Octavia E. Butler Literary Society (@oebsociety) — Bluesky Profile

2 weeks ago

Recording available for So Be It! See To It! A Conversation with Octavia E. Butler's Biographers"

The recording for So Be It! See To It! A Conversation with Octavia E. Butler's Biographers is now available!

The link is in our bio!

#octaviabutler #positiveobsession #blackwriters #biography #earthseed

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2 weeks ago

A flyer commemorating 20 years of Octavia E. Butler with So Be It! See To It! and 2026 in gold at the bottom

Today, February 24, 2026, marks 20 years since the passing of Octavia E. Butler.

We honor her today. We honor her everyday.

Learn about two events today honoring her today: oebsociety.substack.com/p/so-be-it-s...

#OctaviaButler #OctaviaKnew #OctaviaTriedToTellUs

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2 weeks ago

Middle Grade Book cover with three children and floral decorations, inspired by Wild Seed (1980).

Do you like Butler's Wild Seed but have a young reader in your life who may not be ready for that? Have them check out the Wild Seed Witch trilogy by Marti Dumas, which is inspired by Butler's 1980 novel.

#octaviabutler #wildseed #adaptation #wellreadblackgirl

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2 weeks ago

Acorn: A Rejuvenating Activity Kit Acorn: A Rejuvenating Activity Kit created by the Octavia E. Butler Literary Society. Inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower (1993) and Parable of the Talents (1998)

Have you downloaded the free Acorn: A Rejuvenating Activity Kit? We released it for free 3 years ago. Check it out! #octaviabutler

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3 weeks ago

Image says Celebrating 10 Years of Biographical Inquiry with a picture of Gerry Canvan’s book, titled Octavia E. Butler, the words "So Be It!, See To It," and 2026 at the bottom.

Celebrating 10 Years of Biographical Inquiry!

In 2016, Gerry Canavan’s biography simply titled Octavia E. Butler was published.
The book ushered in a new era in Butler Studies!

#OctaviaButler #BlackHistoryMonth #biography #blackwriters #blacksciencefiction #wellreadblackgirl

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3 weeks ago

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1 month ago

Image says Celebrating 40 Years of Butler scholarship with a picture of the first page of the article, the words "So Be It!, See To It," and 2026 at the bottom.

Celebrating 40+ Years of Butler scholarship!

In 1986, Sandra Y. Govan’s article, “Octavia Butler Renovates the Historical Novel, was published in MELUS Journal.

The article discusses Kindred (1979) and Wild Seed (1980).

#OctaviaButler #BlackHistoryMonth #Kindred #WildSeed #blackwriters

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1 month ago

Survivor Back in Print? Butler's third novel, out of print for almost 50 years, seems to be coming back into print later this year

After a BlueSky user reached out to us, we did some digging. It looks like Octavia E. Butler’s Survivor (1978) will be back in print in September of this year.

Learn More: oebsociety.substack.com/p/survivor-b...

#octaviabutler #survivor

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1 month ago

Promotional poster with a white background and navy-blue accents for an online literary event titled “So Be It! See To It! A Conversation with Octavia E. Butler’s Biographers.” Three portrait photos appear across the center. From left to right: Gerry Canavan, a bearded man wearing glasses, a black shirt, and a pink tie, identified as the author of Octavia E. Butler (2016); Kendra R. Parker, a woman with short salt & pepper hair wearing a teal dress, identified as the author of Understanding Octavia E. Butler (2025); and Chi-ming Yang, a smiling woman with glasses and dark hair, identified as the author of Octavia E. Butler: H Is for Horse (2025). Event details near the bottom read “7:30 to 8:30 PM Eastern Time, February 24, 2026.” A QR code appears in the lower right corner with text indicating it is for registration. The poster notes that the event is organized by the Octavia E. Butler Literary Society and supported by the Department of English at Georgia Southern University, with both organizations’ logos shown at the bottom.

The Octavia E. Butler Literary Society, with the support of the Department of English at Georgia Southern, is hosting "So Be It! See To It! A Conversation with Butler's Biographers."

Free. Register for the Zoom link: georgiasouthern.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

#OctaviaButler #BlackHistoryMonth

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1 month ago

Image says Celebrating 50 Years of Patternmaster, with a picture of the novel, the words "So Be It!, See To It," and 2026 at the bottom.

So Be It! See To It!

Celebrating 50 Years of Patternmaster.

In 1976, Octavia E. Butler's first novel, Patternmaster, was published.

#OctaviaButler #BlackHistoryMonth #Patternmaster #blackwriters #blacksciencefiction #wellreadblackgirl

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2 months ago

Call for Papers: OEB Literary Society at ALA 2026 Octavia E.

Want to present at the American Literature Association Conference on a panel sponsored by the OEB Literary Society? Submit your abstract by January 26, 2026, for consideration.

All details can be found here:

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2 months ago

OEBLS 2025 Recap A Year in Review for the Octavia E. Butler Literary Society

Thank you for rocking with the OEBLS this year!

