: Cheung Ghing Ming

On Feb. 24, at just 58, acclaimed science fiction writer Octavia Butler died after falling and injuring her head outside of her home. Almost instinctively, local fan and writer Daviná Stewart began organizing a gathering to read and remember. "I just want to make sure people remember how amazing she is," says Stewart. "We want folks to know we lost an exceptional member of the community. Hopefully, we'll introduce new people to her books. We intend for this to be the first of a series of readings focused on her works and the impact she had on other artists." Butler, born in Pasadena, Calif., was an only child. Her father died early in her life, and her mother, a maid, often toted little Octavia with her to work. By her early teens, Butler had sprouted to 6 feet and was already showing signs of greatness. Kindred, her most famous work (taught to me at Temple University by professor Sonia Sanchez), was rejected over and over before a publisher paid Butler a $5,000 advance in 1979. Kindred uses science fiction as the unlikely vehicle for an out-of-this-world social dialogue on race, politics and identity while repeatedly transporting Dana, a black woman in 1976, back to the antebellum South through time travel. In a genre dominated by white men, Butler loomed large, stepping into their arena and penning a dozen novels. She won prestigious sci-fi awards like the Hugo and the Nebula, and in 1995 she became the first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur "genius grant." The solitary writer moved to Seattle in 1999 and became a more regular presence on the writers' conference circuit. After a battle with writer's block, Butler ended a seven-year draught with Fledging (Seven Stories Press) , a vampire novel, last fall. A real-life superheroine of literature, Octavia Butler's work and legacy will live on forever.

Tribute to Octavia Butler, Mon., March 27, 6-9 p.m., free, Kaffa Crossing Café, 4423 Chestnut St., 215-386-0504, www.kaffacrossing.com.