This program is part of our 2021 Winter Read of Octavia E. Butler’s 1979 novel Kindred.
As part of the Winter Read series, join us for a virtual conversation with Nisi Shawl, writer, editor, and educator. Shawl will be in conversation with Martha Williams, the Library’s programs and education manager about their writing, Octavia E. Butler, the importance of diverse character representation in fantasy and science fiction, and inclusivity in literature.
A friend of Octavia’s during her final years, Nisi Shawl is a founder of the Carl Brandon Society and serves on Clarion West’s Board of Directors. Their collection Filter House co-won the 2009 Tiptree/Otherwise Award; they’re also the recipient of two Locus Awards, a World Fantasy Award, and the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award, among other honors. Shawl edited Bloodchildren: Stories by the Octavia E. Butler Scholars. They co-edited Strange Matings: Science Fiction, Feminism, African American Voices, and Octavia E. Butler, and they’re also a co-editor of the first volume of Library of America’s Octavia Butler books. Their first published novel, Everfair, an alternate history of the Congo, is dedicated to Octavia’s memory.