Black Female Science Fiction: OCTAVIA BUTLER

Octavia Butler

Octavia Estelle Butler, often referred to as the "grand dame of science fiction," was born in Pasadena, California on June 22, 1947. She received an Associate of Arts degree in 1968 from Pasadena Community College, and also attended California State University in Los Angeles and the University of California, Los Angeles. During 1969 and 1970, she studied at the Screenwriter's Guild Open Door Program and the Clarion Science Fiction Writers' Workshop, where she took a class with science fiction master Harlan Ellison (who later became her mentor), and which led to Butler selling her first science fiction stories.

This week we are reading Octavia Butler's book Kindred. Please consider the suggested essay topics below.

Suggested Essay Topics1. What does it mean that Kevin is white? How would Kindred be different if Dana’s husband were black?2. What literary techniques does Butler use to elevate her novel above simple science fiction?3. What does it mean that both Dana’s and Kevin’s parents are dead?4. What effect does Dana’s first-person narration have on the novel?5. Can Kindred be called a love story?