Meet Phillis

Dolls of Our Lives

This month we read The Age of Phillis by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers. This book of poetry examines the inner life and historical worlds of Phillis Wheatley Peters. Jeffers first learned of Phillis in school as one of America’s firsts. In this telling of Phillis’s story, Jeffers begins in West Africa, with the life that came before Phillis was an enslaved poet in Boston. Using historical research, Jeffers probes the under-examined aspects of Phillis Wheatley Peters’s life. How did she fall in love, nurture her faith, and make lasting friendships? Join in our discussion of this rich book.

Original Air Date: January 25, 2021