James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection

The James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection (JWJ) documents and celebrates the cultural and artistic achievements and the intellectual and political activities of African Americans.

Langston Hughes’ Homemade Christmas Cards From 1950 (Open Culture)
December 25, 2020
Auto-Criticism: Writing the Self in the World
December 15, 2020

Well known on campus and around the world as a site of important historical documents of all kinds, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript is also a regional...
Writing the Self: Images, Collections, Resources
December 12, 2020

Beinecke Library resources for contemplating and studying a broad range of topics related to writing the self: memoir, self-portraiture, self-presentation,...
Ann Petry Papers
December 2, 2020

The Ann Petry Manuscripts collection in the James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection ( JWJ MSS 206 ) contains the writings of American author Ann Petry...
Looking for Zora Neale Hurston in the Archives
December 2, 2020

This Sway by Curator Melissa Barton provides an introduction to Zora Neale Hurston in the archives. Barton begins, “ What can we know about a person from what...
Creativity in 2020: A History in Motion
November 23, 2020

We asked Justin, poet and student at the Yale Prison Education Initiative, to reflect on creativity in 2020. In response, he shared this poem, a rich and...
From the Archives: Art by Incarcerated Individuals
November 20, 2020

IN THE DIGITAL LIBRARY | ALSO IN BEINECKE CONNECTIONS | RELATED MATERIALS | BIBLIOGRAPHY & FURTHER READING This guide spotlights works written by...
Reaching for Joy: Poet Toi Derricotte discusses isolation, community, and taking risks (Chapter 16)
November 16, 2020
Yale Library Statement on Harmful Language in Archival Description
November 16, 2020
Words for the Nation: A Playlist of Readings from the Collections
November 2, 2020

Expecting to be waiting in line any time soon? Stressed and looking for prompts from the past for reflection in the present about paths for the future? For...