Nina Sankovitch with Jennifer Finney Boylan: Not Your Founding Father
From Library Talks by The New York Public Library
March 4, 2026 · 55 min
About this episode
Nina Sankovitch discusses her book on Jemima Wilkinson, a nonbinary revolutionary figure in American history.
In this episode of Library Talks , historian Nina Sankovitch discusses her new book Not Your Founding Father: How a Nonbinary Minister Became America's Most Radical Revolutionary. In 1776 a 23-year-old woman named Jemima Wilkinson suffered a severe illness, declared her past self dead, and then rebranded as the Public Universal Friend, a genderless messenger of God. In a few short years the Friend preached across the Northeast and attracted a devoted band of followers known as the Society of Universal Friends.
People in this episode
Host: Jennifer Finney Boylan
Guest: Nina Sankovitch
Topics covered
- historical figures
- gender identity
- American history
- nonbinary representation
- revolutionary movements
Keywords
- Nina Sankovitch
- Jennifer Finney Boylan
- Jemima Wilkinson
- nonbinary
- American Revolution
- historian
- Society of Universal Friends
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Society of Universal Friends
Books & works: Not Your Founding Father: How a Nonbinary Minister Became America's Most Radical Revolutionary
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