Octavia’s Brood Reading Group [Online]
Full Tuition: $200 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select.
Instructor: Spratley | 3 Weeks | Wednesdays | February 28 - March 13 | 5:00 - 7:00 PM ET | ONLINE
In her fiction, Octavia Butler gave us characters like Parable of the Sower’s Lauren Oya Olamina, whose vision for a future among the stars fuels her work in the present of leading others to community and freedom. Or Kindred’s Dana, whose time-slips into the past uncover the legacies of racism in our present and help to invent the genre of the neo-slave narrative. Octavia Butler was, at the time she began publishing, the only Black woman among her contemporary peers. Now, she is known as one of the most crucial voices in contemporary science fiction. Octavia’s Brood, a collection of short fiction at the intersection of sci-fi and social justice, builds on the literary tradition Butler’s work created. This collection explores the ways in which speculative writing can open our imaginations to alternative futures. Together, we will read Octavia’s Brood and consider: Whose visions can move us beyond our current moment, toward a livable, liberatory future? How do empathy and interconnection lead us into collective change? What thought and perspective lives in the space where social justice and speculative fiction meet?
Students will focus on reading sections of Octavia’s Brood between classes, with no other preparation required. During class, we will supplement our reading with the work of Tressie McMillan Cottom, Patricia Hill Collins, and, of course, Octavia Butler—as well as engage with optional “readings” in the form of music, video, and visual art.
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Recordings may be provided upon request for missed classes.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage, and your tuition goes toward supporting this practice. Please pick the payment tier that corresponds to your needs, and consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. We will never request or require proof of need, and do not use an income-based sliding scale; we trust you to decide what payment tier is right for you. If you would like additional support deciding or would like to learn more about the practice of using a sliding scale, we recommend this resource from Embracing Equity.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month.Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
Asynchronous Auditing: Classes are discussion-based and designed to be taken synchronously. However, we do offer an asynchronous audit option for most online classes if you need to follow along at your own pace. You must choose the audit option to receive all course recordings; please do not register using a scholarship if you do not plan to attend the majority of class sessions as you will not receive the recording materials to follow along. We do not automatically offer scholarships for auditors, but if you need one, you may request one by filling out this form.
Full Tuition: $200 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select.
Instructor: Spratley | 3 Weeks | Wednesdays | February 28 - March 13 | 5:00 - 7:00 PM ET | ONLINE
In her fiction, Octavia Butler gave us characters like Parable of the Sower’s Lauren Oya Olamina, whose vision for a future among the stars fuels her work in the present of leading others to community and freedom. Or Kindred’s Dana, whose time-slips into the past uncover the legacies of racism in our present and help to invent the genre of the neo-slave narrative. Octavia Butler was, at the time she began publishing, the only Black woman among her contemporary peers. Now, she is known as one of the most crucial voices in contemporary science fiction. Octavia’s Brood, a collection of short fiction at the intersection of sci-fi and social justice, builds on the literary tradition Butler’s work created. This collection explores the ways in which speculative writing can open our imaginations to alternative futures. Together, we will read Octavia’s Brood and consider: Whose visions can move us beyond our current moment, toward a livable, liberatory future? How do empathy and interconnection lead us into collective change? What thought and perspective lives in the space where social justice and speculative fiction meet?
Students will focus on reading sections of Octavia’s Brood between classes, with no other preparation required. During class, we will supplement our reading with the work of Tressie McMillan Cottom, Patricia Hill Collins, and, of course, Octavia Butler—as well as engage with optional “readings” in the form of music, video, and visual art.
—
Recordings may be provided upon request for missed classes.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage, and your tuition goes toward supporting this practice. Please pick the payment tier that corresponds to your needs, and consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. We will never request or require proof of need, and do not use an income-based sliding scale; we trust you to decide what payment tier is right for you. If you would like additional support deciding or would like to learn more about the practice of using a sliding scale, we recommend this resource from Embracing Equity.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month.Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
Asynchronous Auditing: Classes are discussion-based and designed to be taken synchronously. However, we do offer an asynchronous audit option for most online classes if you need to follow along at your own pace. You must choose the audit option to receive all course recordings; please do not register using a scholarship if you do not plan to attend the majority of class sessions as you will not receive the recording materials to follow along. We do not automatically offer scholarships for auditors, but if you need one, you may request one by filling out this form.
Full Tuition: $200 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select.
Instructor: Spratley | 3 Weeks | Wednesdays | February 28 - March 13 | 5:00 - 7:00 PM ET | ONLINE
In her fiction, Octavia Butler gave us characters like Parable of the Sower’s Lauren Oya Olamina, whose vision for a future among the stars fuels her work in the present of leading others to community and freedom. Or Kindred’s Dana, whose time-slips into the past uncover the legacies of racism in our present and help to invent the genre of the neo-slave narrative. Octavia Butler was, at the time she began publishing, the only Black woman among her contemporary peers. Now, she is known as one of the most crucial voices in contemporary science fiction. Octavia’s Brood, a collection of short fiction at the intersection of sci-fi and social justice, builds on the literary tradition Butler’s work created. This collection explores the ways in which speculative writing can open our imaginations to alternative futures. Together, we will read Octavia’s Brood and consider: Whose visions can move us beyond our current moment, toward a livable, liberatory future? How do empathy and interconnection lead us into collective change? What thought and perspective lives in the space where social justice and speculative fiction meet?
Students will focus on reading sections of Octavia’s Brood between classes, with no other preparation required. During class, we will supplement our reading with the work of Tressie McMillan Cottom, Patricia Hill Collins, and, of course, Octavia Butler—as well as engage with optional “readings” in the form of music, video, and visual art.
—
Recordings may be provided upon request for missed classes.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage, and your tuition goes toward supporting this practice. Please pick the payment tier that corresponds to your needs, and consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. We will never request or require proof of need, and do not use an income-based sliding scale; we trust you to decide what payment tier is right for you. If you would like additional support deciding or would like to learn more about the practice of using a sliding scale, we recommend this resource from Embracing Equity.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month.Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
Asynchronous Auditing: Classes are discussion-based and designed to be taken synchronously. However, we do offer an asynchronous audit option for most online classes if you need to follow along at your own pace. You must choose the audit option to receive all course recordings; please do not register using a scholarship if you do not plan to attend the majority of class sessions as you will not receive the recording materials to follow along. We do not automatically offer scholarships for auditors, but if you need one, you may request one by filling out this form.