual Symposium will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2009, 11 AM - 5 PM at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn.  This year’s theme is “Celebrating the Life and Work of Octavia E. Butler".  I hope to see you there! For more information: 
 http://www.mec.cuny.edu/spcd/caddi/cbl_nbwc.asp

Here is a clip from "Brave New Worlds: The Science Fiction Phenomenon", a 1993 TV documentary. The clip starts off with Robert Silverberg, then Karen Joy Fowler and Octavia Butler talk about why more women writers began writing science fiction in the 1970s. The link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW9hVkrO9OU .

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Today is Octavia Butler's birthday!  Sixty-one years ago today, a legendary writer came into the world.  Her novels and stories have intrigued and inspired thousands of readers.  Over the course of the week, I will be adding a number of posts as we celebrate this important day!

by Wrey F., Caguas, Puerto Rico

Octavia Butler’s work redeemed Science Fiction for me in many ways.

As a young, gay, Latino man in love with a genre which constantly betrayed me by making me invisible and unrepresented, Octavia’s work said to me, “I see you.  I recognize you.  I validate you, and I will write about you.”

by Joe D., Shanghai, China and Seattle, Washington

1) I stumbled upon Octavia Butler years ago because I read a book by Orson Scott Card titled How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy.  In this book, Mr. Card uses Ms. Butler's work quite often as a great example of certain writing techniques.  It is quite obvious that he is a huge fan.  If you haven't already, check out this 2001 interview with Mr. Card (http://www.sffworld.com/interview/18p0.html) where in the last question he states, "I would require people who think they hate science fiction to read Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy."

In 2001, Kindred, Octavia Butler's landmark 1979 novel, was brought to life in an exceptional audio adaptation. This adaptation starred Alfre Woodard as "Dana" and was produced by Brian Smith and Jacqueline Cuscuna for Seeing Ear Theatre (SET). In 2007, SciFi.com closed SET and the link to the adaptation of Octavia Butler's Kindred at scifi.com/kindred was lost. Until now. For the past several weeks, a link on the left sidebar has quietly led to a reconstruction of the SET Kindred site. Today, I formally announce that the special section for the drama is open. Enjoy listening!

by Georg N., Washington, DC

She had a presence that was more Ananyu than anything else,
with a deep sonorous voice that whispered from a place
that you felt like you remembered that knew you once knew but had forgotten.