- Originally published as "Birth of a Writer" in Essence 1989.
- In Bloodchild and Other Stories, the author states that "Positive Obsession" was always her personal title for the piece.
| Date | Publication | Publisher | Type | Page | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 1995 |
|
Bloodchild and Other Stories | Four Walls Eight Windows | Collection | 123 |
| November 1996 |
|
Bloodchild and Other Stories | Seven Stories Press | Collection | 123 |
| May 2001 | Bloodchild and Other Stories | G. K. Hall & Co. | Collection | ||
| October 2005 |
|
Bloodchild and Other Stories, Second Edition | Seven Stories Press | Collection | 123 |
| January 2011 |
|
Bloodchild and Other Stories, Second Edition | Seven Stories Press | Collection | |123 |
| July 2012 |
|
Bloodchild and Other Stories | Open Road Integrated Media | Collection | |123 |
| January 2021 |
|
Octavia E. Butler: Kindred, Fledgling, Collected Stories | The Library of America | Omnibus | 725 |
| February 2021 |
|
Pocket Workshop: Essays on Living As a Writer | Hydra House | Nonfiction | 163 |