Octavia E. Butler: Telling My Stories

Exhibition Website

Apr 8 2017 - Aug 7 2017

The Huntington

San Marino, CA

The first exhibition to examine the life and work of celebrated author Octavia E. Butler (1947-2006) since her archive came to The Huntington in 2008, “Octavia E. Butler: Telling My Stories,” features approximately 100 items--from her very first short stories, written at age 12, to book contracts, extensive drafts, and correspondence. Together they shed light on the writer’s early years and influences, as well as explore specific themes that repeatedly commanded her attention. The first science fiction writer to receive a prestigious MacArthur “genius” award and the first African American woman to win widespread recognition writing in that genre, Butler found the road to success slow at first. The exhibition features a page of motivational notes in which she writes, “I am a Bestselling Writer. I write Bestselling Books . . .  So Be It! See To It.”

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.

  • Books / Manuscripts
  • American
  • 20th Century
  • Octavia E. Butler

Exhibition Venues & Dates