Born in Pasadena, California, on June 22, 1947, Octavia E. Butler was one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century. A Black woman writing science fiction—a genre typically dominated by white men—she became the first science fiction writer to win a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 1995. Through her books, which include Kindred, Fledgling, Parable of the Sower, and Survivor, Butler tackled issues such as climate change, gender inequality, and racial injustice.
“When I began writing science fiction, when I began reading, heck, I wasn’t in any of this stuff I read,” Butler told The New York Times in 2000. “The only Black people you found were occasional characters or characters who were so feeble-witted that they couldn’t manage anything, anyway. I wrote myself in, since I’m me and I’m here and I’m writing.” Even…
