Celebrate Octavia Butler on June 22 - 23, 2025
The City of Lake Forest Park has declared June 22 as Octavia Butler Day to honor the influential science fiction author and trailblazer of Afrofuturism who lived in the city for the last decade of her life. Butler's books have sold over 1. 5 million copies, with her works gaining renewed attention through the HBO adaptation of her novel Kindred. On June 23, a presentation will feature a video interview with Butler, followed by a panel discussion with notable writers from Clarion West, where she mentored many aspiring authors. Panelists include Nisi Shawl and Kathleen Alcalá, alongside Caren Gussoff, a recipient of the Octavia E.
Butler Memorial Scholarship. A biography titled "Octavia Butler Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler" by Susana M. Morris will also be released this summer, and Morris will discuss it at Third Place Books on July 16. Lake Forest Park has named a street in Butler's honor and organized a hiking trail to her former home, further solidifying her legacy in the community.
Butler's influence remains strong, with her "parable series" still being read by new audiences two decades after their publication. The events aim to celebrate her contributions to literature and inspire future generations of writers.