New mural in Third Place Commons honors Octavia Butler

Octavia Butler mural with artist Katie Todaro at The Commons

By Sarah Phillips

There is a new mural in the Commons at Lake Forest Park Town Center. 

Larger than life, Octavia Butler adorns the wall to the left of the stage. Several years ago, the City of Lake Forest Park co-named the street where she lived Octavia Butler Avenue. The street was named to honor the writer, visionary and climate hero who lived here.

Butler won a range of awards including the MacArthur Fellowship genius award - the first time it had been given to a science fiction writer. 

Her writing continues to inspire. 

In 2024, the Seattle Reads book was Butler’s The Parable of the Sower. The novel is of a dystopian future set against a backdrop of extreme climate change. 

The story, written over 30 years ago, is set in 2024. 

The Seattle Times describes the story this way: “The main character, a 15-year-old girl named Lauren Olamina, lives in a gated community as the world around her falls into chaos and climate refugees fight for diminishing resources.”

Her books continue to be in stock after 20 years.

A new biography of Octavia Butler called "Octavia Butler Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler" will be published this summer. The author, Susana M. Morris, will be at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park to discuss her new biography on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, at 7pm.

Why put the mural up now? 

Third Place Books wanted a way to honor the author and her life and work. The decision was to make a permanent mural that would welcome visitors who come to Third Place. The mural was designed by Stephen Crowe and painted by Katie Todaro.