Octavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction writer, known for being one of the few African-American women in the field. She won several prestigious awards, including the Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.

Born in Pasadena, California, Butler was raised by her widowed mother. As an extremely shy child, she found solace in the library, reading fantasy, and writing. She began penning science fiction as a teenager and attended community college during the Black Power movement in the 1960s. Encouraged at a local writer's workshop, she attended the Clarion Workshop, which focused on science fiction. She sold her first stories soon after and, by the late 1970s, was able to write full-time.

Butler's works, characterized by lean prose, strong protagonists, and insightful social observations, range from the distant past to the far future and have garnered critical and public acclaim. Her novels often explore themes of Black injustice, global warming, women’s rights, and political disparity. Despite the initial commercial challenges, she persisted, working various jobs including as a telemarketer, potato chip inspector, and dishwasher while writing early in the morning.

Her best-known novels include Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, with the latter winning the Nebula Award for Best Novel. Butler's influence continues to grow posthumously, with her work now taught in over 200 colleges and universities. She also inspired adaptations in media, such as the graphic novel Kindred and ongoing television series developments.

Butler passed away of a stroke at the age of 58, and her papers are held in the research collection of the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.