LOS ANGELES — Nearly 40,000 acres have burned in Southern California in the last two weeks, with at least 25 lives lost, over 12,000 structures destroyed, and tens of thousands of people displaced.
On January 9, Nikki High, owner of Octavia’s Bookshelf at 1353 North Avenue in Pasadena, shared on social media that her doors were open, and within hours people came to connect to her wifi and charge electronics. With the help of local volunteers, she directed traffic and orchestrated drop-off and pick-up of donations. Inside the shop, supplies were organized on bookshelves, with signs for tampons and soap against books by bell hooks and Audrey Lorde and packages of formula and diapers stacked against Wonder Woman comic books and journals.
Octavia’s Bookshelf, which survived the Eaton Fire, is now serving the community as much more than a bookstore, becoming a haven and a hub for mutual aid resources and support.
High, who opened the shop in February 2023, describes herself as a “life-long book nerd” and “product of Pasadena.” Growing up in the region, she would frequent one of LA’s beloved Black-owned independent bookstores, Eso Won Books in Leimert Park. A period of personal reflection during the 2020 pandemic inspired her to open her own bookstore in her and Octavia Butler’s hometown.
“I wanted to create something that didn’t exist here — a community space for the Black and Brown communities who are so instrumental in building the legacy of Altadena and Pasadena,” High told Hyperallergic.
Butler, known as the “mother of Afrofuturism,” is Pasadena’s hometown legend. In recent weeks, the author has been discussed as prophesying this moment in her 1993 Parable series, with plot lines mirroring the reality of global warming and late-stage capitalism and political slogans like “Make America Great Again.” In Parable of the Sower, the protagonist, Lauren, writes an entry in her journal dated Saturday, February 1, 2025: “We had a fire today.”
High said that reference is at the forefront of her mind right now, especially as hashtags like “#OctaviaKnew” continue to circulate.
However, High added, “it’s important to point out how Octavia also provided blueprints of how to rebuild.” Butler researched and studied political patterns and history, opening up possibilities and expansive solutions in her science-fiction works.
In an interview with Essence magazine, Butler recounts a conversation at a book signing, when a young man asked her whether she believed the future would bring the kinds of disasters she wrote about in her books. “There’s no single answer that will solve all our future problems,” Butler responded. “There’s no magic bullet. Instead, there are thousands of answers — at least. You can be one of them if you choose.”
High shared how Butler’s literature, along with others, catapulted her into action, not only inspiring her to open the bookstore but also spurring her to reimagine how it can serve her community.
There are many ways in which Octavia’s Bookshelf is like other organizations and businesses providing mutual aid without hesitation and stepping up where certain institutional and official bodies are not, or are doing so on a slower and more bureaucratic timeline. “I am here first and foremost for I need to get resources to people without the bureaucracy and red tape,” High said. “I am here — we are an open door.”
The no-questions-asked approach was evident on a recent afternoon visit on January 10. Water bottles were available for anyone who came by, air purifiers were delivered to elders, and gift cards were handed out to impacted community members. Donations can be made and volunteers can sign up on Octavia’s Bookshelf’s Instagram.
While conservative politicians and social media pundits point fingers and spread misinformation, the Los Angeles region has also seen an outpouring of unity. As emphasized in Butler’s writing, there are critical conversations to be had about returning to Indigenous knowledge and stewardship of the land. “We must be creative with solutions and critically question how we rebuild,” High said.
