菲莉斯．惠特利 (Phyllis
Wheatley) ：第一位出版专书的非裔美人
1773年9月1日
有一天，惠特利夫妇看到菲莉斯拿着粉笔在墙上写字。惠特利夫妇不但没有处罚菲莉斯，反而鼓励她学习。此外，惠特利夫妇的女儿也教导菲莉斯阅读和写作。惠特利同时也学习英国文学、拉丁文，以及圣经。但是她表现最好的地方却是在写诗这部分。她的第一首诗作于1767年就发表在「新港水星」 (Newport
Mercury) 这份报纸上头。
六年之后，在替惠特利一家人帮佣的情况下，菲莉斯．惠特利搭船到了伦敦，并且在那里遇到了赛琳娜．哈斯汀 (Selina
Hasting) ，也就是杭廷顿伯爵夫人 (Countess
of Huntingdon) 。伯爵夫人后来在1773年协助她出版了一册诗集。然而，在美国还有另外一个惊喜等着惠特利。
One day, the Wheatleys saw Phyllis writing on a wall with chalk. Rather than punish her, the Wheatleys encouraged her to learn. Their daughter tutored her in reading and writing. Wheatley also studied English literature, Latin, and the Bible, but what she did best was to write poetry. Her first poem was published in the Newport Mercury newspaper in 1767.
Six years later, in the service of the Wheatley family, Phyllis Wheatley sailed to London where she met Selina Hasting, the Countess of Huntingdon. The Countess helped Wheatley publish a volume of her poetry in 1773. Wheatley had another surprise waiting for her back in America.
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