Be Among the First to Get Octavia E. Butler’s “Survivor” at Sept. 2 Huntington Event

Talk about being the coolest fan of a local legend. Be among the first to get your hands on legendary speculative fiction writer Octavia E. Butler’s novel Survivor, returning in a new edition Sept. 2, 2026.

By Melanie Hooks

Returning to print after nearly 50 years, Survivor extends Butler’s Patternist series, telling the story of a woman struggling to stay alive on a warring planet far from Earth. The new edition includes an essay by Alyssa Collins, The Huntington’s inaugural Octavia E. Butler Research Fellow, as well as Butler’s short story “A Necessary Being.”

Gather with fellow book lovers to hear Collins in conversation with Butler scholars Alaina Morgan (USC) and Phoenix Alexander (UCR). Learn more about this exciting novel, the decision to reprint it, and what Butler’s archives at The Huntington can tell us about her thoughts on its composition and publication.

Survivor will be available for purchase.

This event is sponsored by Hachette Book Group and is part of Field Notes, a series that gives audiences access to Huntington researchers in unusual settings around campus.

Octavia E. Butler's "Survivor" Book Re-release & Discussion
Wednesday, Sept 2
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
The Huntington Rothenburg Hall
1151 Oxford Rd. 
San Marino 91108
Register for free seat online.