Speaker:  Wendy Roberts, Associate Professor of English, University at Albany

Phillis Wheatley is often referred to as the Mother of African American literature, the first Black person, and therefore also the first Black woman living in British North America to publish a book, and, because it was a book of poetry, the first to publish a book of poetry. This year we celebrate the 250^th anniversary of the publication of that work, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773). While it is important to celebrate her firstness, and this can be and has been a source of inspiration for many, it can also underwrite triumphalist stories of American exceptionalism, liberalism, and white supremacism if we leave it at that. Beyond a list of firsts, why is Wheatley important to read? This interactive session will allow time to slow read and understand the context of a few of Wheatley’s most important poems to begin to answer this question.   — All who identify as women are invited to join us for this unique program.

We will serve coffee, tea, and dessert before the program.  We urge you to arrive by 6:45 pm (or 6:30, if you’d like to have more time to socialize).  Use the back door to the church, off the parking lot.  We want everyone to have time to greet each other and settle in before Wendy’s talk begins shortly after 7 pm.  Following the presentation, there will be time for questions.  Networking (when each woman may share something of interest with the group) will begin around 8:15, and the meeting will end no later than 9 pm.

While reservations are not required, in order to have some idea of how many people to expect, it would be helpful if you would email Gabrielle Reals at ellegr3@gmail.com by Tuesday, November 14, to let her know you are coming.  (If you forget to do this, we urge you to come anyway!)  As a reminder, there will be no charge for EBWA programs this year, but in order for us to be able to pay our speakers an honorarium, we need your help.  Please consider subscribing by bringing a $30 check made out to EBWA to the meeting (or contacting Carol Furman at cfurm13@gmail.com to learn where to send your check).  Those who have subscribed may attend the in-person meetings this year for free.  All others will be asked to contribute $5 toward our costs, at the door.

Looking ahead: Our December 14 program will feature Wanda Fischer, WAMC’s longest tenured employee.  She will speak about “Forty Years (…and Counting) of Folk Music on the ‘Hudson River Sampler’ ”  To see the full calendar of EBWA programs for 2023-2034, click HERE.