Despite now being Jamaica’s Poet Laureate, Lorna Goodison says she didn’t choose to write poetry. She was compelled by the people around her growing up to think about their histories and the legacy of slavery in Jamaica. The public holiday of Emancipation Day on the 1st of August commemorates the end of slavery in Jamaica and, for her first year as poet laureate, Lorna has decided to write a special poem for the occasion. 

 

Listen to Lorna Goodison's interview here.