Welcome to the fanlisting for Phillis Wheatley. Kidnapped from Africa when she was just a child, Phillis became a slave in the United States. She was extremely intelligent, and her owners saw to her education in English, Latin, classics, and theology. At age 13, Phillis had a poem printed in a local newspaper, making her the first published African-American poet. In 1773, her book of poetry was published in England and (eventually) in the States to wide acclaim. She was freed that same year and married in 1778. Tragically, Phillis died in poverty, and her last manuscript has never been found. The fanlisting's title comes from her poem "On Imagination."

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opened October 11, 2006
last updated May 21, 2008
part of much-ado.net

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