Counting down to 2026! Check out our 2025 recap:

open.substack.com/pub/oebsocie...

#OctaviaButler #GodIsChange #PositiveObsession #wildseed #parableofthesower

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2 months ago

A digital greeting card that says "Season's Greetings!" with a pale grey, yellow, and white backdrop and snowflake at the bottom

Season's Greetings!

May Octavia's words guide you this year:

“Belief

Initiates and guides action—

Or it does nothing.”

from Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

#OctaviaButler

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3 months ago

Snapshot of presenters at the 2025 PAMLA Conference. The session title is at the top and centered "Octavia E. Butler's Oeuvre."
Picture from L-R are the presenters,
Robert Barrett, Mary-Antoinette Smith, and Jennie Baker

The Octavia E. Butler Literary Society co-sponsored a panel at PAMLA 2025, for its 122nd Annual Conference held in in San Francisco November 20-23. The session, titled "Octavia E. Butler's Oeuvre," was organized by Jade Saffery and featured 3 panelists!
#OctaviaButler #Earthseed #GodIsChange

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3 months ago

Image title says "The Category is Thankful" and includes 4 books published on or about Octavia E. Butler. The books are the graphic novel adaptation of Parable of the Talents by Damian Duffy, John Jennings, and David Brame (top left), Understanding Octavia E. Butler by Kendra R. Parker (top right); Octavia E. Butler: H is for Horse by Chi-Ming Yang (bottom left); Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler by Susana M. Morris (bottom right)

We're thankful for everyone keeping Butler's spirit alive.
Check out these 4 works, published this year, that are helping to do just that.

#OctaviaButler #GodIsChange #BlackSciFi #blackwriters #blackwomenwriters #Earthseed

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5 months ago

Black Cultural Futurism: Ifá, Indigenous African Beliefs & Black Survival
Reimagining Black futures beyond Afrofuturism—rooted in Ifá, African epistemologies, and diasporic survival.

Abstracts due: October 5, 2025

Submission types: Scholarly essays, fiction, poetry, visual art

No AI-generated content
Anticipated Publication: 2027

Call for Submissions!

Abstracts due: October 5, 2025

Submission types: Scholarly essays, fiction, poetry, visual art

No AI-generated content

Publication: 2027

Details on flyer; scan the QR code for details or select this URL: docs.google.com/document/u/0...

#Afrofuturism

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6 months ago

‘Positive Obsession’ Is a Fresh Look at Octavia E. Butler

‘Positive Obsession’ Is a Fresh Look at #OctaviaEButler -- A new biography by Susana M. Morris reveals the struggles, passions and triumphs that shaped the science fiction icon and her books. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/b....

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6 months ago

All That You Touch, You Change: The Life and Legacy of Octavia E. Butler Helena Ramsaroop Octavia E. Butler passed away nearly twenty years ago, but her legacy lives on in every reader she touched with her words. She is often regarded as one of the most important writer…

All That You Touch, You Change: The Life and Legacy of Octavia E. Butler: ancillaryreviewofbooks.org/2025/07/08/a...

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6 months ago

CFP: Black Cultural Futurism

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6 months ago

Happy Publication Day to Susana M. Morris!

Her biography on Ms. Butler, Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler, officially releases today!

Congrats!

#octaviabutler #parableofthesower

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8 months ago

Tuxedo cat standing next to a stack of books written by Octavia E. Butler

Tuxedo cat standing next in between two stacks of books written by Octavia E. Butler

Image of a cat standing next to books written by Octavia E. Butler with the text, "Happy 78th Birthday, Octavia E. Butler! Celebrating 12 Years of Octavia E. Butler Literary Society! What we've been up to this past year--and more!" At the bottom is a link to the Society's blog hosted on Substack. oebsociety.substack.com

Happy 78th Birthday to Octavia E. Butler!

Butler’s legacy is full speed ahead, thanks to so many groups, businesses, schools, scholars, artists, writers, and more.

Whether you’re new to Butler or just getting started, there’s something for everyone—even our four legged friends!

#octaviabutler

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9 months ago

Join us in celebrating Octavia E. Butler's Birthday Month with the Octavia E. Butler Literary Society's 2nd "Wild Seeds: A Tuesday Accountability Group."

We invite content creators, educators, writers, and anyone seeking a focused work environment to join our free virtual working space on Zoom!

Scan the QR code or use the link in our bio to register for the free Zoom session

Join us in celebrating Butler's birthday month with our 2nd "Wild Seeds: A Tuesday Accountability Group."

We invite content creators, educators, writers, and anyone seeking a focused work environment to join our free virtual working space on Zoom from 1-4 PM ET Tuesdays in June!

