Octavia Butler (1947-2006) was first published in 1971 in the Clarion anthology. Since then, her works have been critically well received, winning her two Hugos and two Nebulas.  She was the first science fiction author to receive a MacArthur Genius grant. Butler tackled issues of racism in works including the Patternist series, and Kindred.  Research in the Amazon led to the Xenogenesis trilogy.  Among her best known works were Parable of the Sower and its sequel, Parable of the Talents, “Bloodchild,” and Wild Seed.  Butler was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010 and received a posthumous Solstice Award in 2012.  The Carl Brandon Sciety has established an annual scholarship in her name and also named their Kindred Award in her honor.