Episode 360
Empathy, Research, and Resistance: Interview with Susana M. Morris about Positive Obsession
Bookwild · Kate Hergott, Susana M. Morris
February 24, 20261h 0mExplicit
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Show Notes
This week, I talk with Susana M. Morris about her Octavia E. Butler cultural biography Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler.
Listen to hear about:
- Octavia Butler’s journey from a shy, self-diagnosed dyslexic student to a groundbreaking sci-fi author, and how her relentless “positive obsession” with writing shaped her career.
- How Butler’s work reflects deep research, historical pattern recognition, and sharp social insight—explaining why her stories feel prophetic even though she chaffed at that comparison.
- The personal costs and creative rewards of dedicating your life to meaningful work, and how Butler’s example encourages artists and writers to pursue their own Positive Obsessions.
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Gare Billings @gareindeedreads
Steph Lauer @books.in.badgerland
Brian Watson @readingwithbrian
Topics
writingoctavia butlerbiographyoctavia e butler