![]() ![]() She sensitively took the tack of saying she wanted to expand upon some of the points I made in my talk instead of critiquing them. ![]() My anxiety about my presentation, I soon learned, was unnecessary Butler listened intently to my speech and even responded to several ideas I brought up in my presentation. I hoped she would not find my reading of her work erroneous or presumptuous, or, if she did, that she at least would be kind enough not to embarrass me in front of the audience. I was recruited to speak at the conference by one of my committee members because my master’s thesis analyzed two Butler novels, and while I was delighted by the idea that I would get to meet one of my literary heroines in person, I was also greatly frightened by the prospect of delivering a paper critiquing her work in front of Butler herself. It’s a tool for thinking about the here and now, and also for imagining alternatives-how the world might be different.Īs a first-year PhD student, I once delivered a paper at a conference sponsored by the College Language Association (CLA) featuring Octavia Butler as the keynote speaker. ![]() It should be taught with attention to historical context. ![]() It is a significant distortion of the present. Its characteristics make it suited to addressing past and recent African-American experiences and confronting issues of the day. Science fiction is a powerful figurative tool. Science fiction and black culture are changing to embrace one another. ![]()
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