The Octavia Network
Though she’s gone, her work continues through the organizations and people that carry her on into the generations to come.
Writers House
Octavia, throughout her life, was represented by Writers House and Merrilee Heifetz, who is her literary executor. Merrilee has been at Writers House for 30 years. Her #1 New York Times bestselling authors and titles include Neil Gaiman, Laurell K. Hamilton, and the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel adaptation of Octavia’s KINDRED (adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings). Her award winners include three Newbery Medalists (Cynthia Voigt, Robin McKinley and Neil Gaiman), a MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient (Octavia E. Butler), and many best of the year awards such as the Hugo, the Nebula and the World Fantasy Award.
The Huntington Library
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is a collections-based research and educational institution serving scholars and the general public.
In her will, Octavia left her papers to the Huntington. The collection has resided there since 2008, and since being made available to scholars for research, it has become one of the most heavily used archives at the institution. The collection includes extensive drafts, notes, and research materials for more than a dozen novels, numerous short stories, and essays, as well as correspondence, ephemera, and assorted books.
Clockshop
Clockshop is a multidisciplinary arts organization, founded by artist and filmmaker Julia Meltzer in 2004, in Los Angeles that creates new conversations about art, politics, and urban space. They commission work by artists and writers, curate inclusive public programs about pressing social and political issues, and collaborate with institutions to strengthen the social fabric of their community and the world beyond.
In 2016, they organized and curated RADIO IMAGINATION, a yearlong series of performances, film screenings, and literary events. At the center of the program were 10 commissions by 12 contemporary artists and writers that explore the Octavia E. Butler Papers at The Huntington Library.
Clockshop Director Julia Meltzer said, “Recognition of Butler’s influence across artistic disciplines, and her contribution to the Los Angeles cultural landscape is long overdue. Our hope is that Radio Imagination will bridge Butler’s groundbreaking fiction with contemporary conversations about the future of Los Angeles.”
"The best part of Radio Imagination is the view it provides into Butler’s archive itself."
— Los Angeles Times
“one of the most visionary exhibitions of the past year."
— Artillery Magazine
Armory Center for the Arts
Based in Pasadena, nonprofit and donor-supported, Armory Center for the Arts is the Los Angeles region’s leading independent institution for contemporary art exhibitions and community arts education. The Armory believes that an understanding and appreciation of the arts is essential for a well-rounded human experience and a healthy civic community.
The exhibition Radio Imagination: Artists in the Archive of Octavia E. Butler, organized by Clockshop in 2016, was presented at the Armory.
Clarion West
Clarion West Writers Workshop is a nonprofit literary organization based in Seattle, Washington, with a mission to improve speculative fiction by providing high quality education to writers at the start of their careers. As an extension of its primary mission, Clarion West also makes speculative fiction available to the public by presenting readings and other events that bring writers and readers together.