This past February, we interviewed Obie-winning playwright and screenwriter Branden Jacobs-Jenkins about the process and the challenges of adapting Octavia E. Butler’s 1979 novel Kindred into the eight-episode TV series that makes its debut later this month. A time-travel thriller that transports its heroine from Southern California in the 1970s to a plantation in antebellum Maryland, the novel is widely acknowledged as a visionary masterpiece.

Below we present some short highlights from the interview:

Expanding the World of Kindred for the Screen

Why Octavia E. Butler’s Work Resonates with Audiences Today

Why We Need TV Shows on the History and Legacy of Slavery

Depicting Slavery’s Violence in Kindred

You can watch the entire interview here.