The Genius of Octavia E. Butler is topic on June 22

Octavia Butler was the first science-fiction writer, and one of the first Black women, to receive a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship grant. The author of several award-winning novels, Butler was acclaimed for her lean prose, strong protagonists, and acute social observations in stories that range from the distant past to the near future.

In recent years, sales of Butler’s books have increased enormously as the issues she addressed in her Afro-Futuristic, feminist novels and short fiction have only become more relevant.Dr. Adele Newson-Horst, a professor of English at Morgan State University (MSU), joins the Menlo Park Library on a journey into the life and works of science fiction author Octavia Estelle Butler on Tuesday, June 22, from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. Together, we’ll investigate Butler’s use of language in achieving plausible realities through a study of her award-winning short story “Speech Sounds.” Register online.