A multiple winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and the first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship “Genius” Grant, Octavia E. Butler (1947-2006) was famed for her work on “Bloodchild,” The Xenogenesis Trilogy, The Parable Series and more. In this in-depth Zoom conversation with Los Angeles Times and L.A. Weekly author Lynell George speaks with PRS Executive Director Dennis Bartok about her brilliant recent book, "A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler​." The book was drawn from George’s time researching the Octavia E. Butler archive at the Huntington Library as the recipient of the library’s ​Alan Jutzi Fellowship.​ "​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.

More than a biography, ​"A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky​" is a collection of ideas about how a writer looks, listens, and breathes—how to ​be​ in the world. This book is about the creative process, but not on the page; its canvas is much larger. 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. ​"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.

Lynell George is an award-winning Los Angeles-based journalist, essayist and author. Her work explores social issues and human behavior as well as urban histories, visual art, music and literature. A former Los Angeles Times staff writer. Her work has appeared in Alta Journal, Boom: A Journal of California, Preservation, Smithsonian, Oxford American, Essence among other publications. She is the recipient of a 2017 GRAMMY for her liner notes for “Otis Redding Live at the Whisky A Go Go,” and a Los Angeles Press Club first place prize in 2020 for Commentary. She is the author of three books of nonfiction: No Crystal Stair: African Americans in the City of Angels (Verso), After/Image: Los Angeles Outside the Frame (Angel City Press) and her most recent—A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler (Angel City Press), published in 2020, was a 2021 Hugo Award Finalist.
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