Special Issue Introduction: "Dear Sister: Phillis Wheatley's Futures"

The recognition that Phillis Wheatley (Peters) is a significant figure in early American literature has fueled much scholarship in the last three decades centered on her life and literary contributions. Despite this increased focus on Wheatley, she remains an understudied figure in American culture. This introductory essay addresses the depth and vastness of Wheatley studies. It also notes the stakes inherent in the study and teaching of Wheatley in our current moment, marked by efforts to ban or severely restrict the teaching of race and slavery in American classrooms. These efforts are part of a general politics of white supremacy that has for centuries made the study of Wheatley a vexed proposition. This essay points out the rich possibilities for new avenues of exploration as the future of Wheatley Studies depends on a collective curiosity about who she is and a willingness to engage that curiosity.