Reading Octavia E. Butler’s ‘Lost’ Novel

Name: Reading Octavia E. Butler’s ‘Lost’ Novel | The Huntington
Start: Wed, Sep 2 2026
Location: The Huntington

Event

Be among the first to get your hands on legendary speculative fiction writer Octavia E. Butler’s novel, ‘Survivor’, out in a new edition Sept. 1.

Talks and Lectures

Returning to print after nearly 50 years, Survivor extends Butler’s Patternist series, telling the story of a woman struggling to stay alive on a warring planet far from Earth. The new edition includes essays from Alyssa Collins, The Huntington’s inaugural Octavia E. Butler Research Fellow.

Gather with fellow book lovers to hear Collins in conversation with Butler scholars Alaina Morgan (USC) and Phoenix Alexander (UCR). Learn more about this exciting novel, the decision to reprint it, and what Butler’s archives at The Huntington can tell us about her thoughts regarding its composition and publication.

Survivor will be available for purchase. This event is sponsored by Hachette Book Group.

This event is part of Field Notes, a series that gives audiences access to Huntington researchers in unusual settings around campus.

Key Details

Registration does not include free admission to The Huntington.
Please bring registration confirmation with you.
Check in with Education staff at Rothenberg Hall at 5:30 p.m.

For questions about this event, please contact publicprograms@huntington.org.

Woman in black and white patterned shirt stands in front of a tree.

Cover art for Octavia E. Butler’s republished novel featuring a swirl of black on pink circle on background of green.

Octavia E. Butler outside her house in Seattle. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Cover art for Octavia E. Butler’s republished novel Survivor. | Courtesy of Hachette Book Group.

In-Person Class Ticketing Policies

Tickets are not sold at the door for this event.
To join the waitlist for this event, please email publicprograms@huntington.org. A space is not guaranteed, but you will be contacted if a space becomes available.
To receive a refund or request a reservation change, you must contact publicprograms@huntington.org at least 5 days prior to the event date. Cancellations made within 5 days of the event date will not be refunded, and reservation changes are not guaranteed. Tickets are nontransferable and cannot be exchanged for vouchers or future credit.
Members may receive a discount for up to two tickets when applicable.

Top image: Cover art for Octavia E. Butler’s republished novel Survivor. | Courtesy of Hachette Book Group.