Octavia Butler and the Future

Public Reading and Dialogue with adrienne maree brown

As part of the 2021/2022 Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue with adrienne maree brown, the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue hosted an afternoon of dialogue and inspiration facilitated by Dialogue Fellow, Djaka Blais-Amare, and featuring a diverse group of scholars, writers and community leaders—adrienne maree brown, Toshi Reagon, Tananarive Due, Ayana Jamieson, Autumn Brown and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. This group of nine scholars have continued Octavia's legacy by delivering her work to a wider audience, applying her work in various projects and even completing one of her unfinished parables through fan fiction.

Honouring Caretakers of the Land

The event opened with the importance of acknowledging the truth of those who have been the caretakers of the land, recognizing the Indigenous heritage that grounds us. A  breathing exercise followed, encouraging participants to connect with their minds, bodies and themes of the dialogue. This exercise was a powerful reminder to connect with ancestors, friends, family, community and the present space, setting the tone for a deep and introspective evening.

Emergent Themes

Throughout the dialogue, adrienne encouraged each of her peers to share their own reflections based on Octavia’s teachings, revealing the following themes:

1 Embrace Your Reality

Toshi Reagon encouraged participants to fully embrace their reality, whether it be abundant or challenging. She drew inspiration from Octavia's quote, "Our destiny is to take root amongst the stars," which she related to keeping one's head up and gazing beyond immediate troubles to gain perspective.

2 Form Healthy, Proactive Practices

Octavia's teachings emphasized the importance of forming healthy, proactive practices, whether with community, oneself, or one's surroundings. Toshi particularly noted Octavia's approach to addressing hyper-empathy, turning it from a weakness into a strength.

Tananarive Due emphasized that Octavia E. Butler put a significant part of herself into her art.

“Her writing was action orientated fiction designed to save humanity [...] writing was the form of resistance she chose.”

3 Narrative Matters

Octavia observed and absorbed the world around her, weaving this knowledge into her stories in the hope of helping humanity. She emphasized the themes of preparation, survival and taking action, especially in the absence of external saviours.

“Octavia's fiction focused on how individuals and communities can save themselves in the face of adversity”, says Tananarive. Octavia’s work showcased how the narrative matters and the importance of creating and living by one’s own narratives.

This is something that deeply resonated with adrienne who also contemplated her own narrative and role of kindness in navigating community, vision and resources, particularly in the context of the pandemic.

4 Importance of Legacy and Future Generations

Ayana Jamieson, the co-founder of the Octavia E. Butler Legacy Network, asked participants to think about the perspectives children have and what we are leaving for future generations.

“It is important not to project onto children but instead consider what we are passing on to them,” Ayana emphasized.

5 Confront Complex and Contradictory Emotions

Autumn Brown spoke about the interplay between attraction and aversion, a central theme in Octavia's work. She shared her own journey of initially feeling averse to Octavia's writing but gradually growing to love it.

“Octavia's stories often revolved around characters navigating a world filled with both hatred and desire, forcing readers to confront complex and contradictory emotions,” says Autumn.

Exploring Audience Q&A

The event concluded with a lively Q&A session. Participants asked questions about building futures, breaking free from present conditions, the significance of material possessions and the faltering relationship to earth that capitalist paradigms have imposed on us as a community. The speakers offered their insights, emphasizing that we are not bound by material relations and that time and space cannot separate us.

Alexis Pauline Gumbs shared her perspective on our connection to the Earth, emphasizing that “colonialism is not a life-giving relation.” She urged us to appreciate the profound support that the Earth has provided us with.

Closing with Gratitude

The evening's discussions reminded us that Octavia E. Butler's work continues to be a source of inspiration, a guiding light for navigating the challenges of our times. Her writings on resistance, community and kindness resonate deeply, urging us to take action and create the future we desire. As we reflect on Octavia's words, we understand that our destiny is not predetermined by the systems we are confined to.

“Being held in this admiration, gratitude and commemoration of Octavia E. Butler has made this experience feel so sacred for me and has left such a strong impact in terms of the meaning of my work and the communities I belong to.” adrienne maree brown