Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Hill
Hi Olivia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a visual artist, published author, playwright, and culinary entrepreneur. I am currently the Executive Director of the African American Heritage House at the Chautauqua Institute. I am a proud mother of two adult children and a grandson, who I have helped raise. But the way I started life, I doubt anyone thought I would have survived to an age of eldership.
I was born and raised in Kansas City, MO. My family currently has seven generations present in this community. I come from two hard-working parents, both with their own secrets and challenges. My mother, Betty Jean Hill and my father, Cecil Hill, had four children together. My mother already had another child from a rape she experienced at the young age of 14. I was their youngest of the four and was raised by my paternal grandmother, who brought her entire family from Arkansas.
My childhood was a blend of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, that left many invisible scares. But it also taught me a degree of resilience and perseverance that I later found useful in pursuing my dreams. I only met my biological mother at the age of 13. She was a fierce, dynamic, and amazing woman, openly a lesbian during at time that was exceptionally challenging for a black woman to stand out in any way. I quickly realized that despite my not being raised by her, I mirrored her spirit and energy.
My recent memoir, Travel North Black Girl: A 3,000-mile journey to find love, peace, and home, details the time in my life where everything shifted. At the young age of 21, I meet and married my first husband, a white Jewish man from New Jersey. Not only were we newlyweds from completely different economic backgrounds, regions, and cultures, but he decided we needed to go to Alaska to experience that adventure. The books story centers around our year in a remote Aleut village on the Prince William Sound.
But my life’s adventure did not stop there. I ended up staying in Fairbanks, Alaska for 12 years, earning a degree from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, wrote and produced many plays, started my writing career, and raised my daughter. When I got remarried, I moved to Hudson Valley area of New York State and began a new chapter. After having a son with disabilities, I decided to begin a gourmet food business that allowed me to work from home or take my son along. I remained in business for 13 years, connecting to customers across the tri-state area.
As a child being raised in poverty and abuse, no one would have expected me to have a life full of travel, experiences, and contributions back to my many communities. But with my mother’s fighting spirit and my grandmother and father’s work ethic, I have defined a new storyline for my family.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My early life was defined by limitations. My early educational journey was mired by overcrowded and under resourced inner-city schools that did not identify my learning disabilities. Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, many of my other challenges with Attention-Deficit disorder or Aspergers weren’t even recognized during that time period. I always knew I was different than my family members and classmates but often didn’t have the language to express my unique view of the world. But creative expression and art has always been my outlet, often saving my life.
When I was in my 20’s, I began seeking therapy. I was not raised to trust therapy but as the demons from my past began to wreak my life, I leaned into the support I needed to stay alive. My mental health has been a life-long struggle but has given me a powerful story to encourage others that have similar challenges, which I often do through my writing, art, and speaking engagements.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My first love has always been storytelling. Through my plays, I have explored Black life through my own personal narratives, expressing the challenges of family ties, abuse, survival, and courage. I am a very visual person and even in my writing or plays, I first try to immerse my audience in a visual and physical reality. As a trained printmaker and visual artist, imagery is an important tool. This has served me well. My play, Mother Spense, won the Lorraine Hansberry award from the Kennedy Center. I have produced five plays, which have been produced across the country. My most recent production was at the Arts Asylum of the play, Price of Bail. In addition, my memoir won three awards, Thorpe Menn Literary Award, Missouri Writers Guild for non-fiction, and Best Book Award.
In this current chapter, I am taking my life experience to support the African American Heritage House in Chautauqua Institute. This organization elevates the history and lived experiences of Black Americans that intersected with the Chautauqua experience, starting back in 1874. The house brings together artist, scholars, and attendees from across the country every summer, where I manage the programming and visitor experience.
I continue to find stories and experiences that inspire me, and I am in the midst of working on my second book. My love for creating has remained constant in my life.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love that Kansas City, even though it has become a sophisticated city, has people that are grounded and down-to-earth. The people share midwestern values like being slow to speak and think before you do. The folks that are from this community are very grounded in rich values and history. It is a creative mecca and has built out a dynamic artistic environment.
However, the City is still very segregated, not one KC. We often come together around points of city pride, like our football team, but these shared experiences are fleeting. On a daily basis, we stay racially and economically divided, almost isolated communities that just reside near each other.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.oliviahillwrites.com/#/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviahillwrites
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/OliviaHillWrites/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-hill-045b0447
