Recently there has been a debate on whether or not the World Fantasy award should be inspired by H.P Lovecraft, science fiction author, or modeled after Octavia Butler, also a science fiction author and African-American spiritualism author.

Over the past 37 years many authors have won this award without complaint, happy to have won, but 2011 award winner Nnedi Oxaford thought differently. She finds Lovecraft’s writing offensive and feels that he shouldn’t be the inspiration for the award. Her friend and author Daniel Jose Older started a petition that so that Butler can become the new inspiration.

Nnedi Oxaford and Daniel Jose Older, known for his book Long Hidden, has started the petition in hopes of having Butler as the new inspiration. Many agree while others disagree, saying there should be some sort of change. To date the petition has reached 2,500 signatures.