Sci-Fi writer shares her experiences
By Patrick Fujike
Daily Forty-Niner
For Octavia Butler, literature reflects
life.
"Some of the characters in my books are
based on my family members," said Butler, one of the most well-known science
fiction writers in the nation.
She described how her rough childhood and
life experiences influence her work, during a lecture Monday as part of
the 1999 Odyssey Series.
"She is one of my favorite authors," said
Chuck Smith, an engineer for the Long Beach Metropolitan Water District,
who attended the lecture.
Cal State Long Beach student Shannon Murry,
an English major, also praised the presentation, saying, ģI thought it
was really good.ī
Butler has won the Nebula and Hugo Awards,
considered the highest awards in the science fiction genre.
Some novels she has written include "Crossover,"
"Bloodchild," "Parable of the Sower," "Parable of the Talents" and "Kindred."
Born in Louisiana and raised in California,
Butler shared with the audience the hardships of having a mother who could
hardly read and write.
As a child, she spent a lot of time at
her grandmotherķs ranch, where she first felt like she belonged to a community.
"One of the best things about communities
are that they are self policing," she said.
Butler, however, did not live on a safe
and serene ranch for too long. She soon moved to a rough neighborhood where
she and her sister would witness street violence on the way to school.
Toward the end of her lecture, students
asked the writer what the future holds for the next generations. She was
skeptical of what lies ahead.
"There is no solution to the problems,"
Butler said. |
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