Comments on: Octavia Butler

By: Garrett Mason

Garrett Mason — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 15:11:03 +0000

AFTER i READ the book “Kindred” it made me a little interested in more of her writings. But I am really shocked, due to her sudden death and will be missed!

By: Caxe

Caxe — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 02:00:51 +0000

Without a doubt, Octavia E. Butler was my favorite writer of all time, and probably one of the most influential Black women of all time. It’s been well over a month since she died, and it still depresses me a great deal that I will never read another orginal work by her. I was waiting with bated breath for “Parable of the Trickster.” I was waiting with bated breath for anything else she would have produced in the next few years. Although I’m extremely saddened by her passing (I admit to occasionally crying about it still–all these weeks later), I’m very grateful that I was exposed to her in the first place. Her writing changed my life, influenced my own writing styles, and gave me something to be proud of.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 20:24:44 +0000

I am so hurt right now that Octavia has passed away. The excitement that I felt whenever I picked up any of her work was like puppy love…a giddiness you feel the first time you held a girl’s hand. Octavia, I will miss you, and I thank you for the many wonderful hours you let me spend with you. Every page you wrote was wonderful.

By: Pacia

Pacia — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:53:58 +0000

I cannot express the effect that Octavia Butler’s writing has had on my life, my view, and my own writing career. In 1999 a stranger walked into the cafe where I worked in college and passed me a very worn copy of “Parable of the Sower” (he said I “looked” like I would enjoy the read), I have been on a mission to read everything I could get my hands on by this phenomenal woman. Since then I have aimed to pass on her work to any and everyone who is interested. In the past 12 months I only cried twice. Once for Katrina; and again for Octavia–not because she had passed (because let’s face it, if anyone was at peace with dying, it was probably her). I cried because now 4 of the 5 literary loves/influences/icons of my life were now physicaly gone. I cried for the people who would never pilgrimage to their local bookstore or mega-entertainment-chain to stand in line for an autograph…a glimpse of the unexpected image of this black “science fiction” writer. I cried for “Parable of the Trickster” (or whatever the new book would have been named), which I may or may not ever be able to read. I cried because she affected me in ways I would never be able to tell her. Even if the world will not miss her, I will honor her memory until I too hop on my spaceship and fly away.