Tag: Octavia E. Butler

Posted on

Octavia Butler Scholarship Presentations: Owls Abound

Behold Naomi Day, recipient of the Octavia Butler Scholarship for Clarion West’s 2020/2021 class, clad in glory, and a celebratory silver owl pendant and holding the mic for Erik Owomoyela, recipient of the Octavia Butler Scholarship for Clarion West’s 2010 class.  And why is Naomi holding the mic for Erik?  Because he’s about to present an owl pendant to the Octavia Butler Scholarship recipient for Clarion West’s 2022 class, the formidable Wen-Yi Lee.  Don’t believe us?  We have proof:

Meanwhile, back east in San Diego, Clarion 2022 Butler Scholarship winner Shingai Kagunda is also very, very happy to receive her silver owl pendant and shows it off against a matching sky-and-sea background.

This is the 15th year that Laurie T. Edison has created beautiful reproductions of the owl pendant she designed for Octavia Butler, then donated them as presentations for winners of the Octavia Butler Scholarships.  In the photograph below you can see some of the stunning detail of her work.

 

Here are moments from just  a few of the joyous presentation ceremonies–and their aftermaths–made possible over the years by  your donations and Laurie’s artistry:

2007 Clarion Butler Scholar Shweta Narayan ponders a life of subversion.
2007 Clarion West Butler Scholar Christopher Caldwell waits with enormous patience for Nisi Shawl to fumble open the clasp of his owl pendant.
To applause from instructor Eileen Gunn, 2009 Butler Scholar Rochita Loenen-Ruiz receives her owl with joy–
–followed by aplomb.
Smiling 2011 Clarion Butler Scholar Dennis Ginoza poses for us with presenting instructor Kij Johnson.
Clarion West’s 2010 Butler Scholar expertly bestows an owl pendant on CW’s 2011 Butler Scholar, Jeremy Sim.
Wiser by nearly a decade, Clarion Butler Scholar Amin Chehelnabi still displays his owl pendant in proud and radiant glory in 2022.
Clarion West’s 2014 Butler Scholar Chinelo Onwualu basks in the post-owl presentation glow with classmate Michael Matheson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clarion West’s 2015 and 2013 Butler Scholars, Mimi Mondal and Geetanjali Vandemark, stand side by side.
CW’s 2015 Butler Scholar Mimi Mondal proudly flashes her owl pendant in the shadow of Seattle’s iconic Space Needle.
Pemi Aguda, Clarion’s 2019 Butler Scholar, enjoys the rapt attention of classmates, staff, and instructor Ann VanderMeer as she receives her owl pendant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clarion West’s 2019 Butler Scholar Nelly Garcia-Rosas is struck with awe by the beauty of her owl pendant.
In the lingering happiness following her owl pendant’s presentation, Butler Scholar Nelly Garcia-Rosas is enveloped in a warm group hug by fellow 2019 CW graduates.
Posted on

What Octavia gave us

I was privileged to know and love Octavia during her lifetime, and now I get to write about that, and about the aftermath.  Here’s my most recent piece, an essay on Octavia’s legacy commissioned by her epublisher, Open Road Media.  Lots of gorgeous photos and lively links, too.

Posted on

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