Underwriting the words on that page are the counterposing sentiments I see in many writers I know, especially writers of color: At one pole there’s, I just want to be okay; I want my family/community to be okay. At the other pole there’s, If I only reach the mountaintop I’ll be respected, valid, wealthy, etc.
Over at the Ploughshares blog, Daniel Peña considers how the worries and anxiety of contemporary writers of color are seen through Octavia Butler’s newly discovered notebook.