Crowd gathers for dedication ceremony of Octavia Butler Avenue in Lake Forest Park

The crowd gathering for the ceremony to name an LFP street for Octavia E. Butler
Photo by Kenneth Berkun

By Diane Hettrick

In a ceremony marked by brief speeches by LFP city councilmembers, a Seattle writer, and former neighbors, the City of Lake Forest Park named the street where she lived, 37th Ave NE in Lake Forest Park, in honor of author Octavia E. Butler.

The street was blocked for the event
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Author Butler wrote speculative fiction which won the most prestigious awards in science fiction. Since her early death in 2006 at her home in Lake Forest Park, her work has continued to grow in popularity as so many of her ideas have come to pass - and people are worried about the rest.

Photo by Steven H. Robinson

A BBC article "Why Octavia E. Butler's novels are so relevant today" points out that what she eerily envisaged as an alternate future foresaw many aspects of life today.

L-R LFP Council Vice-Chair Phillippa Kassover, Deputy Mayor Tom French, Councilmembers Tracy Furutani and Semra Riddle beneath the new street sign. Photo by Steven H. Robinson

The ceremony, on Saturday, July 29, 2023, was opened by Council Vice-Chair Phillippa Kassover. Remarks by Deputy Mayor Tom French and councilmember Tracy Furutani followed.

Seattle writer Caren Sumption Gussoff
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Next to speak was Caren Sumption Gussoff, an award-winning speculative fiction writer who lives in Seattle. At Clarion West in 2008, she was awarded The Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship by the Carl Brandon Society.

Professor of writing Dr. Sheila Liming
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Dr. Sheila Liming is an associate professor of professional writing at Champlain College in Burlington VT. As a high school student, she was a neighbor of Octavia's (see previous article)

Terry Morgan was a neighbor who used to give Butler rides.
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Terry Morgan is a local artist, musician and event producer, and a former neighbor of Octavia Butler.

Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Councilmembers then unveiled the street sign and attendees lingered to talk in the warm evening.

Butler's most popular books are the Parable set.

Butler's Parable books have been made into an opera, which was performed at Lincoln Center this year. In the NPR article, Octavia Butler wrote a 'Parable' that became a prophecy—now it's also an opera, the author quotes Butler.

As Octavia Butler told WHYY's Fresh Air in 1993, her Parable novels were about the use and abuse of power in a broken society. 

"They have no power to improve their lives, but they have the power to make others even more miserable," Butler said. "And the only way to prove to yourself that you have power is to use it."

The Octavia Butler website lists all of her books.