Research Catalog

Title

A handful of earth, a handful of sky : the world of Octavia E. Butler / Lynell George.

Author

George, Lynell

Publication

[Santa Monica, CA] : Angel City Press, [2020]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

173 pages : color illustrations; 24 cm

Summary

• Part biography, part tribute, offers a blueprint for a creative life from the perspective of award-winning science-fiction writer and "MacArthur Genius" Octavia E. Butler. It is a collection of ideas about how to look, listen, breathe--how to be in the world. George not only engages the world that shaped Octavia E. Butler, she also explores the very specific processes through which Butler shaped herself--her unique process of self-making. It's about creating a life with what little you have--hand-me-down books, repurposed diaries, journals, stealing time to write in the middle of the night, making a small check stretch--bit by bit by bit. Includes photographs of Butler's ephemera (personal notes, library call slips, etc.) taken by George from hundreds of boxes of Butler's personal items.
• "A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler offers a blueprint for a creative life from the perspective of award-winning science-fiction writer and "MacArthur Genius" Octavia E. Butler. It is a collection of ideas about how to look, listen, breathe--how to be in the world. This book is about the creative process, but not on the page; its canvas is much larger. Author Lynell George not only engages the world that shaped Octavia E. Butler, she also explores the very specific processes through which Butler shaped herself--her unique process of self-making. It's about creating a life with what little you have--hand-me-down books, repurposed diaries, journals, stealing time to write in the middle of the night, making a small check stretch--bit by bit by bit. Highly visual and packed with photographs of Butler's ephemera, A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky draws the reader into Butler's world, creating a sense of unmatched intimacy with the deeply private writer. There's a great resurgence of interest in Butler's work. Readers have been turning to her writing to make sense of contemporary chaos, to find a plot point that might bring clarity or calm. Her books have become the centerpiece of book-group discussions, while universities and entire cities have chosen her titles to anchor "Big Read," "Freshman Read," and "One Book/One City" programs. The interest has gone beyond the printed page; Ava DuVernay is adapting Butler's novel Dawn for television. A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky brings Octavia's prescient wisdom and careful thinking out of the novel and into the world. A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky will be beloved by both scholars and fans of Butler, as well as aspiring writers and creatives who are looking for a model or a spark of inspiration. It offers a visual album of a creative life--a map that others can follow. Butler once wrote that science fiction was simply "a handful of earth, a handful of sky, and everything in between." This book offers a slice of the in between." --Amazon.com.

Subject

• Butler, Octavia E
• 1900-1999
• African American women authors > Biography
• African Americans > Intellectual life > 20th century
• Science fiction > Women authors > Biography
• Authorship > Philosophy
• Creative ability
• African American women authors
• African Americans > Intellectual life
• Science fiction > Women authors

Genre/Form

• Literary criticism.
• Biographies.
• Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 170-171).

Contents

Introduction -- How does one establish a dream -- "You have/you need" -- "Our stories are fiction, our promises not" -- "Where may I find a fear killer?" -- A human notebook -- "Second home": Door to the multiverse -- "Keep your own counsel" -- History is another planet -- There is nothing more uncertain than the future -- Futurescapes & keepsakes.

Call Number

Sc E 21-631

ISBN

• 9781626400634
• 1626400636

OCLC

1202531770

Author

George, Lynell, author.

Title

A handful of earth, a handful of sky : the world of Octavia E. Butler / Lynell George.

Publisher

[Santa Monica, CA] : Angel City Press, [2020]

Type of Content

text

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 170-171).

Chronological Term

1900-1999

Local Subject

Black author.

Research Call Number

Sc E 21-631