Join us for an in-person discussion of the book Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler, facilitated by Dr. Joshua Tepley, Associate Professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Saint Anselm College. Like all of Octavia Butler's best writing, these works of the imagination are parables of the contemporary world. She proves constant in her vigil, an unblinking pessimist hoping to be proven wrong, and one of contemporary literature's strongest voices. The title story won both the Hugo Award and Nebula Award. Appearing in print for the first time, "Amnesty" is a story of a woman aptly named Noah who works to negotiate the tense and co-dependent relationship between humans and a species of invaders. Also new to this collection is "The Book of Martha" which asks: What would you do if God granted you the ability—and responsibility—to save humanity from itself?

Dr. Joshua Tepley received his B.A. in Philosophy from Bucknell University (2004) and his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame (2013). His research interests include free will, personal identity, ontology (the study of being), and the intersection between philosophy and science fiction.

Copies of the book are available at the reference desk and will be yours to keep. Registration is required to ensure we have enough copies of the book for everyone.

This program is made possible by a grant from New Hampshire Humanities.