Blog

National Library of Jamaica launches new online resource ‘Index to Jamaican Poetry’

The National Library of Jamaica launched its newest online resource; Index to Jamaican Poetry on Friday, April 22, 2016. If you are searching for a Jamaican poem but you only know the author, title, or first line, then this Index to Jamaican Poetry will tell you in...

#SummerReads: ‘The Sun is Also a Star’ by Nicola Yoon

It's Summer! This is a time to unwind and get some much needed rest and relaxation. Whether you're spending your holidays at the beach, in the country, overseas, or just enjoying a relaxing 'stay-cation', you'll want to keep these #SummerReads close at hand....

180 years of history for the National Library

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20160504/180-years-history-national-library

#SummerReads: ‘Testing the Chains’ by Michael Craton

Presenting Lorna Goodison, Poet Laureate of Jamaica

On Wednesday, May 17, 2017, Lorna Goodison CD was officially invested as the Poet Laureate of Jamaica 2017-2020. Despite the heavy rains the day before, the glittering Ballroom at King's House was filled with dignitaries, well wishers, and lovers of poetry...

Lives Derailed: On the 60th Anniversary of the Kendal Train Crash

In 1957, Norman Manley was Chief Minister, Alfred Hitchcock’s new thriller, Vertigo, had recently premiered at the Carib Cinema, and Radio Jamaica and Rediffusion filled the airwaves with programmes such as ‘Talent Parade’ and Alma Mock-Yen’s ‘Tea Time’....

The Story of the Jamaican National Flag

Have you ever wondered what’s the story behind our beloved Jamaican National Flag? Imagine if instead of the black, green, and gold, we hailed the blue, black and yellow? Or what about saluting the ‘white crocodile’? As we celebrate Jamaica’s 55th anniversary as an...

Our New Money! On the Anniversary of Changeover Day

On Monday September 8, 1969 (known as Changeover Day) Jamaica saw the introduction of five (5) coins that truly marked the beginning of Jamaican currency/coinage. After 149 years (1840) of using the currency of the United Kingdom, the island was finally getting ‘its...

Farewell, Poet

Statement on the death of Sir Derek Walcott by Mrs. Winsome Hudson, National Librarian and CEO of the National Library of Jamaica So Derek Walcott, the poet is dead. But, Derek Walcott was not just any poet; he was the poet who unconditionally loved the people...

#Summer Reads: The Pagoda by Patricia Powell

Handpicked by National Library of Jamaica staff, these books are sure to grab your attention and maybe even teach you something you didn’t know before. All our #SummerReads are available in the book collection at the NLJ. Let us know what you think! The...

Our Favourite Reads: Chandra Smellie on ‘The Painted Canoe’ by Anthony Winkler

by Delmark Thompson | Apr 4, 2017 | 12 East Street, At the NLJ, Literature and Poetry

Library Assistant at the NLJ, Chandra Smellie, discusses her favourite read – ‘The Painted Canoe’ by Anthony Winkler.

Farewell, Poet

by Delmark Thompson | Mar 20, 2017 | 12 East Street, Literature and Poetry

Ishion Hutchinson nominated for prestigious poetry award

by Delmark Thompson | Mar 6, 2017 | 12 East Street, Literature and Poetry

Jamaican poet, Ishion Hutchinson has been nominated for the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. This nomination is for his second and latest collection, House of Lords and Commons; published last year by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Hutchinson is among...

10 Captivating Jamaican Love Stories

by Delmark Thompson | Feb 14, 2017 | 12 East Street

In this season of love, we’re taking a look at 10 captivating love stories. These stories of triumphant love gripped the nation…

“Miss Lou and Why She Matters” – Presentation by Professor Mervyn Morris, Poet Laureate of Jamaica at the Launch of the Miss Lou Archives on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016 at the NLJ.

by Delmark Thompson | Nov 18, 2016 | 12 East Street, At the NLJ, Culture

For many of Miss Lou’s admirers she was simply a humorous entertainer. She was always more than that.[1] As Robert Verity put it in 1961: ‘Her work has constituted an invaluable contribution to the discovery and development of an indigenous culture and her verses...