"Kindness eases Change." (from The Books of the Living, verse 24)

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What a beautiful wrap to an amazing summer dedicated to reading and discussing Octavia Butler's incredible novels, Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents! Our final book discussion today was so thoughtful; you may watch the recap of the meeting here:

https://zoom.us/rec/share/6eFWCLT-1mhJa9LNtBmHXKgoF9y-aaa8gSBL_vEIzkbNye5UWHaX6Mtubo7hwz7j

Password: Ses1=x=g

I feel so thankful to have had the company and insights of all our participants throughout this summer for the Big Book Challenge. As mentioned by several readers, these are challenging books for challenging times, but the feedback I've received so far has indicated how deeply Butler's works have moved you. I hope you continue to explore more of Butler's incredible catalog and continue stretching your reading experience.

Thank you, too, for being so flexible and patient as we moved the challenge to a virtual format for the first time ever. We learned a lot along the way, but it seemed like we encountered more successes than snags. As verse 24 of The Books of the Living reads, "Kindness eases Change," and your kindness has certainly eased so much of the potential stress from making such big changes to the Big Book Challenge. Perhaps we have our own Acorn sprouting right here in University City!

As we wind down for the summer and prepare for the fall, I wanted to leave you with a litte (or a lot!) of Earthseed to take with you. Inspired by today's comment by Edmund that he wishes to read more from The Books of the Living, here are all the Earthseed verses compiled in one place, in case you'd like to bookmark it for days you need some inspiration:

https://godischange.org/the-book-of-the-living/

🚀 Lindsay 🚀

Recap of Monday's live Q&A with Dr. Wanzo

Many thanks to Dr. Rebecca Wanzo and all our participants who were able to attend last night's live Q&A. It was a rousing discussion to wrap up a tremendous group read of Octavia Butler's Earthseed books. Here is the recording of the conversation--my apologies, I forgot to start recording until just after Dr. Wanzo's first question, which was "Do you think Parable of the Talents ended on an uplifting note or a depressing note?" (paraphrased):

https://zoom.us/rec/share/3MItDrehrj5JW6fy1G_bB48qJKP0eaa813AZqPMFmkjU3I8Vja0d3Z8UNHdTdkMb

Password: 7ie=wLNv

If you would like to watch Dr. Wanzo's presentation that sparked this discussion, you can find it here.

We have one final discussion for the Earthseed path of the Big Book Challenge tomorrow, Wednesday, July 29, at 3 p.m. If you would like to attend, be sure to email lbeckman@ucitylibrary.org to receive an invitation.

View Dr. Rebecca Wanzo's Earthseed presentation AND event registration information!

Many thanks to Dr. Rebecca Wanzo for this virtual presentation on Octavia Butler's Earthseed duology! Dr. Wanzo is a professor and chair of the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University. In her presentation, Dr. Wanzo addresses ideas surrounding the literary tradition of sentimentality, new age religion and spirituality, and generational conflict, particularly as they relate to racial oppression. Please note that this presentation is in three parts and are posted in order below:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Registration is now available for next week's two events via Zoom:

1. Monday, July 27 @ 7 p.m.: Live Q&A with Dr. Rebecca Wanzo
2. Wednesday, July 29 @ 3 p.m.: General book discussion of the Earthseed duology

Please email lbeckman@ucitylibrary.org to receive an invitation to register for one or both of these events (please indicate which events you wish to attend!).

Dr. Wanzo's presentation is delayed

Dr. Wanzo's presentation will not be available until next week (the week of July 20). We apologize for the inconvenience, and we will make it available on the blog as soon as possible (along with a newsletter reminder).

In the meantime, I hope you are steadily making your way through the Parable of the Talents. Quite a lot occurs during this book. Do you have any questions or comments so far? Thoughts about how Earthseed has progressed? I would love to hear about your experience--email lbeckman@ucitylibrary.org.

Until next week, happy reading!

