Octavia E. Butler was born on June 22, 1947, in Pasadena, California. A groundbreaking American writer, Butler is considered the godmother of Afrofuturism and was awarded science fiction's highest honors—the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award—twice!

On her birthday, NYPL celebrates her life and legacy by sharing blog posts, reflections, videos, and more that honor Butler’s significant contributions to the literary landscape. Explore the work of this pioneer of American literature with Where to Start with Octavia Butler, an introduction to her life and work.

Once you've been introduced to Butler, discover writers who were influenced by her outsized impact on literature generally and science fiction specifically with The Expansive Impact of Octavia Butler. Finally, dive into an in-depth discussion of one of Butler’s most famous novels, The Parable of the Sower, part of the Parable Series, with the hosts of NYPL’s The Librarian Is In podcast.

For more in-depth research, explore the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture's Octavia Butler Papers, which contain unpublished interviews, written correspondence, and more. 

To learn more about Butler’s life and legacy, explore the #HappyBirthdayOctavia hashtag on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.