Lorna Goodison to receive Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Poet Laureate of Jamaica, Lorna Goodison, has been awarded the 2019 Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry.
Goodison, who is the first Jamaican to receive this honour, will be presented with her medal by the Queen, during an audience at Buckingham Palace next year.
In an Instagram post this morning, the royal family congratulated Goodison on the achievement.
“The Poetry Medal Committee, chaired by 2018 winner Simon Armitage, recommended Lorna for the award. The committee was inspired by Lorna’s body of work and reputation as an influential contemporary author both at home, in Jamaica, and internationally,” the post said.
The Gold Medal for Poetry was established by King George V in 1933. Each year’s recipient is from the United Kingdom or a Commonwealth realm, the post added.