Exploring the Layers of Wheatley's Poetic Genius

To view the poem, please see: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45465/on-being-brought-from-africa-to-america

To hear Cornelius Eady reading the poem and discussing it, see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QezAVP_HiY

For a foundational essay about Phillis Wheatley and her work, please see June Jordan's essay, "The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America."

For two examples of the way Wheatley has inspired other artists and writers, please see the work of Cornelius Eady and Honoree Fanonne Jeffers.

Eady, "Diabolic"
Eady, "To Phillis Wheatley's Mother"
Eady, Interview

Jeffers, The Age of Phillis

Links:

• The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America… | Poetry Foundation
• Cornelius Eady Reading and Discussing Phillis Wheatley's "On Being Brought from Africa to America" Read by Cornelius Eady - YouTube
• Honoree Fanonne Jeffers, The Age of Phillis – HFS Books