NPR's Throughline uses the past to make sense of the present. In the show's February 18th episode, hosts Ramtin Arablouei and Rund Abdelfatah explored the impact of visionary writer Octavia E. Butler, who predicted unsettling futures — and gave us the tools to endure them.
Listen to the full episode on Butler below!
The episode features compelling audio of Butler herself, in addition to excerpts from her novels; interviews with Butler scholar adrienne maree brown; award-winning Africanfuturist and Africanjujuist author Nnedi Okorafor; and Ayana A.H. Jamieson of the Octavia E. Butler Legacy Network.
Butler's work has received increased attention in recent years, including a podcast dedicated to her Earthseed novels, and several adaptations. The Throughline episode is particularly compelling for its focus both on how Butler's thinking has transformed individuals—such as interviewees brown, Jamieson, and Okorafor—and manifested a societal shift.
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After listening to the episode, download Butler's transformative books!
