Way Black When: Octavia E. Butler on the importance of science-fiction.

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]If you look at science fiction fantasy or sci-fi as an alternative, what you have is the opportunity to have conversation about everyday life, about the problems in everyday life, just in a different format. It's about social commentary. It's a way to look and say, "Well, this is what's currently going on, and this is how we can fix it." What I like is the freedom. I like being able to go any place, do anything. I like not having any walls around me. I mean, if you write private eye stuff, well, you're pretty you're pretty limited. But in in science fiction and fantasy, I can do absolutely anything. There is no subject that I can't get into if I if I don't want to, or rather if I want to.

[00:00:42]So, um that's why I stay. Kindred is the first book that I read by Octavia Butler. Um and when I read her, it was at a time when I was just starting to study African American studies and concentrating in women's studies and it was a powerful story. It was a powerful story. Um because I also had a hard time finding out or finding a place to start studying black studies. Um what I decided to do was pick slavery text, and they were too powerful. They were too painful most of the time. Um and then when I stumbled on Kindred, it was a it was a moving story. It was about a black woman in the current day who had that pulled back into slavery to save her ancestor.

[00:01:32]And of course, her ancestor turned out to be a plantation master. Um but it was really moving. It was really moving because she had to build the bridges, you know, how do you get over the pain?

[00:01:42]Um and just watch her own family develop and that allowed me to read my first text.