Octavia Taught Me
I was listening to an essay on Audible earlier this week, and it reminded me of why I want to write science fiction in the first place. After months of being in a creative funk, at least where my writing is concerned, hearing these words of encouragement and wisdom from literally one of the greatest to ever do this writing thing, left me feeling full of renewed inspiration and zeal. I'm talking, of course, about Octavia Butler.
Her writing, and her existence really, has changed so much about the way I view and think of the world, as I am sure it has done for countless others. Her contributions are endless and yet sadly, profoundly underrated. I remember discovering her and feeling genuinely robbed for not having been exposed to her work earlier. Of all of the "classic" literature and "essential" readings throughout my educational career, I feel that none can really hold a candle to her brilliance. The themes she explored in her writing seem all at once eons before their time and yet perfectly as relevant to our life today as ever.
She inspired me to form a FB group for Black Women Writers of Sci-Fi to be a community for other girls and women struggling to follow in the footsteps of a giant writing in a genre dominated by white, male figures. Her fearlessness to journey into this realm serving as a beacon lighting the way.
She made me feel that my dreams weren't ridiculous as I had fallen into the trap of believing they might be.
To say she is an inspiration seems such a gross understatement, and yet that's exactly what she is. An inspiration. A mirror, in the Junot Diaz sense of the word. A true testament that because of her, we can.
I could go on and on about the Grande Dame of science fiction, but I won't. Instead, I will leave you with this short list of essential reading in case you, like I had been, were robbed of prior exposure to her wonderful work. I won't say these are my favorites, because picking from among her writings would be like choosing a favorite from among multiple children. I will say that if you are new to reading Octavia Butler, any of these would be a great starting place. And yeah, they're also my faves!
1) Lillith's Brood- also known as the Xenogenesis series. The whole series. Trust me on this. I am not usually a fan of reading series, because I get so impatient in between books (especially when the entire series is not yet complete- looking at you George R. R. Martin), but this set is one I truly wish I had the power to add to every high school reading list in this country. I find myself reflecting on gender roles as well as humanity's fatal flaw as explored in this book on a near daily basis. Another good reason why Xenogenesis is a good starting point is that there have been talks of an upcoming a TV miniseries.
2) Wild Seed- All throughout school, and life, I've heard stories referred to as a testament to the human spirit. If that can be said of any story, it can certainly be said of this one. In Wild Seed, Butler creates a character and a setting that shows struggle to maintain one's own identity, freedom and will after being uprooted from everything. She also explores the ways in which we sometimes destroy, or in this case attempt to destroy, the very people most like us and whom we need the most.
3) The Evening and the Morning and the Night- I recommend the entirety of Bloodchild and Other Stories, honestly, but this one is my favorite from that collection. I also loved reading the afterword of each story here, where Butler details her thought process in writing these short stories, which are a deviation from her norm. The essay I referenced above is a part of this collection.
4) Kindred- In this novel, Octavia takes on the question- "what does it take to make a slave?" in a most unique and profound way. I found the story of Dana, a modern woman from the 1970s who finds herself suddenly back in slave days, especially compelling because I've heard so many black people in this day and age talk about what they would have been like, or how they believe would have behaved, if they had lived during this time. These conversations are usually riddled with cockiness and almost disdain for anyone who "allowed" themselves to be enslaved. However, in reading this story, I began to see the quiet concessions one makes in the interest of safety, security and peace over time which can in time become a sort of slavery of its own. Not only thinking about times past; this story provides an opportunity to take a critical look at our own existence. Are we living, or are we ourselves slaves to a mundane and unfulfilling existence in the interest of conforming to the societal norms of our time?
5) Fledgling- One of the things I love most about Octavia Butler is how she takes the most simple ideas, asks the most simple questions, and proceeds to create the most extraordinary story about how these seemingly small matters can sometimes be the key to unlock the most persistent mysteries of our time. Fledgling is a vampire story unlike any other I've ever seen because it incorporates the idea that melanin is a trait coveted by many for its potential to allow vampires to day walk. However, much like in our own time, there are bigots who are opposed to sullying the so-called pure bloodlines, and whose hatred drives them to commit heinous acts.
