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...
#SummerReads: ‘Testing the Chains’ by Michael Craton
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....
#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...
#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....
Remembering Tom Redcam: Jamaica’s first Poet Laureate
In celebration of the birthday of Tom Redcam - 147 years ago today - we remember the legacy of Jamaica's first Poet Laureate. J.E.Clare McFarlane once wrote that 'any consideration of the poetry of Jamaica must, of necessity, begin with Tom Redcam'. Thomas...
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...
Home At Last: The Anthony Winkler Archives at the National Library of Jamaica
The following speech was delivered by Dr. Kim Robinson-Walcott at the Presentation of the Anthony Winkler Archives to the National Library of Jamaica on April 6, 2017. Kim Robinson-Walcott, PhD, is editor/head of Caribbean Quarterly, University of...
Our Favourite Reads: Chandra Smellie on ‘The Painted Canoe’ by Anthony Winkler
Library Assistant at the NLJ, Chandra Smellie, discusses her favourite read – ‘The Painted Canoe’ by Anthony Winkler.
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...
Ishion Hutchinson nominated for prestigious poetry award
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...