#octaviabutler

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9 months ago

Scholars (L-R): Victoria Moten, Mary Moore, and Josie Defaye for the Session titled Comparative Approaches to Octavia E. Butler's Fiction at the 2025 American Literature Association Convention held in Boston, MA

Scholars (L-R): Emma Fox, Christina Delray, and Dr. Karyn L. Hixson for the Session titled God is Change: Explorations of Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower at the 2025 American Literature Association Convention held in Boston, MA

Scholars (L-R): Deanna Monique Daniels, Kendra R. Parker, Punam Mehta (pictured on screen), and Dr. Maureen McDonnell for the Session titled Make People Feel! Pedagogical Approaches to Octavia E. Butler at the 2025 American Literature Association Convention held in Boston, MA

Audience members participating in Q&A during an OEBLS panel at ALA 2025 in Boston, MA

The Octavia E. Butler Literary Society hosted three panels at the 2025 American Literature Association Conference in Boston, MA. Each session was invigorating! #octaviabutler #parableofthesower #wildseed #pedagogy #blackwriter #academicsky

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9 months ago

An image with the words, "Celebrating 12 Years of the Octavia E. Butler Literary Society," written on the front with a picture of Octavia E. Butler gazing out into the distance

Happy Founder's Day to the Octavia E. Butler Literary Society!

#octaviabutler #earthseed #parable

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10 months ago

The Octavia E. Butler Literary Society had a special session at the 2025 College Language Association Convention in Vancouver, WA last week!

The special session was titled, Octavia E. Butler in Expanding Conversations:
Ecology, Indigeneity, and Black Liberation"

Pictured left to right at a table in front of a window are Dr. Mario A. Chandler (session chair), Sarah Rude Walker (presenter), R. Nicole Smith (presenter), Stefanie Dunning (presenter).

The Octavia E. Butler Literary Society had a special session at the 2025
@clascholars.bsky.social Convention in Vancouver, WA last week!

"The special session was titled, Octavia E. Butler in Expanding Conversations:
Ecology, Indigeneity, and Black Liberation"

#octaviabutler #CLAGoesWest

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10 months ago

Happy Publication Day to John A. Jennings and Damian Duffy!

Their graphic novel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's #ParableOfTheTalents officially releases today!

Congrats!

#parableofthesower #earthseed #parableofthetalents #olamina #octaviabutler

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11 months ago

A call for papers (CFP) flyer for the Octavia E. Butler Seminar at PAMLA 2025. Seeking paper proposals that explore Octavia E. Butler’s oeuvre for a special session at PAMLA 2025.
Event info: Thursday, November 20 to Sunday, November 23, 2025, in San Francisco, CA.
Session format: Seminar with 4 to 7 participants who share papers in advance and present a brief 5- to 7-minute summary, followed by extended Q&A.
PAMLA 2025 Theme: "Palimpsests: Memory and Oblivion" — exploring how the past haunts the present and future in Butler’s work. Submissions on remembering, forgetting, erasure, and lingering presences are welcome but not required to be on theme.
Contact: Presiding officer Jade Saffery – jadejsaffery910@gmail.com
Submission details: 250- to 500-word paper proposals due by Thursday, May 15, 2025. Submit proposals at bit.ly/OEB-PAMLA.

Join the Octavia E. Butler Seminar panel at PAMLA 2025 in San Francisco ! Submit your paper proposals on "Palimpsests: Memory and Oblivion" or any Butler-related topic by May 15, 2025.

For more info visit: bit.ly/OEB-PAMLA

#OctaviaButler

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11 months ago

This picture includes a quote from Octavia E. Butler's "Free Libraries: Are They Becoming Extinct?" written in August 1993 for Omni magazine. The quote reads,

"To save money, branch libraries are being closed, being sacrificed the way some trees are supposed to sacrifice branches during a drought. In fact, we're creating an intellectual drought that can only be made worse by such sacrifice. We're doing ourselves lasting harm in exchange for the ephemeral good of quick-fix budget cuts. It's time we stopped, considered the consequences of our self-destructive behavior, and made the necessary changes."

#NationalLibraryWeek

Butler grew up in libraries, loved them, and wrote there. Back in 1993 she sounded the alarm about libraries being sacrificed and she warned of the "intellectual drought" that would come if we didn't "[consider] the consequences of our self-destructive behavior"
#octaviabutler

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1 year ago

A digital image features a quote from Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, formatted as a journal entry with the date "Wednesday, March 12, 2025." The entry reads, "People go to bed soon after dark to save electricity, but between dinner and darkness they spend time on their porches or in their yards where it isn’t so hot. Some listen to their radio on front or back porches. Now and then people get together to play music, sing, play board games, talk, or get out on the paved part of the street for volleyball, touch football, basketball, or tennis... A few people just find a corner and read a book while there’s still daylight. It’s a good, comfortable, recreational time. What a pity to spoil it with reminders of reality. But it can’t be helped."

Olamina Daily.

#Parableofthesower #OctaviaButler #Earthseed

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1 year ago

48 Everyday Things to Do to Resist Ed Chang

New on the blog: 48 Everyday Things to Do to Resist

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