When Auden said poetry makes nothing happened, he was not referring to Phillis Wheatley; her accomplishments ushered in the end of slavery on this continent.
Phillis Wheatley’s first and only book of published poetry was titled Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral; it was published in England. There are two versions of the history of this book’s publication: one is that the Countess Selina of Huntington invited Phillis to London and found a publisher for the poet; the other is that Phillis suffered from asthma, and so the Wheatley family took her to England to recuperate, and while there, they sought publication of her work.
In May 1968 one poem written by Phillis Wheatley brought $68,500 at Christie's auction, Rockefeller Center in New York. It had been estimated to bring between $18,000 and $25,000. The poem is titled "Ocean" its seventy lines were written on three pages that had yellowed with time. It is thought to be the only copy.
For more on Phillis Wheatley, please see my October 29 article, Phillis Wheatley.
