RIP, Octavia E. Butler

Octavia Butler passed away Saturday at the age of 58 after a fall that gave her a fatal concussion.

I’m saddened beyond words by this news. This has been a weekend where we have lost two loved actors*, but reading about Octavia made me cry. No other genre writer’s words spoke to me and touched me the way hers have. She was a genius writer, unafraid and unashamed to take readers someplace both new and familiar at the same time. I hesitate to say that there will never be another like her, because I truly hope that other voices emerge. But there will never be another Octavia Butler. Safe and peaceful travel, sister. You will be missed, but oh so loved for the gifts you gave us.

* RIP Don Knotts and Darren McGavin.
Octavia E. Butler’s obituary from the Washington Post.