World Poetry Day Jamaica Celebrated in Fine Style
On Monday, March 21, 2022, the National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) hosted their annual “World Poetry Day Jamaica” celebration at The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel. The event saw the announcement of the 2022 cycle of the Jamaica Poet Laureate Prizes for Poetry (National Poetry...
National Library of Jamaica ushers in its 40th Anniversary with signature events
The National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) has had a busy month hosting two of its signature events: the 40th Anniversary Distinguished Lecture, held on Sunday, March 3, and its World Poetry Day, Jamaica Celebration, held on Thursday, March 21. Both events were held at the...
10 Captivating Jamaican Love Stories
In this season of love, we’re taking a look at 10 of Jamaica’s most captivating love stories. These stories of triumphant love gripped the nation and became indelibly entwined in the country’s social history and lore.
From Jamaica to Johannesburg: Lorna Goodison speaks at African Women Writers Symposium
On September 15, 2017, the Poet Laureate of Jamaica, Lorna Goodison, delivered the Nadine Gordimer Memorial Lecture at the 5th African Women International Writer's Symposium in Johannesburg, South Africa. During the symposium, Goodison also gave poetry...
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...
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’....
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
August 23 is marked as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. August 1791 is also the anniversary of the start of the Haitian Revolution. The uprising of enslaved and free black men and women on the island of Saint-Dominique...
In Celebration of Emancipation: A New Poem by Lorna Goodison, Poet Laureate of Jamaica
Lorna Goodison, the Poet Laureate of Jamaica, has penned a new composition to commemorate the country's 2017 Emancipation celebrations. Written in three voices, this new poem explores Emancipation and the experiences of slavery from the perspective of those who lived...
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...