Memoirs of the Life, Religious Experience, Ministerial Travels, and Labours of Mrs. Elaw

Zilpha Elaw (c. 1790-1873) was an African-American preacher and spiritual autobiographer. She has been cited as “one of the first outspoken black women in the United States.” She was an African-American preacher and spiritual autobiographer. Kimberly D. Blockett is chair and professor of Africana Studies at the University of Delaware; she was previously associate professor of English at Penn State Brandywine. Her publications appear in the Cambridge History of African American Literature, MLA Approaches to Teaching Hurston, MELUS, African American Review, and Legacy.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionNote on the TextMemoirs of the Life, Religious Experience, Ministerial Travels and Labours, of Mrs. Zilpha Elaw, An American Female of ColourAppendix A: Rebecca Elaw Pierce Crawford’s LifeAppendix B: Images and Archival MaterialsTimelineNotesWorks CitedSelect Bibliography

“Outstanding. Kimberly Blockett’s edition of Zilpha Elaw’s memoirs will become the authoritative edition of this text and the best biographical treatment of Elaw.” - John Ernest, author of Douglass in His Own Time: A Biographical Chronicle of His Life, Drawn from Recollections, Interviews, and Memoirs by Family, Friends, and Associates