Ibi Zoboi (The People Remember; American Street) pays radiant homage in Star Child to the woman who inspired her, taught her and shared her birthday. She deftly combines poetry, prose, quotes and photos to create what she calls the “constellation” of science fiction writer Octavia Estelle Butler: “I decided to call this biography a constellation because Octavia’s …
This is a page-turning, easy read that you‘ll be able to devour quickly! It’s a different and unique take on vampire lore and, although it seems as if it was set up to become a series (unfortunately the author died shortly after publication), you can still read it as a stand-alone! I am, however, left …
Octavia Butler (a Seattleite!) should be required reading, and this book is a prime example as to why. This novel follows teenage Lauren, a visionary leader dedicated to seeking freedom and safety despite the fear, violence, and complacency of those around her. You will be in awe of her at every turn. Butler transcends the …
Dawn is complex, deeply compelling, and endlessly thought-provoking in its meditations on what it means to be human, who gets to be considered human, and what’s at stake in these categorical distinctions. Set in a dystopian future, Dawn’s chilling, unsettling narrative reminds us how the words we use and distinctions we make so urgently matter …
This fall, I taught an online writing course meant to help poets put together and prepare their first poetry collections for publication. Though I’d designed the course to be about the practicalities of structuring, formatting, and submitting their manuscripts, by the third class meeting, our conversations had diverged to the role of surprise in poetry. …
Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for Books,” Book Marks, interviewed Portland author Karen Russell, author of Sleep Donation. For her thoughts on 19 books, click here, but below– a sampling. Book Marks: First book you remember loving? Karen Russell: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle BM: Favorite re-read? KR: Geek Love by Katherine Dunn BM: What book do you …
by Amy Wang | The Oregonian/OregonLive In times of upheaval, readers naturally turn to books to make sense of what’s happening. With protesters now marching through Portland regularly under the banner of the Black Lives Matter movement, we asked several local Black writers if they’d be willing to recommend books that address racial issues. Here …
If Jane Austen and Octavia Butler got trapped in a decrepit mansion in México at the edge of a hurricane with a savvy 1950s Mazatec socialite and they all wrote a book by candle light as the mansion creaked and moaned, this would be that novel. Instantly hooking, this horror-thriller kept me up way after …
On August 18, the Hugo Awards were handed out. This is a big deal mostly in the Science Fiction and Fantasy community, but, this year it should be a big deal to everyone who values inclusive writing, especially the voices of women and more particularly women of color. For years, Science Fiction and Fantasy were …
