The Octavia Butler Project
Octavia Estelle Butler was a pioneer in the field of science fiction. An African American women in a genre dominated by white men, her writing drew from the traditions of folklore and challenged conventional understandings of race, gender and humanity. After her sudden death in 2006, activists have been drawn to Butler's fiction, both for their terrifying view of present and the utopian possibilites of the future.
Tonight's panel will focus on Octavia Butler's unique contribution to progressive thought. The discussion will serve as a starting point gor the Octavia Butler Conference organized at Medgar Evers College on March 28th (http://www.mec.cuny.edu/spcd/caddi/pdf/Palm_card_NBWC_2009.pdf)
Autumn Brown is a member of the Rock Dove Collective.
Krista Franklin is a Chicago based poet and visual artist.In 2007, Franklin’s handmade artist book SEED (The Book of Eve), inspired by the novels of Octavia E. Butler.
Anika Lani Hayes is a Brooklyn based writer and poet.
Johnathan Scott is a professor at the City University. Author of the study, Socialist Joy in the Writings of Langston Hughes, his essay "Octavia Butler and the Base for American Socialism" appears in the 2006 issue of Socialism and Democracy.
Sliding $6/$10/$15
Free for Brecht Forum Subscribers
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