A new documentary that explores the under-explored domestic life of African poet Phillis Wheatley Peters, commonly referred to as Phillis Wheatley, was screened at the Konover Auditorium, located in the University of Connecticut’s Dodd Center, on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
The documentary, “In Search of Phillis Wheatley Peters,” focused on Wheatley’s marriage with the freed slave John Peters. Documentary director Leslie Askew and collaborator Manisha Sinha, a history professor at UConn, answered questions from the audience and UConn English professor Anna Mae Duane after the screening.
Wheatley was the first African and one of the first women in America to publish her poetry. She published her first poem at only 14 years old, and in 1773, her book “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral” was released. But while her early years are well-documented and discussed, her life after publication has received less coverage.
The documentary still began with Wheatley’s earlier life, starting with her kidnapping from West Africa in 1761. It progressed through her learning English through her slaveowners, and the attention she garnered from figures of importance like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin once she got published.
The documentary combined historical paintings and archival prints of Wheatley’s poems as some of the main visuals. They appeared alongside modern footage from expert interviews and shots of locations relevant to Wheatley, especially in Boston. There were also depictions of Wheatley and Peters using artificial intelligence, which showed moments like Wheatley writing and the couple getting married.
Wheatley married Peters in 1778, five years after her poetry book’s publication. The documentary explained how the couple moved to Middleton, Massachusetts. Parts of their life there, including Peters taking on domestic responsibilities so Wheatley could write more poetry and a legal dispute with the homeowner, Naomi Wilkins, that forced them back to Boston, were recently unearthed by Cornelia Dayton, a UConn history professor.
One of the newest revelations came from scraps of a legal dispute, which revealed information about Wheatley’s child, whose early death may have inspired one of her last published poems.
After the screening, Duane asked Askew about what inspired her to make the documentary. Askew said she was reintroduced to Wheatley in her adult life by chance and was captivated by her story after doing research.
“She is all black women,” Askew said to describe Wheatley’s literary prowess and entrepreneurial spirit. But she emphasized that Wheatley’s struggles after publication show resilience during darker moments.
Martha Cutter, an English professor at UConn, asked about the use of artificial intelligence in the film, and the creative decision to only use it to display Wheatley and Peters.
Askew said it was important to show humanity, and artificial intelligence helped navigate that. She said it was hard to find relevant and accurate artistic depictions that did not include racial stereotypes that would be harmful. It also helped with the cost that would come from hiring actors.
“I was resistant towards using AI, but it was this or nothing,” Askew said.
Victor Dickson, a fifth-semester English student, said the documentary gave him helpful insight into Wheatley’s life, and he said it is important to ensure her contributions as an African woman aren’t forgotten. He described the use of artificial intelligence in the documentary as “uncanny” but not “awful.”
“I think her reasoning and admittance to using AI for this documentary was understandable, and it’s not like she’s planning to keep this as a standard forever as she even stated that she’s hoping to get some funding for actors someday,” Dickson said.
Askew said she hopes to turn the current 35-minute documentary into a longer film that can be distributed to different schools.