Dec 14 ‘Dark Knight,’ ‘Grease’ added to National Film Registry By Jonathan Landrum Jr., Associated Press This year’s inductees into the National Film Registry include a record number of female directors and filmmakers of color as well as a new crop of movies ranging from a silent short film thriller, classic musicals and an acclaimed Batman… Continue reading
Nov 19 Joy Harjo will serve a rare third term as U.S. poet laureate By Joshua Barajas Harjo is the second poet laureate to serve this many terms in a row since the current duties of the position were established 77 years ago. Continue reading
Jun 24 Watch 6:10 Summer reading lists for young people at a time of crisis By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport Amid dual national crises of a pandemic and outrage over racism and police brutality, books provide opportunities both to learn more and to find distraction from reality. Jeffrey Brown talks to writer Jason Reynolds, the Library of Congress’ ambassador for… Continue watching
Dec 11 ‘Purple Rain’ and a record number of female-directed films join National Film Registry By Associated Press The films, chosen in consultation with the National Film Preservation Board and library specialists, also include Spike Lee's 1986 “She's Gotta Have It," the 1959 Disney classic “Sleeping Beauty” and the Disney-produced “Old Yeller” from 1957. Continue reading
Apr 23 Watch 4:55 How the autobiography of a Muslim slave is challenging an American narrative By Amna Nawaz, Leah Nagy Omar Ibn Said was 37 years old when he was taken from his West African home and transported to Charleston, South Carolina, as a slave in the 1800s. Now, his one-of-a-kind autobiographical manuscript has been translated from its original Arabic… Continue watching
Jul 22 The Library of Congress opened its catalogs to the world. Here’s why it matters By Melissa Levine, The Conversation Catalog data are a library's most important map to knowledge. What does it mean that the Library of Congress just released 25 million records to the public?… Continue reading
Jun 23 4 poets you need to read, from new poet laureate Tracy K. Smith By Elizabeth Flock Last week, the Library of Congress selected Tracy K. Smith as the new U.S. Poet Laureate. Here, Smith shares the poetry she recommends reading right now. Continue reading
Jun 20 Tony Bennett named next recipient of Gershwin Prize By Joshua Barajas Bennett is the ninth recipient, following past honorees like Smokey Robinson, Willie Nelson, Carole King, among others. Continue reading
Jun 14 Watch new poet laureate Tracy K. Smith read two of her poems By Larisa Epatko Tracy K. Smith, the nation’s newest poet laureate, says writing is not just about expressing emotion but of the choices you make when putting words on the page. She reads two of her poems here. Continue reading
May 05 Disco deserves more respect. These 5 songs prove why By Joshua Barajas As the Library of Congress celebrates disco for the first time, we asked music historian Bill Brewster to spotlight five revolutionary disco tracks. Continue reading