Black Science Fiction and Fantasy

During the two discussions of Parable of the Sower last month, several participants mentioned that they don't often read science fiction or are rarely drawn to the genre, but that Octavia Butler's work is piquing their interest to explore more science fiction, particularly Black perspectives in science fiction. While a simple Google search will bring back dozens upon dozens of science fiction recommendations by Black authors, you may find a lot of overlap, which belies the tremendous canon of Black authors in the genre. As luck would have it, acclaimed author Nisi Shawl recently published an annotated list on Tor.com that may help interested readers find their next great read: Take a Tour Through the History of Black Science Fiction. Here you'll find many different ways to dip into science fiction (including Octavia Butler!), and most are available to checkout through the library.

I also mentioned that I celebrate "Sci-Fi July" with a group of friends, and we usually make a bingo for each year. This year, we are celebrating female and non-binary Black authors in science fiction and fantasy. There are too many to include on one bingo sheet, so use this as a jumping-off point!

Remember by Joy Harjo

Every April, the American Library Association sends out a poster for National Poetry Month. I usually hang these around my desk at work, but this year, as the library building remained closed due to the pandemic, I tacked it up to a wall in my office at home. It's a photograph of artwork by Samantha Aikman, featuring a line from United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo's poem "Remember" from her 1983 collection She Had Some Horses. Read the poem in full at Poets.org.

It's a beautiful poem, but somehow I only just recently connected it to Octavia Butler's Earthseed books. It is almost impossible not to hear Lauren Olamina in it--her connection to her parents, the land, literature. How her hyperempathy connects her to the world around her in such a visceral way. I would even argue that the poem itself reads a bit like verses from Earthseed: The Books of the Living.

Do you find resonance between "Remember" and the Earthseed books? Has other creative work reminded you of Earthseed?

From the Sower to the Talents

Thank you to everyone who attended the second Zoom meeting this week, discussing Parable of the Sower. It was wonderful to hear attendees talk about their reactions to the book--some who are revisiting the book are reading it with a new perspective, and others who don't normally read science fiction are finding themselves with new interest, especially considering how prescient it is. Many of the topics introduced by Dr. Pergadia also factored into the conversation. If you missed the meeting or would like to revisit it, you may watch the recording here:

https://zoom.us/rec/share/_NRwPqnR92dITKPnsG2DUf4IA7zBT6a8hHVK8vILyB2j0Cs-0mjl2UPc36wNDh36

Password: 5w!HC3^m

As we wrap up our month reading Parable of the Sower, be sure you haven't missed Dr. Pergadia's presentation. And if you are one of the many readers connecting the book to current events, I encourage you to check out the new podcast Octavia's Parables by adrienne maree brown and Toshi Reagon if you are able.

Many consider Parable of the Talents to be an even starker read than Parable of the Sower. The point of view expands in the second book, and we will learn so much more about Lauren, her world, and the development of Earthseed. Dr. Pergadia's insights will continue to inform your reading, and the library is excited to host Dr. Rebecca Wanzo, who will provide further context. July's discussions will follow the same format as June's--Dr. Wanzo's presentation will be posted here on the blog in mid-July, followed by a live Q&A on July 27 and a general book discussion on July 29. Stay tuned!

Parable of the Sower + John Green's Crash Course Literature

We have had a busy June! Thank you to everyone who joined us this week for our live Q&A with Dr. Pergadia and the following online Zoom book discussion. I hope you are eager to find out what happens to Lauren Olamina and her quest to establish Earthseed as we continue with Parable of the Talents in July.

For a little levity, I'd like to share a video that our Head of Youth Services, Erin Hood, brought to my attention. Popular Young Adult author John Green (whose works include The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska) also has built quite the Youtube presence from his Vlogbrothers series with his brother Hank. He also created a CrashCourse video on Parable of the Sower! Be forewarned, the video provides a brief summary of the book so there are a few spoilers--if you are still wrapping up this month's reading, you may want to wait until you've finished it before viewing.

While there are some curious animation choices (I suspect the animators haven't read the books...), Green does bring up some topics that we can continue to look at as we continue our reading into July, particularly how religion is used throughout the novels and the idea of dystopia vs. utopia. What are your thoughts and questions about how Green discusses Parable of the Sower? What are your questions or predictions for how the plot and characters might develop in Parable of the Talents?

