The more I think about her work, the more I realize how directly it inspired everything I write. She wrote more intelligently and empathically about race, gender, queerness, polyamory and the power dynamics inherent in all of those relationships than anyone else ever has. She was one of my heroes. I wish I'd had the chance to tell her.
I have not, sadly, ever read any Octavia Butler. :^( Where’s a good place to start?
Hm. It’s tough, because there’s a lot of variety in her approaches. I started with her Xenogenesis trilogy: Dawn, Adulthood Rites, Imago. Very good, complex working out of concepts; a great place to start. But if you’re more of a short story person, the Bloodchild collection offers much of the same sorts of material, in a more condensed form.
If you’re more of a fantasy than sf person, then I might recommend her latest, Fledgling, which is a compelling and fast-paced vampire novel on one level, and a fascinating exploration of power dynamics on another level.