You're listening to an airwave media podcast.

Ben Franklin's world is a production of Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios.

I'm looking to make a drama out of a crisis and there was definitely not just Phyllis's personal crisis but

luckily for me the backdrop is also quite critical because it's the run up to the American

Revolution. Hello and welcome to episode 377 of Ben Franklin's world.

The podcast dedicated to helping you,

learn more about how the people and events of our early American past

have shaped the present day world we live in.

And I'm your host, Liz Kovart.

Although the official United States commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American

Revolution won't take place until July 4,

2026. The 250th anniversary of some of the big and important events of the

Revolution are already taking place. For example, December 2023 marked the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

It also marked the 250th anniversary of the arrival of Phyllis Wheatley's published book of poetry in the British-American colonies.

Phyllis Wheatley was an enslaved African woman who, as a teenager, became the first published African author of a book of poetry written in English. A Day Shalanka, an award-winning playwright and screenwriter has written two plays about Phyllis Wheatley's life

to commemorate the semi-Quincontennial of Wheatley's literary accomplishments.

So in today's episode, we're not only going to explore the life and times of Phyllis Wheatley,

we're also going to explore how playwrights use and research

history to help them create dramatic works of art. Works of art that can help us in the present

form an emotional connection with the past.

Now during our exploration, a day reveals information about Phyllis Wheatley's early life

and the cultural origin she came from in the Senegambia region of Africa.

...