1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, I'm Eves and Welcome to the 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:09,799 Speaker 1: Stand History Class, a podcast that brings you a little 4 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:22,239 Speaker 1: tidbit of history every day. Today is June. The day 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: was June n Science fiction author Octavia E. Butler was 6 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:32,839 Speaker 1: born in Pasadena, California. Butler addressed themes of gender, sexuality, 7 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: and race through her speculative fiction. Over the course of 8 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: her writing career, she received several awards, including the Hugo 9 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: and Nebula Awards. Butler's mother was a domestic worker, and 10 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: growing up, Butler recognized the racism and economic inequity that 11 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: affected her family. By the time she was ten, she 12 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: was already writing her own stories, and she was interested 13 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: in science fiction magazines and stories. As a young adult, 14 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: Butler pursuit passed besides writing and work temporary jobs, but 15 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: she wrote when she wasn't working. Through the open door 16 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: program at the Writer's Guild, Butler was able to attend 17 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: a class taught by science fiction author Harlan Ellison. He 18 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,320 Speaker 1: encouraged her to pursue writing further by attending the Clarion 19 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 1: Science Fiction Writer's Workshop in Pennsylvania. Though Ellison had offered 20 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: to publish one of her stories in an anthology. That 21 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 1: anthology was never published. When she left Clarion, she began 22 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: working on the novels that became part of the Patterness series. 23 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: The first book in the series, published by Double Day 24 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,040 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy six, was pattern Master. In the book, 25 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:42,320 Speaker 1: telepathic people known as patternists are dominant over mutes or 26 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: non telepathic humans, as well as over mutated humans called 27 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: clay arcs. The next two books in the series, Mind 28 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: of My Mind and Survivor were published in nineteen seventy 29 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: seven and nineteen seventy eight. The books sold will but 30 00:01:57,360 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: she took a break from the series to write Candred. 31 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: In the novel, a black woman named Dana travels back 32 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: in time to slavery era Maryland. There, she meets a 33 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,639 Speaker 1: white ancestor whom she has to repeatedly rescue to make 34 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: sure that he survives. Butler had trouble placing the book 35 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: with a publisher because it didn't fit neatly into the 36 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: science fiction category, but in nineteen seventy nine, Double Day 37 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: published Kindred as fiction. The book was received well when 38 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: it was published, and it became a text that students 39 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 1: read in high schools across the US. After Kindred, Butler 40 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: continued to publish books in the Pattern Master series, including 41 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: Wild Seed and Clay's Arc. Many of her characters were 42 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: black women, and she explored themes like control and in 43 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: post colonialism and dystopian settings. In four she won a 44 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: Hugo Award for the short story Speech Sounds, and Blood 45 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 1: Child won the Nebula, Hugo and Locust Awards. Butler worked 46 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: on the Xeno Genesis trilogy in the late nineteen eighties, 47 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 1: and in the nineteen nineties she published Parable of the 48 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: Sober and Parable of the Talents, which followed the protagonist 49 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: Lauren Alamina as she escapes a walled community and fouls 50 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: a new one. Butler once said quote, I don't write 51 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:12,240 Speaker 1: utopia science fiction because I don't believe that imperfect humans 52 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: can form a perfect society. Fledgling, a science fiction vampire novel, 53 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: published in two thousand five, was Butler's last publication. She 54 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: died of a stroke in two thousand six. I'm Eve Jeffcote, 55 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 56 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. And if you have any commerce 57 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 1: ource suggestions, you can send them to us at this 58 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: day at i heart media dot com. You can also 59 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: hit us up on social media where at T D 60 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: I h C podcast. Thanks again for listening to the 61 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: show and we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from 62 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 63 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.