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Octavia Butler, R.I.P. (June 22, 1947-February 25, 2006)

  • Feb. 26th, 2006 at 4:05 PM
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I have no words.

Octavia Butler: she is gone.


Create no images of God.
Accept the images
that God has provided.
They are everywhere,
in everything.
God is Change---
Seed to tree,
tree to forest;
Rain to river,
river to sea;
Grubs to bees,
bees to swarm.
From one, many;
from many, one;
Forever uniting, growing, dissolving---
forever Changing.
The universe
is God's self-portrait.

From "Earthseed: The Book of the Living," by Lauren Oya Olamina, the poet created by Octavia E. Butler for her 1993 novel, Parable of the Sower

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( 11 comments — Leave a comment )
[info]fungus_files wrote:
Feb. 27th, 2006 01:36 am (UTC)
*has no words either*

two very sad days. don knotts, the Night Stalker, and now octavia butler.

*considers the richness of their creative legacies*

*feels a little better*

*hugs you*
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[info]eldritchhobbit wrote:
Mar. 4th, 2006 08:41 pm (UTC)
*hugs you back*
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[info]vaklam wrote:
Feb. 27th, 2006 04:59 am (UTC)
Oh, man.
One firmament is now a little dimmer. Another is a little brighter.

I hadn't heard, yet. Thanks for posting it.
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[info]eldritchhobbit wrote:
Mar. 4th, 2006 08:42 pm (UTC)
Re: Oh, man.
One firmament is now a little dimmer. Another is a little brighter.

Beautifully put.
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[info]randomalia wrote:
Feb. 27th, 2006 05:26 am (UTC)
I don't know any of her work, but it's a lovely poem. Thanks for posting.
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[info]eldritchhobbit wrote:
Mar. 4th, 2006 08:43 pm (UTC)
Thank you!
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[info]estellye wrote:
Feb. 27th, 2006 02:01 pm (UTC)
Why do I never hear of these people until they leave? What a fascinating bio and bibliography! And what a lovely poem! I need to pay better attention...

There have been a lot of fine people transitioning out lately. It makes me glad I don't believe anyone is ever really gone - particularly if they leave a legacy of work behind.
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[info]eldritchhobbit wrote:
Mar. 4th, 2006 09:12 pm (UTC)
She was a true pioneer in science fiction, and I have tremendous respect for her. One of my students is doing a semester-long research project on her Parable of the Sower at the moment. This is a tremedous loss for the genre.

It makes me glad I don't believe anyone is ever really gone - particularly if they leave a legacy of work behind.

Beautifully put! Thank you for this.
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[info]semielliptical wrote:
Feb. 27th, 2006 04:29 pm (UTC)
Thank you for passing on the news, and for posting the poem. I met her once when she did a reading at a small bookstore - she was so kind and generous, which made me appreciate her talent even more.
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[info]eldritchhobbit wrote:
Mar. 4th, 2006 09:12 pm (UTC)
she was so kind and generous, which made me appreciate her talent even more.

And rightly so! Thank you for sharing this. It reinforces my own feelings about and impressions of her. I appreciate it.
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[info]ex_samarra wrote:
Mar. 22nd, 2006 08:17 pm (UTC)
I will miss her greatly.

Hi, we have some mutual friends, so I wandered over here.
Always enjoy reading your posts.
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( 11 comments — Leave a comment )