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Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784) -- African-American poet

Born in West Africa and sold into slavery, she learned to read and write by the age of 9 and became the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry. In addition to having to prove she had indeed written the poetry, no one in America would publish her work. She was forced to go to England where the pieces were published in London in 1773. Years later, she sent one of her poems to George Washington who requested and received a meeting with her at his headquarters in Cambridge in 1776. However, she died before securing a publisher for her second volume of poetry and letters. In early 2023, a University at Albany professor discovered a new Wheatley poem, “On the Death of Love Rotch,” that's now considered her first full-length elegy.