``Bloodchild'' (which won both a Hugo and a Nebula ) is a compelling and horrifying novella combining a love story between a human and an alien with a coming-of-age tale it is, as Butler puts it, a ``pregnant man'' story. Two essays round out the volume: one an inspirational piece about making writing a habit, the other a more personal reminiscence about what it's like to be poor, female, black-and to persist in the writing of SF anyway.
``I hate short story writing,'' Butler admits in her preface not surprisingly, then, there are only five tales here, ranging in date from 1971 to 1983.
Collected in this slim volume is the entire output of short fiction from the pen of MacArthur Award winner Butler (Parable of the Sower).
