Sally Forth: A Historical Novel with Monique Hayes
In this episode of Historians & Their Histories, independent scholar and author Monique Hayes discusses her historical fiction novel which follows two African American brothers who take opposing paths during the American Revolution. She shares the challenges of writing about a period with few first-person narratives from African Americans, the excitement of discovering primary sources like Thomas Jefferson’s Farm Book and Continental Army orderly books, and how being in Boston during the 250th anniversary commemoration has enriched her understanding of Revolutionary War-era spaces.
Monique Hayes is the recipient of a fellowship from the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium, which is administered by the Massachusetts Historical Society.
To learn more about MHS fellowships and how to apply, please visit this page.
Episode Special Guest:
Monique Hayes is a historical fiction author, poet, and screenwriter who's currently working on a novel about two enslaved brothers who take very different paths to gain their freedom during the Revolutionary War. She is the recipient of a 2024-25 NERFC Fellowship, an American Antiquarian Society Fellowship, and an inaugural Courage to Write Grant (the deGroot Foundation).
This episode uses materials from:
Colocate by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)
