UGA hosts a screening and discussion of In Search of Phillis Wheatley Peters, a new, thirty-five minute documentary about America’s first published Black poet. Produced by Askew Pictures, the film illuminates a largely overlooked chapter of Wheatley Peters’ story: her marriage to John Peters and the radical choices she made in pursuit of autonomy, dignity, and love.
With special guest and commentator, writer and director Leslie Askew, an award-recognized television producer and documentary director with over twenty years of experience working across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia. She is the founder of Askew Pictures, an independent documentary studio focused on history, culture, and social-impact storytelling. Her recent projects include Pignorant, currently streaming on Amazon Prime, and Harvesting Justice, a documentary series examining food justice and grassroots activism, set to air on PBS in 2026. Her work has been commissioned by major broadcasters, including CNN, ITV (UK), SBS (Australia), Al Jazeera, CBS, BET, and PBS.