Recap of Monday's live Q&A with Dr. Pergadia

A big thank you to everyone who attended our live Q&A with Dr. Pergadia last night! It was a lively discussion and appreciated by so many. If you missed it or would like to revisit it, you may watch the Zoom recording:

https://zoom.us/rec/share/_e0vKLKp5CBIE6_P1BvjZ-15Q6rBeaa80HJK-fUPyEwDoU3XT0QtdbbjUkXuGu1u

Password: 1w*t&31!

We discussed everything from hyperempathy to current and historical events, slow violence to religion, and several books and authors were mentioned. Here are their links (if they are available for request through the Municipal Library Consortium, they will link directly to our catalog):

-brown, adrienne m., and Walidah Imarisha. Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements. AK, 2015.

-Brown, Wendy. Walled States, Waning Sovereignty. Zone, 2010.

-Butler, Octavia. All books owned by the MLC.

-Gumbs, Alexis P. M Archive. Duke UP, 2018.

-Jemisin, N.K. All books owned by the MLC.

-Noble, Safiya U. Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. New York UP, 2018.

If you would like revisit Dr. Pergadia's initial presentation, you may watch the videos here.

We will also have a general book discussion on Parable of the Sower tomorrow, Wednesday, July 1, at 3 p.m. If you would like to attend, please email lbeckman@ucitylibrary.org to receive an invitation to register.

Again, we have so much gratitude for our strong and engaged community. We love hearing your voices and thoughts, and we look forward to going ever deeper as we start Parable of the Talents in July.

Registration is still open for our Earthseed events next week!

Our live Q&A with Dr. Pergadia regarding her presentation will be held on Monday, June 29, at 7 p.m. In order to attend, please email Lindsay at lbeckman@ucitylibrary.org to receive the Zoom meeting invitation to register. If you are unable to attend the event but still wish to ask Dr. Pergadia a question, please email your questions to Lindsay as well. We will be recording the meeting, so you will be able to view it afterwards. If you haven't done so yet, Dr. Pergadia's presentation is available to view on our Adult Summer Reading blog. She highlights some intriguing facets to examine the novels!

A general discussion about Parable of the Sower will be held on the following Wednesday, July 1, at 3 p.m. If you would like to attend that, again, please email lbeckman@ucitylibrary.org to receive a separate Zoom invitation to register. We encourage you to attend both if you are able!

Cheers and enjoy this fascinating discussion of a remarkable book!

Octavia Butler's Impact on Writers and Artists

Many thanks to our reader and Octavia Butler enthusiast, Byron Kerman, for sharing this article from Literary Hub about the far-reaching influence and impact Butler has had on so many writers and artists: "The Grand Cultural Influence of Octavia Butler." It is really touching to read some beloved creators' reflections on Butler's work and career, the path she helped pave and the encouragement of her presence as a Black woman in science fiction.

Registration is open for next week's events!

As a reminder, Dr. Samantha Pergadia's presentation is posted on our blog, and you can view it at your convenience (it is divided into three parts): Parable of the Sower: View Dr. Samantha Pergadia's presentation now!

Our live Q&A with Dr. Pergadia regarding her presentation will be held on Monday, June 29, at 7 p.m. To register for the event, please email lbeckman@ucitylibrary.org to receive a Zoom invitation. If you are unable to attend the event but still wish to ask Dr. Pergadia a question, you may also email this address with your question. We will be recording the meeting, so you will be able to view it afterwards.

We will have a general book discussion on Parable of the Sower on the following Wednesday, July 1, at 3 p.m. Please email lbeckman@ucitylibrary.org to receive the book discussion Zoom meeting invitation. Everyone is welcome to attend both the Q&A and the following book discussion!

We realize this is a new direction for UCPL's Big Book Challenge as we move entirely online this year. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email or call 314-727-3150 for more information.

Happy birthday, Octavia Butler!

From https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/10/entertainment/gallery/octavia-butler/index.html

On this day in 1947, Octavia Butler was born in Pasadena, California. She would be 73 today. We mourn her stories that had yet to be written, but we celebrate the legacy she left this world. If you have a moment, take some time to scroll through 16 images of Butler's life and work (https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/10/entertainment/gallery/octavia-butler/index.html), posted by CNN.com on the anniversary of her birthday two years ago. They include some notes she took while writing the Earthseed books! Happy birthday, Octavia!

Parable of the Sower: View Dr. Samantha Pergadia's presentation now!

