Before The Parable of the Sower became a staple on syllabi across the country, Octavia E. Butler was quietly living and writing in Lake Forest Park. From 1999 until her death in 2006, she made her home there — so quietly, in fact, that some longtime locals are still surprised to learn she once lived just a short walk from Third Place Books. Today, her former street bears her name: Octavia Butler Avenue.

Butler was the first Black woman to consistently publish in the field of science fiction, and is called the “Queen Mother” of Afrofuturism. Her visionary work continues to influence writers and artists around the world. 

She was living in Lake Forest Park when The Parable of the Talents won the Nebula Award for Best Novel. She had plans to continue the Parable series, but later said the writing had overwhelmed and depressed her. Instead, she turned her attention to something she described as “lightweight” and “fun” — which became her final novel, the science fiction vampire story Fledgling. We can only assume the shadowy woods and quiet streets of Lake Forest Park had a hand in that one.

On June 23, the day after what would have been her 78th birthday, the City of Lake Forest Park will officially recognize Octavia E. Butler Day with a free community event at the Third Place Commons. The celebration runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and features a conversation on Butler’s legacy led by Clarion West writers and longtime contemporaries Nisi Shawl and Kathleen Alcalá, joined by Caren Gussoff, recipient of the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship.

The event is presented in partnership with Clarion West, Third Place Books, the King County Library System, ShoreLake Arts, and the Shoreline Historical Museum.

You can even make a day of it: take an urban hike to Octavia Butler Avenue and end at the bookshop for the celebration.