We’re all time travelers, straddling the locations and paths that our ancestors walked before us.
Yet, on an average day, we don’t often think about how the places in our communities connect us with the past. November 8th, 2025 wasn’t an average day. Close to 100 people from across Altadena, Pasadena, and Los Angeles woke up, strapped on their helmets, and chose to become historians and cultural anthropologists by participating in Octavia’s Pasadena Bike Ride.
The ride officially launched Octavia Fest, a vibrant community event series celebrating the life, legacy, and imagination of renowned author Octavia E. Butler and the worldbuilding she inspires in writers, young people, and all of us today. Though Butler is one of Pasadena’s local cultural icons, only in recent years has she begun to get more recognition for her connection and contributions to the city. Octavia Fest was created to shine a light on her ideas, wisdom, and visions for the future while providing a pathway for local communities to engage with these gifts.
Every Stop a Lesson and a Conjuring
The ride kicked off at local bike shop Around the Cycle with opening remarks by Councilmember Hampton and Big Bowl of Ideas President and Creative Producer Wyatt Closs. As any person familiar with Pasadena and Altadena knows, it’s now impossible to traverse local streets without being confronted with the harsh realities stemming from the Eaton Fire in early 2025. Councilmember Hampton urged the crowd to use the ride as an opportunity to lift up the community and our neighbors, embracing the fact that “we are all one Pasadena.” As the pre-ride rally came to a close, Wyatt led riders in a chant of Octavia’s own words further reflecting on the consistently shifting nature of life and all that surrounds us: “All that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you. The only lasting truth is change.”
Setting the ride in motion, bike ambassadors from Active SGV led the group of all ages to the first stop: John Muir High School. Here, Octaviologist Nikki High of Octavia’s Bookshelf shared the story of how Octavia’s legacy inspired her to open a bookstore where people from all walks of life can delve into sci-fi, works by Black and other BIPOC authors, and other expansive and visionary tales before outlining details of Butler’s experience as a John Muir Mustang. Award-winning musician Tatiana Tate then took the riders on a sonic voyage in Octavia’s honor with a rousing neo-soul trumpet performance.
The journey continued to Octavia E. Butler Magnet School, where riders were met by librarian Natalie Daily and poet Thea Monyeè. Natalie walked the group through the transformation of Washington Middle School into the dual language STEAM school that now bears Octavia’s name. The school – which boasts the highest view in Pasadena – shapes the minds of today’s and tomorrow’s young leaders in the very place where Octavia herself wrote the beginnings of many of her works as a student. Thea then read a selection from her book Blood & Bajareque, moving and breathing poetry inspired in part by Butler that encourages audiences to keep the portals to our ancestors open.
Finally, riders made their way to the shaded hill of La Pintoresca Public Library, another local sanctuary where Octavia spent many days reading and writing as a child. Octaviologist and librarian Christina Glass transported riders back in time through the evolution of the building and land from a fated hotel burned down in a fire to its construction into the community third space it is today. Capping off the day’s performances, vocalist Jimetta Rose guided the crowd through psychedelic interpretations of the sounds of Sun Ra Arkestra. Under Jimetta’s caring direction, riders lifted their own voices in celebration of community and the futures that await us before transitioning back to their lives into the present day (a shift aided by sandwiches and lemonade from local Black-owned mainstay Perry’s Joint).
Crafting A Vision and Organizing
To shape an event reflecting the diversity and magic within Northwest Pasadena, Octavia Fest creator Big Bowl of Ideas (BBOI) built and leveraged key relationships with local businesses, cycling groups, and community-based organizations. They carried out significant community outreach, going door-to-door at local establishments, doing flyer drops, and more – with the encouragement and partnership of Pasadena District 1 Councilmember Tyron Hampton.
Drawing on a unique guide to Octavia E. Butler’s Pasadena created by the Huntington Library based on extensive research and their archives, BBOI charted a nearly 6-mile route weaving through some of the locales Octavia once frequented in her hometown. Local Black women artists were recruited to conjure the spirit of Butler through performances at specific stops alongside“Octaviologists” who shared insights into how Octavia spent her days and grew her craft. Through these efforts, momentum and excitement grew around the event, leading to advance media coverage, including LAist designating the ride as a “top pick” for the weekend.
Octavia E. Butler’s work is transportive. It shows us what was, what is, and in many cases, what will be. Octavia’s Pasadena Bike Ride was an experiment in bridging our minds, bodies, and the spirit of community to explore her legacy and be transported to Pasadena and the world as she saw it. Future Octavia Fest events will continue this adventure.
Octavia’s Pasadena Bike Ride Was Supported By: District 1 Councilmember Tyron Hampton, Octavia E Butler Magnet, School Library, Octavia’s Bookshelf, Around the Cycle, Active SGV, Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, Pasadena, NAACP, NATHA, Perry’s Joint, Commune Records, Tepito Coffee; Artists: Jimetta Rose, Deborah Ascheim, Tatiana, Tate, Thea Monyeè
