2025 Summer Bridge Theme
Every year Summer Bridge adopts a theme to keep us grounded in the work we are doing. This year we have chosen to highlight a quote by author and critical thinker Octavia Butler. Butler was an award-winning author who ignited the minds of a generation through science fiction. With her honest approach to humanity, Butler examined themes of gender, race, class, and power in her writings and was a trailblazer for thinkers alike. Her writings teach us that where there is change, there is imagination and opportunity. Summer Bridge 2025’s theme is : “All that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you. The only lasting truth is change.”
Who is Octavia Butler?
Octavia Butler, born June 22, 1947 in Pasadena, CA, grew up to be a powerhouse in the realm of science fiction writing. Her “cautionary tales” and dynamic characters have given audiences a cache of possibilities and probabilities to explore about humanity. As a young black girl growing up in a working class home with a single mother, Butler recognized the gaps in the media and stories around her. Through the genre of science fiction Butler felt no limits in what stories she could write. With her fervor and creativity Butler wrote some of the most enticing books of our time, including the iconic Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents.
Butler was awarded multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards for her stories, and was notably the first science fiction author to be awarded the MacArthur Fellowship. On February 24, 2006 Butler passed away at her home, yet her novels and revolutionary mind continue to impact readers to this day. In 2020 Butler reached the NY Times Bestsellers list for the first time, and in 2021 was honored with another Hugo Award for Best Graphic story.