Xenogenesis by Octavia Butler Reading Seminar

A 6-session reading seminar exploring Octavia E. Butler’s Xenogenesis Trilogy
Wednesdays • 6:30–8 PM
April 1, 8, 22, 29 • May 13, 20

Join seminar guide Heaven-Leigh for a deep reading and discussion of Octavia E. Butler’s groundbreaking Xenogenesis Trilogy.

After humanity devastates Earth through nuclear war, Lilith Iyapo awakens centuries later aboard an alien ship. Rescued by the Oankali, she is given an impossible task: help prepare the few remaining humans for a radically different future. Through themes of survival, consent, identity, and transformation, Butler crafts one of the most powerful and unsettling works in science fiction.

Sensual, disturbing, and intellectually daring, the Xenogenesis trilogy remains a landmark in speculative fiction and a testament to Butler’s enduring legacy as a visionary writer and thinker.

How the Seminar Works

Each book will be divided into two sections. We will meet two weeks on, one week off, for a total of six discussions over eight weeks.

You do not need to read the entire trilogy before the first session. Each meeting will focus only on that week’s assigned reading, so participants can join for any or all discussions.

Reading Schedule

April 1
Dawn – Read Part 1 and Part 2

April 8
Dawn – Finish the book

April 22
Adulthood Rites – Read Part 1 through Part 2, Chapter 15

April 29
Adulthood Rites – Finish the book

May 13
Imago – Read Part 1 through Part 2, Chapter 6

May 20
Imago – Finish the book

Come for one session or follow the entire trilogy with us as we unpack Butler’s ideas, characters, and worldbuilding together.