Happy Deathday, Ms. Wheatley!

On this day, in 1784, Phillis Wheatley, the first prominent black poet in the United States of America, died from unspecified causes at the age of 31, followed shortly after by her infant son.

Born in Gambia, Wheatley was made a slave at age seven. She was purchased by the Wheatley family of Boston. Thankfully, this family taught her to read and write, and always encouraged the young girl to write poetry.

The 1773 publication of Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was a big success and was the first book to be published by a black American. She was emancipated by her “owners”, following her poetic success, but chose to stay with the Wheatley family until the death of her former master.

She was a strong supporter of American independence, which is quite obviously reflected in both poems and various plays she wrote during the Revolutionary War.

It is a terrible tragedy that she died so young and impoverished. The statue pictured above can be seen along Boston’s famous Commonwealth Avenue. Sadly, her grave, which can be found at Copps Hill Burying Ground in Boston, was left unmarked.

But her mark upon the face of African-American literature cannot be denied. The fact that this woman had to appear in a court to defend her literary ability before her first work was even published, just to prove she had written it, is a grim reminder of a very dark piece of American history. But it should also serve as a beacon of hope for those out there right now who are struggling to be recognized, to be heard. Follow your dreams and never falter from them. For more biographical information on Wheatley, check out this website!

Today, think on your own freedom. Are you truly free? Have you taken this for granted? Write about what gives you hope. What inspires freedom within you? What does it mean… to be truly free?

Write on in peace, Ms. Wheatley!

Happy Deathday Mr. Ignatow!

On this day in 1997, American poet, David Ignatow died at the age of 83. Few poets have brought us face to face with death… Ignatow is one of them.

During his literary career, Ignatow worked as an editor of American Poetry Review, Analytic, Beloit Poetry Journal, and Chelsea Magazine, and as poetry editor of The Nation. His many honors include a Bollingen Prize in Poetry, two Guggenheim fellowships, the John Steinbeck Award, and a National Institute of Arts and Letters award “for a lifetime of creative effort.” He received the Shelley Memorial Award (1966), the Frost Medal (1992), and the William Carlos Williams Award (1997) of the Poetry Society of America.

Though he has a rather large selection of poetry to browse, we always find ourselves coming back to Rescue the Dead, published in 1968. Rescue the Dead is one of those books every writer should have in their arsenal. It is emotionally exhausting to read but never fails to inspire.The poems in this collection are both horrifying and hopeful.  A few other collections that are not to be missed are Tread the Dark, Leaving the Door Open and Living Is What I Wanted: Last Poems. Ignatow’s writing is infused with urban grit and wry humor and we just adore him for that! Whether he is writing about urban America, family relations, suicide, death or social change, he is always insightful.

Tonight, write about the America you know. Write about the death you know. Write the truest lines you’ll ever write.

Write on in peace, Mr. Ignatow!