Tess Taylor’s Incredible Family Journey

Tess Taylor has had an amazing journey of discovery these past few months. Her debut poetry collection, The Forage House, chronicles the exploration of her familial lineage and ties to Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. It was the publication of this book that led Gayle Jessup White, a communications consultant, to reach out to Tess. Together, they discovered they were related through the Jefferson family line.

In an audio interview for The Takeaway, Tess and Gayle discussed how this experience came to be. “A note from Gayle to Tess sparked what would become a series of conversations, phone calls and eventual meetings that resulted in the women realizing they were related, distant cousins separated by the dark legacy of slavery, but linked by the Jefferson family line.”

To hear more of Tess and Gayle’s discussion on identity, family and the past, click here.

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