Hawthornden Libraries

Hawthornden Foundation’s Libraries support our broader mission to give writers a refuge from the distractions and duties of daily life to allow them to concentrate fully on their writing. Our Libraries provide our writers-in-residence with a tranquil space for discovery and creation. We collect and provide access to the work of Hawthornden writers, grantees and award recipients.

The Libraries are housed in the three residency locations at Casa Ecco, Hawthornden Brooklyn and Hawthornden Castle. 

Included in the Libraries’ areas of interest for growth are books by Hawthornden Writers and Prize Winners; books published by Hawthornden grantees or presented at festivals funded by Hawthornden; books that relate to current world events; books by writers at risk or from demographics at risk; books by writers whose voices are not being heard, or are being censored; and books by small/independent presses with a focus on literature-in-translation and poetry.

Hawthornden Brooklyn:
The Library of Hettie Jones

Hettie Jones (born Hettie Cohen) was the visionary author of over 20 books of prose and poetry. She was a publisher and member of the Beat Generation, as well as an educator, editor, and speaker. She was the author of How I Became Hettie Jones (1990), and Big Star Fallin’ Mama: Five Women In Black Music (1974) as well as several children's books, notably The Trees Stand Shining: Poetry of the North American Indians (1971), and How to Eat Your ABC's: A Book About Vitamins (1976). Jones’ captivating poetry book Drive won the Poetry Society of America’s 1999 Norma Farber First Book Award. Along with her late ex-husband LeRoi Jones (later known as Amiri Baraka), Jones helped establish Yūgen literary magazine, as well as Totem Press.

The Jones family has been incredibly kind in their donation of Hettie Jones’ personal library to Hawthornden Brooklyn. The collection primarily spans from the 1930’s up until 2024 (the year of her death), and it is rich with works by and about her Beat Generation friends like Frank O’Hara, Robert Creeley, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg.

Hawthornden Foundation is grateful to the Jones Family for this generous donation of an important collection.

The Hawthornden Brooklyn Library will be open to outside researchers by appointment only. To schedule, please contact: brooklyn@hawthornden.org