Author: Steering Committee

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2019 Octavia Birthday Fundraiser

June 22 is Octavia E. Butler’s birthday—she’d be 72 years old if she were still alive today. Butler was a writer, a visionary, and a genuine, certified genius—and also a community-minded activist who worked to make a place for people of color within the science fiction, fantasy, and horror communities. She was an early and enthusiastic member of the Carl Brandon Society. In that spirit, the Carl Brandon Society is celebrating Octavia’s time here with a Butler Birthday fundraiser that will allow us to continue her work and change the world of speculative fiction the way she changed it—for the better.

Our goal is to raise $20,000 by July 22, and we’ve already raised over $2,300. Reaching this goal will allow us to continue our major programs, such as the Octavia E. Butler Scholarships for writers of color attending the Clarion and Clarion West writing workshops, and also our Parallax and Kindred awards for excellence in literature challenging racial and ethnic stereotypes.

To date, CBS has funded 27 scholarships for students of color attending the Clarion and Clarion West workshops, presented 6 Kindred and 7 Parallax Awards, and provided 20 years of support and strategizing for People of Color seeking representation in our field. All with the help of generous donors like you.

The Carl Brandon Society is a 501( c )3 organization, so your donation is tax-deductible in the U.S.

Donate now electronically (credit and debit cards accepted) by clicking the button below.




Or send a check or money order made out to the Carl Brandon Society to:

The Carl Brandon Society
P.O. Box 23336
Seattle, WA 98102

Continue celebrating Octavia’s birthday by reading these tributes to her literary influence at LitHub: https://lithub.com/the-grand-cultural-influence-of-octavia-butler/

We’ll announce this year’s scholars upon the completion of the Clarion and Clarion West workshops this summer.

Thank you!

The Carl Brandon Society Steering Committee

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Tax Status Update

We have received confirmation that our outstanding tax returns and our reinstatement paperwork (form 1023, which requests retroactive reinstatement of our official non-profit status) were delivered to the IRS. We will post an update when the paperwork is processed. We thank everyone for their patience and support.

-The Carl Brandon Society Steering Committee

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Announcing Con or Bust, Inc.!

The Carl Brandon Society is happy and excited to announce that the independent program we’ve been the fiscal agent for so many years, Con or Bust, is now officially a separate non-profit corporation! Support for the Con or Bust cause while it was under our aegis has been overwhelming, and we hope you continue to donate funds, auction items, memberships, and other helpful things now that it’s out on its own.

Con or Bust, whose mission is to increase the presence of POC at science fiction conventions by providing the financial means to attend them, began as a gleam in Kate Nepveu’s eye. Seeking an alternative to operating out of her personal checking account, she asked us to be the program’s fiscal sponsors. This meant that we accepted donations on its behalf and disbursed its grants. The CBS and Con or Bust missions are very much aligned, and for a long time we absorbed all the costs (PayPal fees, postage, etc.) of running the program. But with time it has become clear that Con or Bust can hold its own. We’re proud to have been involved in this stage of its growth, and look forward to all of us benefiting from its work for many years to come.

Meanwhile, we’ve stepped up our efforts in other areas: we’ll be presenting two Octavia E. Butler Scholarships this summer, and announcing four literary award winners this fall, with another four to be chosen and announced by January 2017. We’ve just completed the final IRS documents in our quest for nonprofit status reinstatement. Details about these efforts and accomplishments are forthcoming soon. Additional new programs are under consideration; we’ll keep you posted on those, too.

Thank you for helping us change the world!

-The Carl Brandon Society Steering Committee