We are so lucky to have Dr. Samantha Pergadia of Southern Methodist University as our first presenter for our Big Book Challenge this year! In these three videos, she discusses themes in Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower. Please note there are three parts to this presentation (posted below), and our live Q&A with Dr. Pergadia will occur on June 29 at 7 p.m. (Stay tuned for more details!) At the end of Part 3, Dr. Pergadia gives us a few questions to consider while we read: -Can a slow form, like the novel, help us represent and respond to forms of slow violence? -How does Parable of the Sower link vision to moral community through the condition of hyperempathy? -What can reading or writing do in apocalyptic or crisis times? How does this work in the novel and your reading of the novel?

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

If you are unable to attend Dr. Pergadia's live Q&A but would still like to ask a question, please email lbeckman@ucitylibrary.org with your questions. We will be recording the event so you will be able to view it afterwards!

Octavia Butler at the Huntington Library

From https://www.huntington.org/octavia-butler

Now that your interest is piqued from last Friday's post about the Octavia Butler Archive at Huntington Library, check out this article announcing their exhibition, "Octavia E. Butler: Telling My Stories" (https://www.huntington.org/octavia-butler). Per the article, Huntington Library acquired Butler's papers in 2008, which amounted to over 8,000 items! Butler was in the habit of writing herself motivational notes along with the drafts of her stories and novels, making her archive a particularly lively one. 

Perhaps we need to take a roadtrip of our own to California....

Octavia Butler Featured on NPR

From https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/07/10/535879364/octavia-butler-writing-herself-into-the-story

Happy Friday! We hope you are settling into our first Big Book on the Earthseed path, Parable of the Sower. Three years ago, Code Switch produced a feature on Octavia Butler for NPR's Morning Edition (https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/07/10/535879364/octavia-butler-writing-herself-into-the-story). The feature covers an exhibit of the Octavia Butler Archive at Huntington Library in California--much of the photographs you'll see of Butler's notes throughout our summer blog posts here are housed at the Huntington. If you have time this weekend, listen to the 7-minute story that aired on the radio. It includes clips of Butler herself talking about her young life and aspirations of becoming a writer. As we learn more about Butler's personal life, let's think about how her experiences impacted the Earthseed books we read this summer.

Take root among the stars!

From https://clockshop.org/project/about-octavia-e-butler/

Welcome to University City Public Library's Big Book Challenge--the Earthseed path! In case you were wondering, "Earthseed" is the series title for Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower (which we'll read and discuss in June) and Parable of the Talents (which we'll read and discuss in July). Since we are taking our summer reading challenge completely online this year, you'll want to stay tuned to this blog for updates on our program and juicy tidbits about our books and authors.

I want to note a few items at the outset of our challenge. If you look at the very top of this blog, you will see a tab for "Earthseed Reading Guide." There you'll find some introductory material regarding Octavia Butler and this series specifically, as well as other library resources that might help inform your reading.

Add a little fun to your reading this summer! Register yourself on Beanstack, where you will earn badges for your reading accomplishments. Go to ucitylibrary.beanstack.org/--you'll get a badge just for signing up!

We are also excited to welcome our speakers, Dr. Samantha Pergadia in June and Dr. Rebecca Wanzo in July. We want to give you as much opportunity as possible to engage with our speakers in this virtual format, so we will conduct our speaker programs this way:

1) We will both email and post here a link to each speaker's presentation video on the 15th of June and July.

2) Watch the videos at your convenience before the live Q&A events with our speakers at the end of each month and jot down your questions!

3-a) If you can attend the live Q&A events, you will need to register to receive an invitation to a Zoom meeting. You will be able to interact with our presenters and other readers then!

3-b) If you are unable to attend the live Q&A events, you may still ask questions and email them to us so that they will be asked during the event.

4) The live Q&A events will be recorded so that all participants may review it afterwards if they wish.

The live Q&A events will center around each presentation given by our scholars, though your knowledge of that month's book will still be crucial and will inform the conversation. We will have an alternate book discussion in the the afternoon of the Wednesday following the live event, which will focus just on the month's book. Everyone is more than welcome to join both events if they are able!

We are excited to experience the online version of UCPL's Big Book Challenge with you! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or comments in the coming months.