{"688264":{"#nid":"688264","#data":{"type":"event","title":"So be it. See to it! 50 Years of Octavia E. Butler","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E2026 marks fifty years since Octavia E. Butler published her first novel, \u003Cem\u003EPatternmaster\u003C\/em\u003E. Her visionary work didn\u0027t just change science fiction; it challenged readers to reimagine power, identity, and humanity itself.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EJoin the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, the Black Media Studies program, and the Earthseed Project for a day-long celebration of Octavia E. Butler\u0027s transformative life and legacy at the Historic Academy of Medicine.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0022So be it, see to it! 50 Years of Octavia E. Butler\u0022 is a symposium featuring scholarship, creative work, and conversation inspired by one of science fiction\u0027s most visionary voices, with a keynote address from Damian Duffy and John Jennings, acclaimed graphic novel adaptors of \u003Cem\u003EKindred, Parable of the Sower, and Parable of the Talents.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ESessions also include undergraduate student research presentations, a panel of Butler biographers featuring Gerry Canavan, Kendra Parker, and Susana Morris, an art installation, and more.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThis event is free and open to the public. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/so-be-it-see-to-it-50-years-of-octavia-e-butler-tickets-1981951309720?aff=oddtdtcreator\u0022\u003ERegistration\u003C\/a\u003E is required.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EBooks will be sold by Charis Books \u0026amp; More, the South\u0027s oldest independent feminist bookstore and a venue that hosted Butler. Parking is available behind the Academy of Medicine.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EFor more information about the event, contact Susana Morris at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:susana@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Esusana@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EAgenda\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E8:30 \u2013 09 a.m.: Registration (Rotunda)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe Earthseed Project\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ERegister your attendance and receive your program for the day\u0027s events.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E9 \u2013 9:30 a.m.: Breakfast, Morning Welcome, \u0026amp; Opening Remarks (Rotunda)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EKinitra Brooks, Susana Morris, John Thornton\u003Cbr\u003EBreakfast is served and opening remarks are given in the Rotunda.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E9:30 \u2013 10:45 a.m.: Undergraduate Research Showcase (Magnolia)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ELMC 3226 Major Authors: Octavia E. Butler\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe undergraduate students from Georgia Tech course\u003Cstrong\u003E LMC 3226\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cstrong\u003EMajor Authors: Octavia E. Butler\u003C\/strong\u003E are ready to discuss their research into Butler\u0027s canon in the Magnolia Room. This is an interactive session where attendees can move around and learn from the 28 posterboards featuring original research by Georgia Tech students. While the posterboards will be available until 5 p.m., students will be present only between 9:30 and 10:45 a.m.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Anyanwu Patterns: An Art Installation (Cottonwood)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EOlamma Oparah\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EView artist and filmmaker\u0027s Olamma Oparah\u0027s installation Anyanwu Patterns all day in the Cottonwood room. Anyanwu Patterns is an installation drawn from Wild Seed, that explores transformation, resilience, and embodied knowledge through visual codes that pull from Igbo cosmology.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E11:15 a.m. \u2013 12:30 p.m.: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler: A Biographer\u0027s Panel (Library)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EKinitra Brooks, Gerry Canavan, Kendra R. Parker, Susana Morris\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJoin three of Butler\u0027s biographers--Gerry Canavan, Susana Morris, and Kendra R. Parker--for a lively discussion of Butler\u0027s life and legacy in the Library.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E12:30 \u2013 1:45 p.m.: Lunch (Crytal Dining Room)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EContinue the conversation over lunch with other attendees in the Crystal Dining Room. Lunch is free of cost.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2 \u2013 3:15 \u0026nbsp;p.m.: Peoples\u0027 Instinctive Travels: Butler\u2019s influence on Black Speculative Art\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EJohn Thornton, Fahamu Pecou, Lovie Oliva, Olamma Oparah\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJoin filmmakers and visual artists inspired by Butler\u0027s work as they showcase and discuss their own creations and how Butler\u0027s narratives shape contemporary filmmaking, painting, performance, and mixed-media practices. This roundtable takes place in the Library.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E3:30 \u2013 4:45 p.m.: Keynote: \u0022From Page to Panel: Adapting Fiction into Graphic Novels\u0022 (Library)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EDamian Duffy, John Jennings, Susana Morris\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJoin the acclaimed adaptors of\u003Cem\u003E Kindred, Parable of the Sower, and Parable of the Talents,\u003C\/em\u003E John Jennings and Damian Duffy, in the Library for an in-depth conversation of their work with Butler\u0027s transformative fiction.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECelebrating 50 years of Octavia E. Butler\u0027s visionary science fiction with a day of art, conversation, and creativity.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Celebrating 50 years of Octavia E. Butler\u0027s visionary science fiction with a day of art, conversation, and creativity."}],"uid":"36009","created_gmt":"2026-02-16 14:30:44","changed_gmt":"2026-02-16 14:40:16","author":"cwhittle9","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-02-24T09:00:00-05:00","event_time_end":"2026-02-24T17:00:00-05:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-02-24T17:00:00-05:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-02-24 14:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-02-24 22:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-02-24 22:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"The Historic Academy of Medicine","extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/so-be-it-see-to-it-50-years-of-octavia-e-butler-tickets-1981951309720?aff=oddtdtcreator","title":"Register Now"}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1283","name":"School of Literature, Media, and Communication"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1789","name":"Conference\/Symposium"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78761","name":"Faculty\/Staff"},{"id":"177814","name":"Postdoc"},{"id":"78771","name":"Public"},{"id":"174045","name":"Graduate students"},{"id":"78751","name":"Undergraduate students"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESusana Morris\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:susana@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Esusana@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}