Honorée Fanonne Jeffers' 'The Age of Phyllis' delves into the complex life and enduring legacy of Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved African-American woman who became a celebrated poet in the 18th century. Through meticulous research and powerful verse, Jeffers reimagines Wheatley's experiences, challenging conventional narratives and giving voice to her struggles and triumphs. The collection explores themes of race, identity, and artistic expression, shedding light on the historical context in which Wheatley lived and worked. Jeffers' poems grapple with Wheatley's complicated relationship with her enslavers and the literary establishment of her time. This book serves as both a biography and a testament to the resilience and creative genius of a woman who defied the limitations of her era.
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers' 'Love Songs' is a collection of poems that explores the multifaceted dimensions of love within the context of race, history, and personal identity. Through vivid imagery and intimate narratives, Jeffers delves into the complexities of relationships, family, and self-discovery. The poems capture the voices and experiences of Black women, celebrating their strength, resilience, and beauty. With unflinching honesty, Jeffers confronts issues of racial injustice, cultural heritage, and the search for belonging. The collection serves as a powerful testament to the enduring power of love in the face of adversity. Jeffers' lyrical and evocative style creates a deeply moving reading experience, inviting readers to contemplate the universal themes of love, loss, and the human spirit.
The Song of Solomon is a lyric poem that extols the virtues of love between a husband and his wife. It presents marriage as God's design, emphasizing care, commitment, and delight within the marital relationship. The book is divided into three main sections: courtship, the wedding, and the maturing marriage. It also contains themes of physical and spiritual love, and some interpretations see it as an allegory for Christ's love for the Church[1][4][5].
The New York Times-bestselling, National Book Award-nominated author of The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois and The Age of Phillis makes her nonfiction debut with this personal and thought-provoking work that explores the journeys and possibilities of Black women throughout American history and in contemporary times.
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers is at a crossroads.
Traditional African/Black American cultures present the crossroads as a place of simultaneous difficulty and possibility. In contemporary times, Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the phrase “intersectionality” to explain the unique position of Black women in America. In many ways, they are at a third crossroads: attempting to fit into notions of femininity and respectability primarily assigned to White women, while inventing improvisational strategies to combat oppression.
In Misbehaving at the Crossroads: Essays and Writings (Harper, 2025), Jeffers explores the emotional and historical tensions in Black women’s public lives and her own private life. She charts voyages of Black girlhood to womanhood and the currents buffeting these journeys, including the difficulties of racially gendered oppression, the challenges of documenting Black women’s ancestry; the adultification of Black girls; the irony of Black female respectability politics; the origins of Womanism/Black feminism; and resistance to White supremacy and patriarchy. As Jeffers shows with empathy and wisdom, naming difficult historical truths represents both Blues and transcendence, a crossroads that speaks.
Necessary and sharply observed, provocative and humane, and full of the insight and brilliance that has characterized her poetry and fiction, Misbehaving at the Crossroads illustrates the life of one extraordinary Black woman—and her extraordinary foremothers.
Find author Honorée Fannone Jeffers at her website, Instagram, Bluesky, and Substack.
Host Sullivan Summer can be found at her website, Instagram, and Substack.
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