Early struggles

Octavia E. Butler’s father died when she was young. Her mother raised her while working as a maid. She was known to be shy, and was very tall when she was young. Butler started creating her own stories when she was a child.

Butler was dyslexic. This meant her brain found it hard to understand and write words, so it made writing and reading very difficult. She did not let this stop her from loving books, though. At age ten, Butler decided she wanted to be a writer.

Education and writing

Butler was very clever, and went to a number of different colleges, including Pasadena City College. She also went to California State University, and the University of California at Los Angeles. Butler eventually started writing science-fiction books for children and adults.

Octavia Butler used to wake up at 2am or 3am to allow her to write her books, while she worked at other jobs to make money. She was very dedicated to her writing.

Her most famous books were Pattermaster and Mind of My Mind. She won the 1984 Best Short Story prize for her short story, Speech of Sounds. She also won the Nebula Award for her work.

Butler sold so many books that she was able to become a full-time author, just as she had decided when she was ten years old. She is remembered for her amazing stories and being a strong Black woman who was successful as a writer.