30 September 2021
Black History Month Profile
Phillis Wheatley: A Pioneering African-American Poet
by David Taylor, Fellow in English Literature
Phillis Wheatley (1753? – 1784) was the first African-American woman to have her writing published. Born in West Africa, she was probably just seven years old when she was enslaved and transported to Boston, where she was purchased by a merchant named John Wheatley.
Educated by Wheatley’s wife and daughter, Phillis was writing poetry by the age of twelve and had...
Read More