TIMELINE OF WHEATLEY PETERS'S LIFE AND CONTEMPORARY HISTORICAL EVENTS
These timelines-- one biographical and one spanning across the broader historical context around Phillis Wheatley's life-- paint a picture of the legacy of Phillis Wheatley's writing and publishing, beyond the years of her lifetime. We hope these timelines serve as a resource for your general knowledge, research, and teaching. Click through to learn more about Phillis Wheatley's life and the historical context of what was going on around this time that informed her writing and legacy as the first published African American poet.
To view these timelines, check out the Timelines tab.
These timelines-- one biographical and one spanning across the broader historical context around Phillis Wheatley's life-- paint a picture of the legacy of Phillis Wheatley's writing and publishing, beyond the years of her lifetime. We hope these timelines serve as a resource for your general knowledge, research, and teaching. Click through to learn more about Phillis Wheatley's life and the historical context of what was going on around this time that informed her writing and legacy as the first published African American poet.
To view these timelines, check out the Timelines tab.
POETRY INSPIRED BY WHEATLEY PETERS'S LIFE AND WORKS
In recent years, many creative writers--particularly Black women poets--have been inspired by PWP’s life and work to write books of their own honoring her legacies. Below, we share several examples.
In recent years, many creative writers--particularly Black women poets--have been inspired by PWP’s life and work to write books of their own honoring her legacies. Below, we share several examples.
drea brown, Dear Girl: A Reckoning
Alison Clarke, Phillis
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, The Age of Phillis
Additional Examples
Additional examples of PWP-linked poetry include Eve L. Ewing’s “1773” in The 1619 Project and several poems by Tiana Clark in I Can’t Talk About the Trees Without the Blood(2018). See also June Jordan’s now-classic essay-and-lyric on PWP, including a “Something Like a Sonnet for Phillis Wheatley.”
Additional examples of PWP-linked poetry include Eve L. Ewing’s “1773” in The 1619 Project and several poems by Tiana Clark in I Can’t Talk About the Trees Without the Blood(2018). See also June Jordan’s now-classic essay-and-lyric on PWP, including a “Something Like a Sonnet for Phillis Wheatley.”
CHILDREN’S AND YA LITERATURE ON WHEATLEY PETERS’S LIFE AND WORKS
Kathryn Lasky (Author) and Paul Lee (illustrator); A Voice of Her Own: Candlewick Biographies: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet
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A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet by Kathryn Lasky and Paul Lee
Overview by Margaret A. Robbins, PhD The brief nonfiction book A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet provides an honest and beautiful account of Phillis Wheatley’s life. It does not sugar-coat the brutal experience of Phillis being being kidnapped in Africa and brought to the American Colonies by slave sellers. It does, however, tell that story in a way that is age-appropriate for readers roughly 8-13 years old, or grades 3-7. Phillis’s journey towards literacy as a means of obtaining freedom is an uplifting and important one. Her influence as a female writer of color remains pivotal for young students learning about American history and literature. The story credits Susanna Wheatley as a parental mentor figure while emphasizing Phillis Wheatley’s own accomplishments as a poet, scholar, and writer. Overall, this is an informative and well-written account from which students and teachers alike can learn a great deal. |
My Name is Phillis Wheatley: A Story of Slavery and Freedom by Afua Cooper
“I am in my house, engaged in music lessons with my mother. Her name is Asta. She is a griot, a bard, a praise singer and poet, and it is understood that I will follow in her path.” This flashback memory from the first-person narrator of My Name Is Phillis Wheatley: A Story of Slavery and Freedom illustrates the protagonist’s pre-American life as a permanent part of her identity in a biography honoring her African home roots. Author Dr. Afua Cooper draws creatively on her scholarly research skills enhanced by poetic craft. This approach encourages readers’ imaginative connections with the title character’s youthful experiences prior to her enslavement. By depicting a vital period of Wheatley Peters’ lived experiences that is often under-acknowledged, Cooper also makes the book’s graphic depiction of the Middle Passage journey to North America all the more poignant and horrifying. Similarly, the text’s portrayal of a young renamed “Phillis” as a budding writer credits the support of the Wheatley family but also directly addresses constraints linked to her continued enslavement. Given its complex blend of imaginative literary scenes, attention to historical context, and thoughtful invocation of readers’ empathy, this narrative is perhaps best suited to mature middle school and high school readers and above. |
Afua Cooper; My Name is Phillis Wheatley: A Story of Slavery and Freedom
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See author Afua Cooper discuss her work on Wheatley and Henry Bibb as examples of enslaved children who became celebrated authors here: vimeo.com/22592082
Maryann N. Weidt; Revolutionary Poet: A Story about Phillis Wheatley
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Revolutionary Poet: A Story about Phillis Wheatley by Maryann N. Weidt
Overview by Kelly Franklin Author Maryann N. Weidt tells the story of Phillis Wheatley against the backdrop of important American historical events. This historical approach allows Weidt to weave in Wheatley’s keen perspective as a young, enslaved girl well aware of her situation and surroundings. Through Weidt’s narration, Wheatley comments on the Boston Tea Party, the Stamp Act, and The Boston Massacre, where fugitive slave, Crispus Attucks, was killed. Weidt shows how these events fueled Phillis’ writing and fed her intellectual curiosity. Although Phillis is enslaved, Weidt aptly depicts Phillis’s ability to navigate through various social circles due to strong acute writing skills. As Phillis’s poems garnered more attention, she was questioned by eighteen of Boston’s “most reputable citizens” –some of whom included John Hancock, Reverend Samuel Cooper, and other prominent white men–to verify her authorship. This critical event is still discussed among scholars, because it serves as a testament to Phillis’ intellect, confidence, and unusual skills, whether a single “trial” occasion or a series of conversations. Weidt chronicles Phillis’ travels to Britain, highlighting how this trip inspired poems such as “Farewell to America” and ingratiating her into esteemed company that included the Countess of Huntingdon, Lord Dartmouth, and Benjamin Franklin. Weidt explains Phillis’ forced travel back to Boston being due to Susanna Wheatley’s illness. Even after being freed from enslavement in 1773, Phillis remained devoted to Susanna. Although some later events of Phillis’ life are still questioned due to limited archival information, readers can appreciate learning about the first Black American and second American woman to publish a book at only twenty years old. Weidt’s afterward captures the important legacy Phillis has on both Black literature and American history. This text is best suited to mature middle schoolers and early high schoolers. |
Phillis Wheatley by Emily R. Smith
Overview by Kelly and Addison Franklin Emily R. Smith provides information about Phillis Wheatley in a simple manner that appeals to younger students. Addison Franklin, a 6th grader in Mansfield, Texas writes, “What I liked about this book is that it is an easy read but still has a lot of information, has good illustrations and pictures, and gives good details.” Smith describes Phillis’ journey learning to read and write without neglecting important details about slavery. Illustrations and definitions included in this 32-page book will help young students learn historical details around Boston, slavery, and Phillis’ life. Smith says that Phillis “used poetry like a diary.” Smith’s wording will help students understand Phillis’ intimate relationship with her poems, but describing Phillis’ life is impossible without also including the history of Boston and the colonists’ desire for independence from British rule. So Smith explains how Phillis “wrote poems about the events in her city.” While reporting on Phillis’ travels to England, the biography describes difficulties Phillis faced navigating white society as an enslaved Black woman. Pages with titles such as “Describe It!” and “Your Turn!” invite students to participate in activities such as researching slavery or writing about other special people in Phillis’ life. |
Emily R. Smith; Phillis Wheatley
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