JFK Library Inspires

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood draws visitors from right down the street and also from across the globe. For some visitors, it is a school class trip to learn about Boston’s most famous native son and 35th president of the United States. For others, the visit is a pilgrimage by people who have been inspired by President Kennedy’s legacy.

Designed by renowned architect I. M. Pei, the JFK Library is perched at the edge of Columbia Point, a serene setting for reflection. Given President Kennedy’s love of the sea, it is fitting that the Library sits on a ten-acre waterfront with panoramic views of Boston Harbor.

Inside, the JFK Library has spacious room for permanent and special exhibits, an auditorium for events and forums, a small theater and multimedia stations for visitors to learn about JFK’s 1,000 days in office.  The Library also has a cafeteria and a well-stocked gift shop offering visitors a full line of Kennedy books, such as JFK’s inspiring Profiles in Courage and Caroline Kennedy’s children’s and poetry books.

JFK Library has ongoing events throughout the year that are free to the public. Coming up is the annual St. Patrick’s Day concert on March 14. US Poet Laureate Billy Collins visits on March 29 to read from his new book, Dog Show, which coincides with the popular “Presidential Pets” exhibit currently at the library.

On April 26, the 2026 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel finalists and winner takes place at the Library, where Ernest Hemingway’s papers are housed. Sean Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway’s grandson, is making the presentation.

Award-winning novelist Alice McDermott is keynote speaker at the Hemingway event. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Long Island by first-generation Irish American parents, McDermott has always been drawn to the New York Irish landscape in her work, according to Irish America Magazine. “I sometimes feel that the longer I live, the more my Irish heritage percolates up through my DNA,” she says. “I recognize it in the stories I tell, the words I choose – in what moves me, what haunts me, what makes me laugh.”

jfklibrary.org