The other day I was sent an email invitation from Nnedi Okorafor (author of one of my favorite reads from 2007, The Shadow Speaker) for a program called "The Work and Life of Octavia E. Butler." The program is being held at The National Black Writers Conference Symposium on March 28, 2009 at Medgar Evers College, CUNY in Brooklyn, NY. The program features readings & panels on the world renowned author and her contribution to literary writing. Participating writers include L.A. Banks, Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due, and Nnedi Okorafor. The cost for this event is $10 general admission; $5, Senior, Student, Faculty. Visit the Web site for more information.
www.mec.cuny.edu/blacklitcenter
I really wish I could attend this. I met Octavia Butler about a year before I went to Clarion in 2004. She was one of the first writers to ever show a genuine concern in this young (okay, somewhat young), inexperienced (clueless) writer. I'll never forget her wisdom and kindness and will certainly never forget the outstanding work she produced during her short life. I hope we see more programs like this, celebrating the life and work of Butler, a writer that far too many people still haven't read.
2 comments:
I would love to get a chance to go to that conference. I can't, but I'd love to.
I'm not sure if you're aware of the Blogger Book Club, but the book we're reading for March discussion is Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower.
Thanks, Joe. It would be great if someone films that session and posts it.
I'll have to check it out the Blogger Book Club. When people talk about Cormac McCarthy's The Road, I always recommend they also read Parable of the Sower, a far better apocalyptic novel, in my opinion.
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