“Unhired Hands,” Feb. 1

Contributed photo

A program of storytelling and poetry on February 1 at the Weston Public Library explores the history of slavery in the North during the Colonial era, the first of a lecture series, “America 250: The Revolutionary Spirit.”

“Unhired Hands,” a program by poet, actor, and playwright David Mills takes place at 3:00. It’s free, but registration is encouraged.

Interweaving poems and stories, Mr. Mills introduces figures like Millie Tunnell, who served George Washington and would become the oldest living woman in Queens. He relates how Onesimus, an enslaved African man, went on to help save the Massachusetts colony from smallpox, and how Victoria Earle Matthews, an enslaved woman, became a celebrated writer and a leader of the settlement movement.

Mr. Mills is a fellow at the Cullman Center of the New York Public Library. His most recent books, Unhired Hands and How the Earth Answers, both focus on slavery in the North. He has also published four poetry collections: Boneyarn, The Sudden Country, The Dream Detective, and After Mistic.

The Revolutionary Spirit lecture series is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Weston Public Library, Weston History & Culture Center, and the Weston League of Women Voters.