February marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, one of the best known African American poets of the 19th century and a staunch abolitionist. This discussion recorded at HSP on February 23, 2011, examines the poetics and politics of  Harper's life. The panelists are: Lena Ampadu, professor of English and former director of African and African American Studies Program at Towson University; Melba Joyce Boyd, distinguished professor and chair of Africana Studies at Wayne State University; and Sonia Sanchez, author of more than a dozen books of poetry, including Shake Loose My Skin: New and Selected Poems.