191. Obsessed (in a good way): Kaya Thomas [reads] “Positive Obsession” by Octavia Butler

Kaya Thomas is an app builder and creator of the We Read Too app, a mobile directory of children and young adult books written by authors of color. With a background in working with well-known companies like Slack and Calm, Kaya's career has been a journey of blending her expertise in coding with her passion for promoting diversity in literature. Though the book is closing on the We Read Too app, her work has touched thousands of young lives.

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Kaya Thomas reads two pages from 'Positive Obsession' by Octavia Butler. [reading begins at 15:51]

Hear us discuss:

• "I think a good mentor listens and understands what the person that they're mentoring really needs, where they're trying to go in their journey and help them just guide them and help them shape their goals." [14:05]
• "Positive obsession is about not being able to stop just because you're afraid and full of doubts. Positive obsession is dangerous. It's about not being able to stop at all." [16:16]
• "I think for me, it doesn't always manifest in like one particular skill, because for me, I'm not trying to be the best programmer ever or the best software engineer. But I think for me, it's more project based, right?" [18:40]
• "Success just looks like more young kids being exposed to these books, because it's important, I think, for all children, no matter their background, to read these types of stories and to realize that difference can be celebrated." [29:13]
• "I think for me, WeReadToo is a resource, and it's a free resource. And I always intend to keep it as a free resource. It's not an income-generating thing for me, and that's not the purpose." [30:30]

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Resources:

Kaya Thomas | Website | Github | LinkedIn

Octavia Butler | Website | Bloodchild and Other Stories

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#6 “A Seat at the Table” with Minda Hart reading from Octavia Butler’s Kindred and sharing her experiences as a black woman in the workplace. 

#32 “How to be World-Positive” with Swati Mylavarapu reading from Mary L. Gray and Siddharth Suri’s Ghost Work: How to Stop Silicon Valley from Building a New Global Underclass and discussing a ‘world-positive’ view on investing.

#52 “To Read Is to Change” with David Robertson reading from Philippa Pearce’s Tom’s Midnight Garden and discussing how he creates change through his writing.