Uploaded February 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"When there were people of color in these books, they were in the background, or they died quickly, or any number of other stereotypes. For the most part, they just weren't there. And in Octavia Butler's works, they not only were there, they were prominent; they were protagonists. The world looked like the world that I actually saw around me," says N. K. Jemisin, describing sci-fi icon Octavia E. Butler.
Watch as Jemisin, Samuel R. Delany, Walter Mosley, and the son of Virginia Hamilton discuss the legacy of powerful African American voices in literature that transcend genres.
"When there were people of color in these books, they were in the background, or they died quickly, or any number of other stereotypes. For the most part, they just weren't there. And in Octavia Butler's works, they not only were there, they were prominent; they were protagonists. The world looked like the world that I actually saw around me," says N. K. Jemisin, describing sci-fi icon Octavia E. Butler.
Watch as Jemisin, Samuel R. Delany, Walter Mosley, and the son of Virginia Hamilton discuss the legacy of powerful African American voices in literature that transcend genres.
