A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet
A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet presents the story of America’s brilliant first African- American woman poet.
In 1761, a young girl was sold to the Wheatley family in Boston, who named her Phillis after the slave schooner that had carried her. Kidnapped from her home in Africa and shipped to America, she’d had everything taken from her – her family, her name, and her language.
But Phillis had a passion to learn. Amid the tumult of the Revolutionary War, Phillis Wheatley became a poet. Ultimately, she had a book of verse published. In doing so, she established herself as the first African- American woman poet this country had ever known.
- About the author: Kathryn Lasky has authored many books for children, including Sugaring Time, a Newbery Honor Book. Kathryn chose to write about Phillis Wheatley’s story because the relationship between the writer’s voice, Phillis’ identity as a slave, and freedom fascinated her.
