ON OCTAVIA BUTLER AND OUR SURVIVAL: A Q&A with Kim Nickens

I’ve always known my mommy as a sci-fi girly and history buff. We grew up watching all the futuristic, apocalyptic flicks and holding “freedom passes” to historical Jamestown and Williamsburg (we can unpack the implications of colonial recreation sites another day). I think it is because of her love of science and history that my mommy is also so passionately matter-of-fact about what it is going to take to survive in her words, “an impending disaster.” Akin to how when asked about her ability to predict futures, Octavia Butler would simply state that she is a student of history and a believer in science. She studied the past and paid attention to the present which allowed her to make predictions about the future.

Sometime during 2021, I remember speaking on the phone with my mom as she recounted the plot of a sci-fi book she’d checked out on Libby (a free app that allows you to borrow ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more from your local library) which centered a Black girl protagonist tasked with saving the world from an apocalypse. Immediately, I thought she must be reading Octavia Butler. As it turns out, she’d only ever heard of the author in passing and had never read any of her works.

Here I was, walking around with an “Earthseed” tattoo, transformed on a cellular level by Butler’s works, and I had never considered asking my mom if she knew about the queen of sci-fi. So, I introduced them. I gifted my mommy a copy of the Parables, and she devoured them. In this Q & A, we discuss her reactions to Butler’s works and her keys to survival.

ASHLEY: What were your initial impressions of the Parable series and Octavia Butler?

KIM: I thought it was a well written and excellent series. Definitely much needed since there is a lack of African American science fiction authors. Loved that it was a Black girl who became a leader.

ASHLEY: Can you talk about the timeliness of Butler’s works? What similarities struck you the most and why?

ASHLEY: The timelines of the Parable series should serve as a wake up call to the world, especially the United States. It demonstrates how a combination of climate change, political upheaval and economic crisis can lead to dire consequences that we have already began to see.

ASHLEY: You’ve also been called “prescient” in ways similar to Butler. I remember back in January 2020 when you began sounding alarms about a deadly virus spreading across China. On the day SISTORIES hosted our first workshop in late Feb, you left early to run to grab water and essential items for me and encouraged Cidney to do the same, forewarning of potential closures or supply-chain breakdowns. Can you share how you were so aware of Covid-19 before the general public? What had you been consuming that led you to believe this was going to be a problem for all of us?

KIM: I always try to monitor what is happening around the world, so that’s what I was doing. Many people in the United States refuse to believe we live in a global community. What happens across the globe will indeed have an effect on the US I saw what was happening in China and how it was impacting them. I knew it was only a matter of time before we were affected. From there I sought out unbiased information sources regarding the CoVid 19 virus and lockdowns instead of just relying on one news source.

ASHLEY: When I think back to our closest encounter with a natural disaster that significantly impacted our daily lives—Hurricane Isabel in 2003—I don’t remember you being as prepared as you are now. I remember packing up valuables and pictures and preparing to hunker down at your sister’s. Either myself or my brother asked if we’d be safer in Newport News than Chesapeake, and you were honest that technically no, we wouldn’t be since we’d be even closer to the water, but we’d be with family. In what ways did that experience affect the way you thought about natural and/or environmental disaster? When, how, and why did you begin taking disaster preparedness seriously?

KIM: That experience definitely taught us all a lot about being more prepared for things like extended power outages and food shortage. At the time they were predicting the impact of the hurricane to be even worse than it was. I didn’t really begin taking prepping seriously though until 2011 after the 5.9 Earthquake in Mineral, VA shook the east coast. That really kickstarted my disaster preparedness.

ASHLEY: Did the survivalist courses you’ve taken play a role in how you understood the potential implications of a global pandemic? In what ways? Can you share which courses and trainings you’ve done?

KIM: I joined the community emergency response team in Apex, NC. CERT trains volunteers in basic disaster response skills, such as: Fire safety. Light search and rescue. This was a very educational experience. They take you through disaster simulations and everything.

ASHLEY: If you could distill all of your survival information down to three essential tips, what would they be?

KIM: 1) prepare for the worst 2) pray for the best and 3) visit ready.gov—they give practical information on preparing for disasters.

ASHLEY: Why do you encourage everyone to have an emergency to-go bag? What should be inside?

KIM: I am a big proponent of having an emergency to go bag. You never know when you have to pick up and leave at a moment’s notice. I made sure you and your brother had one when you went off to college. You should have at the minimum 3 days of food and water. Any prescription medications that you take. A change of clothing, flashlight, first aid kit, radio and copy of important documents. There’s a full list that you can print out on ready.gov.