Objects of Attention

Poetry. African American Studies. Women’s Studies. In 1787, Sally Hemings joined her brother James as a paid servant to Thomas Jefferson in Paris, France. In 1789, she returned to Monticello pregnant, a slave again, at her own will. OBJECTS OF ATTENTION explores the intimate boundaries between slave and slaveowner, celebrating the rich interior life and intellect of the enslaved woman while examining the contradictory laws and classic philosophies that supported her captivity. Using the writings of Thomas Jefferson as a framework and textual source, the poems offer a counter- narrative and a shade of depth to the controversial relationship. The collection—written as love letters, laws and language exercises—challenges the ownership of facts—puncturing and punctuating the silence of history.