After all, a lot of the possible futures she conjures up in her work are not necessarily places I'd like to live. That said, having read a lot of Octavia Butler's work, I have to say it is pretty chilling how good she seems to be at predicting the future. Imagining the future is one of the jobs of a science fiction writer, and one wouldn't expect someone like Octavia Butler to be anything less than brilliant at it. We're less and less willing to pay for the things that make civilization possible,' she muses. 'In general, I look at the kind of future we're building. When asked about how she as a science fiction writer sees the future, Butler responds, 'I see a very grim future.' She goes on to discuss the wealth gap and its implications, global warming and how reluctant we are to confront it, issues with education and literacy, and more. And at 13 she was already trying to get short stories published - and being crushed by the rejection letters.Īlthough the interview takes place in 1995, many of the things Butler talks about could be part of a discussion in 2016. 'As soon as I discovered there were such things as writers I wanted to be one,' she says. In the interview, Butler is speaking with Julie Dash for the '40 Acres and a Microchip' conference, ' the first black cyberspace conference in the UK for digerati of African descent.' In the interview, Butler talks about a wide variety of topics, including getting started as a writer. And really, I think we will never stop wanting more of Octavia Butler. However, a lost Octavia Butler interview from 1995 means that we can hear a little bit more from her. Octavia Butler, one of the greatest science fiction writers of the 20th century, passed away in 2006. Additional information on the project appears at. The project included gathering information from researchers in multiple countries. This resource emerged from a research project funded by the U.S. In addition to general information on authorship in science, it includes sections titled “Detrimental and Challenging Authorship Issues,” “Causes of Controversy and Confusion,” “Recommendations to Avoid Confusion, Misunderstandings and Conflict,” and “Points for Discussion.” It also has an extensive reference list. Bird ( ), Mohammad Hosseini, and Dena Plemmons.Īlthough termed a booklet, this resource is extensive, running more than 70 pages. The resource, titled “Authors Without Borders: Guidelines for Discussing Authorship with Collaborators,” comes from the scientific research honor society Sigma Xi. I hope 2024 has started well for you.Īs 2023 was ending, I learned of a new resource ( ) in the communication of science. Tuesday/Friday at 8 pm ET beginning April 2 In the process, we will discuss the novel’s lasting meanings and contributions as pioneering work of speculative fiction. We will also explore the afterlife of The Last Man in critical discussions of the ominously similar challenges we face in the 21st century. In this module we will consider Mary Shelley’s novel in the context of her life, times, and intellectual history.

Part imaginative autobiography, part science fictional warning, and part ecocritical thought experiment, The Last Man forces us to examine our assumptions about our present and future. This 1826 classic of apocalyptic science fiction considers the implications of a global pandemic, a rapidly changing environment, and the failures of political and social institutions. Mary Shelley’s The Last Man asks what it means to be human while living in unprecedented times. One of the most relevant novels you could read right now was written almost two centuries ago.

Octavia butler conference