Octavia’s Legacy: Imagining Futures She Made Possible @THPS

Presented in partnership with Aunt Lute Books, this special panel brings together writers, artists, and thinkers to explore how Butler’s groundbreaking work continues to shape speculative fiction, activism, and cultural imagination. Featuring Be Steadwell, Eboni Dunbar, Duane Horton, and Imani Sims , the conversation will reflect on Butler’s legacy as a literary pioneer who expanded the possibilities of science fiction while confronting themes of power, survival, community, and transformation. Through discussion and reflection, panelists will explore how Butler’s ideas resonate in today’s world and how contemporary creators continue to build on her vision—imagining futures rooted in resilience, liberation, and radical possibility. Whether you’re a lifelong reader of Butler’s work or discovering her influence for the first time, Octavia’s Legacy invites audiences to celebrate the imagination, courage, and prophetic insight of one of speculative fiction’s most transformative voices. About Aunt Lute Aunt Lute Books is an intersectional, feminist press dedicated to publishing literature by those who have been traditionally underrepresented in or excluded by the literary canon. Core to Aunt Lute’s mission is the belief that the written word is critical to understanding and relating to each other as humans. Through the sharing of stories, we strengthen ties across cultures and experiences, and at the same time honor the hurt, loss, and harm incurred through structural power imbalances, prejudiced and gendered systems, and ancestral trauma. We uplift these voices in order to build a more just future. Read more here. About Sistah Scifi Started in 2019 by Isis Asare, Sistah Scifi is the first Back-owned book store focused on science fiction and fantasy in the US, as validated by the American Booksellers Association. Located primarily in cyberspace, Sistah Scifi launched three Sistah Scifi Book Vending Machines at Chapter510, located at 546 9th St, Oakland, CA 94607, and Northwest African American Museum and Distant Worlds Coffee in Seattle, WA, in 2022. Read more here.