Honorée Fanonne Jeffers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
Jeffers in 2014
Born	1967 (age 57–58) Kokomo, Indiana, United States
Nationality	American
Education	Talladega College University of Alabama
Occupation	Poet novelist academic
Employer	University of Oklahoma
Notable work	The Age of Phillis (2020); The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois (2021)
Awards	NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry (2021)

Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, born in 1967, is an American poet and novelist. She is also a professor of English at the University of Oklahoma. She has written five collections of poetry and one novel.

Her 2020 poetry collection, The Age of Phillis, explores the life of the 18th-century American poet Phillis Wheatley. Jeffers spent many years researching historical records for this book. It was recognized with the 2021 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry. Her first novel, The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, was published in 2021.

About Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Jeffers was born in Kokomo, Indiana. She grew up in Durham, North Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia. Her mother's family came from Eatonton, Georgia. Jeffers has shared that her father's family was well-off. She wrote about her family history in her 2007 book, Red Clay Suite. She once said that her mother's parents were sharecroppers. This means they farmed land owned by someone else and paid rent with a share of their crops. She often writes about her family's land and what it means to her.

Education and Early Career

Jeffers graduated from Talladega College in 1996. She then earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the University of Alabama. In an interview, she remembered being the only Black poet in her writing program. She learned from the Black Arts Movement but also developed her own style. She is now a full professor at the University of Oklahoma. There, she teaches students how to write creatively.

Her poems have appeared in many literary journals. These include Ploughshares, The Iowa Review, and Poetry. Other famous poets and editors have also included her work in their collections.

The Age of Phillis: A New Look at History

Discovering Phillis Wheatley's Story

Phillis Wheatley was an important American poet from the 1700s. Much of what was known about her came from a story written by Margaretta Matilda Odell. Odell was a white woman who wrote this story about 50 years after Wheatley died in 1784. Odell claimed to be related to the Wheatley family. This was the family that had enslaved Phillis Wheatley. After being freed and marrying John Peters, Phillis changed her name to Phillis Peters.

Scholars have pointed out that Odell's story made the Wheatley family seem very kind. It also made it seem like Phillis's journey from Africa was not traumatic. It even made John Peters seem like a bad person who left Phillis in financial trouble.

Jeffers' Research and Writing

Honorée Fanonne Jeffers received a special fellowship in 2009. This helped her research and write The Age of Phillis. The book was published in 2020. Jeffers spent 15 years working on this project. She felt a strong connection to Phillis Wheatley's story.

Jeffers' book corrects many parts of Odell's accepted story. She "fills in the gaps" using her own research. For example, Jeffers found that John Peters might not have abandoned his wife. She also found no proof that Odell was related to the Wheatley family.

The main part of Jeffers' book is a collection of poems. These poems retell and rewrite Wheatley's life. Jeffers combines creative writing with historical research. This method is sometimes called "critical fabulation." For instance, Phillis Wheatley wrote a second book of poems that was never published. Jeffers found a letter showing that John Peters tried to get that book printed. This suggests that Phillis and John might have been in love. Jeffers believes it's important to show that Black people in history also fell in love.

Jeffers' poems add details that Odell's biography left out. She imagines love letters between Phillis and Peters. She also pictures Phillis's life before she was kidnapped and enslaved. Jeffers gives a more complete view of Phillis's relationship with the Wheatley family. She also comments on other important issues. For example, Jeffers shows a first draft of a letter from Wheatley to George Washington. In this draft, Wheatley expresses her frustration with flattering white leaders.

Sir, I have taken the freedom which if
my master hadn't given me would have
been my own anyway to address your
Excellency who I heard behaves like
either a gentlemen or a tyrant
depending on his moods or his money

Awards for The Age of Phillis

The Age of Phillis was considered for the 2020 National Book Award for Poetry. It also won the 2021 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry.

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois: A First Novel

Jeffers' first novel, The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, was released in August 2021. It received great reviews. Oprah Winfrey chose it for her famous book club. The book was also a finalist for the 2021 Kirkus Prize for Fiction. It was also considered for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction. A reviewer from The Guardian newspaper called the book "mammoth in size and scope." They praised how deeply it explored history.

Awards and Honors for Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Honorée Fanonne Jeffers has received many awards and honors for her writing.

Literary Awards

She was a NEA Literature Fellow. This is a special award for writers.

Other Honors

In 2018, Jeffers received the Harper Lee Award for Literary Distinction. In 2020, she was added to the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. Her important work on Phillis Wheatley was recognized by the American Antiquarian Society. They welcomed her into their organization. Jeffers also became a United States Artists fellow, which came with a $50,000 grant.