ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - February 23, 2016) - Spelman College will host the conference "Celebrating Letters, Life, and Legacy," Feb 26-28, to honor the life and literary contributions of world-renowned science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler. Presented by the Department of English and the Octavia E. Butler Literary Society, the conference will feature presentations from Butler scholars and intergenerational talks on the enduring resonance and relevance of Butler's writings and the intersection of Afrofuturism and social justice.
Known for her groundbreaking work as a woman and African American in the genre of science fiction, Butler's novels examine race, sex, power and what it means to be human. Feb. 24 will mark the 10th anniversary of Butler's death at the age of 58.
"There's an incredible amount of interest in her work, particularly in the environmental and social justice movement," said Tarshia Stanley, Ph.D., chair of Spelman's English Department and president of the Octavia Butler Literary Society. "Afrofuturism is the cultural lens through which people of color see their lives and future. African people have always been a part of the scientific movement and technological innovations with an eye to the future."
With strong complex heroines at the center of her stories, Butler portrayed life in dystopian worlds with incisive meditations on power dynamics and community building between colliding populations of humans, mentally enhanced humans and alien species.
Her first novel "Patternmaster," published in 1976, became part of her four-volume Patternist series. In the late 1980s, she published her Xenogenesis trilogy ("Dawn," "Adulthood Rites" and "Imago"), which explored issues of genetics and race. Other books include "Parable of the Sower" of the two-book Parable series, "Bloodchild" and "Kindred."
In addition to winning multiple Hugo and Nebula awards during her career, Butler became the first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship in 1995. Five years later, she received the prestigious PEN Lifetime Achievement Award.
While most of Stanley's students are not familiar with Butler, she has found they eventually become lifelong fans of the author once exposed to her work. Stanley teaches a literature course titled "Butler's Daughters: Imagining Leadership in Black Speculative Fiction," designed to expose students to models for leadership in contemporary Black women's science fiction, fantasy and horror.
"There's something to be learned from Butler's heroines and the way they lead. All her heroines are young women of color, and they have to figure out how we overcome challenges in future spaces and dystopian worlds," said Stanley. "Butler totally understands the way we think as human beings. Her work is instrumental in helping us figure out who we are going to be as we move forward and what kind of people are we going to be. I hope people who don't know her work will see how scholars use her work in the academy."