I just read ‘Positive Obsession’ the biography on Octavia Butler by Susana Morris — Thoughts (17)

Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler by Susana M. Morris

I just finished reading this 👆🏾 cultural biography of Octavia E. Butler by Susana M. Morris, and I’m so glad I did. I’m also deeply grateful that Susana Morris took the time to do this work.

I’m endlessly curious about the lived experiences of Black and African women, especially those who have been prolific in their fields. I often wonder how they navigated their worlds, or continue to navigate them, to reach the visibility and achievements they do. This is particularly striking in a relentlessly capitalist world that has historically been neither kind nor generous toward Black and African women, or women of color in general.

I’m especially drawn to the lives of Black and African women writers and creatives who came before us. What fascinates me is how many of them seem to carry a rich spiritual interior life that quietly informs their creativity; something deeply present in their work, yet rarely discussed publicly, for understandable reasons.

Add to that the constant challenge of making a living from creative labor, and it only deepens my curiosity about how they endured, sustained themselves, and continued to create.

The mind of Octavia Butler has long fascinated me because of the kinds of stories she brought into the world. Some works, fiction or otherwise, make you pause and marvel at the mind that produced them.

Learning more about her life, her political perspectives, and her personal struggles through this biography felt like a gift, and it has only made me want to learn even more.

I would love to read more biographies of Black and African women creatives. Their lived experiences are endlessly compelling to me. If you happen to come across this post and have any recommendations, please feel free to email me, I promise I’ll check them out. There really isn’t nearly enough written about them anyway.