For much of the twentieth century, studies of Romantic-era literature tended to focus on the work of six white male poets—collectively referred to as “The Big Six”—despite the enormous popularity of numerous women writers and writers of color during the period. This talk will focus on the turn toward marginalized Romanticist writers over the past few decades, with a particular emphasis on poems and novels by and about women of color. In a period marked by heated debates about Britain’s slave trade and its eventual abolishment in 1807, writers had much to say about one of the most dominant issues of the day, providing a wealth of literary commentary toward which scholarly attention has only very recently turned. Presented by Dr. Rachel Gevlin.