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Alison Clarke
The writer and artist Alison Clarke discusses her poetry collection Phillis (University of Calgary Press, 2020), about the poet Phillis Wheatley, the first African American poet to be published in 1773, who was also a slave, with Joseph Planta.
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Phillis by Alison Clarke (University of Calgary Press, 2020).
Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Phillis
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Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:
I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver,
British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.
In 1773, around the age of twenty, Phillis Wheatley, a slave, became the first African American to publish a book of poetry. Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral received international acclaim, yet she was enslaved. A new collection of poetry from the writer and artist Alison Clarke, Phillis, introduces readers to Wheatley. We get a sense of her remarkable talent, as well as the conditions in which she endured. I’ll get Ms. Clarke, who joins me now, to tell us about Wheatley, and the poetry in this collection. Most are inspired by Wheatley, some are written from the viewpoint of Black intellectuals and entrepreneurs who have been inspired by her. Alison Clarke is also the author of The Sisterhood Series, and winner of the Diversity Magazine Award for Writer of the Year. This new book is published by University of Calgary Press. She joined me from Edmonton, Alberta three weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Alison Clarke; Ms. Clarke, good morning.
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