Start with these, or literally, anything else. I have yet to find something written by Octavia Butler that I didn't love, or that didn't make me think. Even though I found her late, I am truly grateful to have become acquainted with her work, and details of her life at all. She challenged what it meant to be Black, a woman, a writer, and continues to do that to this day. More than that, she carved out a place for herself simply by following her passion and refusing to give up, and made it easier for others like her to find a place where previously there was none. I wish I was able to sit down with her, and thank her for being who she was, who she wanted to be, despite a whole world telling her that wasn't right. But since I can't do that, I'll settle for the next best thing which is telling as many people as possible about her, and sharing her stories with them.
Are you also an Octavia Butler fan? What's your favorite story and why?
Her writing, and her existence really, has changed so much about the way I view and think of the world, as I am sure it has done for countless others. Her contributions are endless and yet sadly, profoundly underrated. I remember discovering her and feeling genuinely robbed for not having been exposed to her work earlier. Of all of the "classic" literature and "essential" readings throughout my educational career, I feel that none can really hold a candle to her brilliance. The themes she explored in her writing seem all at once eons before their time and yet perfectly as relevant to our life today as ever.
She inspired me to form a FB group for Black Women Writers of Sci-Fi to be a community for other girls and women struggling to follow in the footsteps of a giant writing in a genre dominated by white, male figures. Her fearlessness to journey into this realm serving as a beacon lighting the way.
She made me feel that my dreams weren't ridiculous as I had fallen into the trap of believing they might be.
To say she is an inspiration seems such a gross understatement, and yet that's exactly what she is. An inspiration. A mirror, in the Junot Diaz sense of the word. A true testament that because of her, we can.
Photo credit: Clockshop
1) Lillith's Brood- also known as the Xenogenesis series. The whole series. Trust me on this. I am not usually a fan of reading series, because I get so impatient in between books (especially when the entire series is not yet complete- looking at you George R. R. Martin), but this set is one I truly wish I had the power to add to every high school reading list in this country. I find myself reflecting on gender roles as well as humanity's fatal flaw as explored in this book on a near daily basis. Another good reason why Xenogenesis is a good starting point is that there have been talks of an upcoming a TV miniseries.
2) Wild Seed- All throughout school, and life, I've heard stories referred to as a testament to the human spirit. If that can be said of any story, it can certainly be said of this one. In Wild Seed, Butler creates a character and a setting that shows struggle to maintain one's own identity, freedom and will after being uprooted from everything. She also explores the ways in which we sometimes destroy, or in this case attempt to destroy, the very people most like us and whom we need the most.
3) The Evening and the Morning and the Night- I recommend the entirety of Bloodchild and Other Stories, honestly, but this one is my favorite from that collection. I also loved reading the afterword of each story here, where Butler details her thought process in writing these short stories, which are a deviation from her norm. The essay I referenced above is a part of this collection.
5) Fledgling- One of the things I love most about Octavia Butler is how she takes the most simple ideas, asks the most simple questions, and proceeds to create the most extraordinary story about how these seemingly small matters can sometimes be the key to unlock the most persistent mysteries of our time. Fledgling is a vampire story unlike any other I've ever seen because it incorporates the idea that melanin is a trait coveted by many for its potential to allow vampires to day walk. However, much like in our own time, there are bigots who are opposed to sullying the so-called pure bloodlines, and whose hatred drives them to commit heinous acts.
Start with these, or literally, anything else. I have yet to find something written by Octavia Butler that I didn't love, or that didn't make me think. Even though I found her late, I am truly grateful to have become acquainted with her work, and details of her life at all. She challenged what it meant to be Black, a woman, a writer, and continues to do that to this day. More than that, she carved out a place for herself simply by following her passion and refusing to give up, and made it easier for others like her to find a place where previously there was none. I wish I was able to sit down with her, and thank her for being who she was, who she wanted to be, despite a whole world telling her that wasn't right. But since I can't do that, I'll settle for the next best thing which is telling as many people as possible about her, and sharing her stories with them.
Are you also an Octavia Butler fan? What's your favorite story and why?
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