Harriet E. Wilson was an African-American novelist. She was the first African American to publish a novel on the North American continent.
She wrote one novel. Wilson later was associated with the Spiritualist church, was paid on the public lecture circuit for her lectures about her life, and worked as a housekeeper in a boarding house. 

Harriet E. Wilson (March 15, 1825 - June 28, 1900) was an African-American novelist. She was the first African American to publish a novel on the North American continent.