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It's Lit!

Octavia Butler, The Grand Dame of Science Fiction

Season 2 Episode 20 | 14m 34s

If you are a fan of science fiction a name you should be familiar with is Octavia E. Butler (cough especially if you watched our telly award-winning Afro-Futurism video cough) One of the most prolific and important Black authors in the genre, Butler’s storytelling pushed the boundaries of what Black people were allowed to be in science fiction. Today we will be highlighting the Grand Dame herself.

Aired: 06/28/21
Made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Extras
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We take a look at this Epic Poem and follow its long, winding journey.
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The Life behind To Kill a Mockingbird
it is one of the trademark texts of the American school system by Harper Lee.
Episode: S2 E23 | 12:31
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • It's Lit! Season 2
  • It's Lit! Season 1
Watch • 9:41
It's Lit!
Toni Morrison’s Opus About Confronting a Terrible Past
To understand Beloved, we must first look at the author: Nobel Prize Winner Toni Morrison.
Episode: S2 E31 | 9:41
Watch • 10:03
It's Lit!
Why Magical Realism is a Global Phenomenon
We explore the roots, tenets of the genre, and its rise in Latin American Literature.
Episode: S2 E30 | 10:03
Watch • 11:03
It's Lit!
Why Edgar Allan Poe Isn't Just a Sad Boy
His legacy is more complicated than school books may have lead us to believe.
Episode: S2 E29 | 11:03
Watch • 15:11
It's Lit!
Inside the Absurdist Mind of Kurt Vonnegut
We explore the life and work of Kurt Vonnegut.
Episode: S2 E28 | 15:11
Watch • 18:33
It's Lit!
The Women of Jane Austen
The women in her work reveal to us her growth, her politics and ambition.
Episode: S2 E27 | 18:33
Watch • 12:30
It's Lit!
Why We Keep Retelling the Classics
Sometimes a story is just so dang good, it bears repeating.
Episode: S2 E26 | 12:30
Watch • 17:12
It's Lit!
What We Don’t Know About The Father of Sci-Fi
There's more to H.G. Wells than we know or think.
Episode: S2 E25 | 17:12
Watch • 13:34
It's Lit!
Why Do People Think Huck Finn Is Racist?
It is considered one of the great American novels and one of the most frequently banned.
Episode: S2 E24 | 13:34
Watch • 12:56
It's Lit!
Don’t Know Much About BEOWULF? Nobody Does!
We take a look at this Epic Poem and follow its long, winding journey.
Episode: S2 E22 | 12:56
Watch • 12:31
It's Lit!
The Life behind To Kill a Mockingbird
it is one of the trademark texts of the American school system by Harper Lee.
Episode: S2 E23 | 12:31