BOA Blog

Typographical Era has placed Lee Upton's new collection The Tao of Humiliation on its list of "Best New Fiction: May 2014." "Author, poet, essay writer and Pushcart Prize winner Lee Upton returns with new collection of short stories about, you guessed it, humiliation. These 17 solidly structured tales look to investigate the many ways in which we choose to treat each other, and how even though embarrassment can get the better of us at times, it can also be a powerful motivating factor in our everyday lives." Click here to see Typographical Era's entire list of "Best New Fiction: May...

According to a new Publishers Weekly review of The Keys to the Jail, "love lost, love almost lost, landscapes explored (especially those of the mountain West), sex imagined, and sex enjoyed all play their parts in this strongly felt, if sometimes talky, second effort from Kuipers." Noting Kuipers' creative exploration of intensely personal subjects, the review continues: "Her poems about love between women can be her strongest, and her identities complex ... her sense of place serves her sense of how people behave. Fans of Mark Doty, or of Eavan Boland will find a lot here to like, especially once...

Jim Daniels' recent poetry collection Birth Marks has just received the Poetry Gold Medal for the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Awards, AND the Binghamton University Milt Kessler Poetry Book Award! Along with being named a Michigan Notable Book for 2014, these are two of many awards, accolades, and praises Daniels has received for his 14th poetry collection. Conducted annually, the Independent Publisher Book Awards honor the year's best independently published titles from around the world. The awards ceremony will take place on May 28, 2014 in New York, on the eve of BookExpo America. For the Milt Kessler Poetry Book...

Library Journal recently placed Geffrey Davis' Revising the Storm and Keetje Kuipers' The Keys to the Jail on its list of "Thirty Amazing Poetry Titles for Spring 2014." According to the feature, "Davis’ lyrical debut is rooted in the tender memories of childhood; a boy observes the actions of his father and later comes into his manhood, reflecting on the lessons of his youth and what it means to be a father. Signaling the frailty that we are made to feel when we’re vulnerable, these poems give voice to the important and powerful role of family..." Calling The Keys to...

In a recent The Journal review of Keetje Kuipers' new collection The Keys to the Jail, reviewer Sonja James calls the book "a fresh and audacious look at the darker side of the human condition." The review highlights some of the collection's central themes: relationships, death, and what it means to be a "self."  Clearly unafraid to plumb the depths, Kuipers brings readers to places we are often hesitant to explore. "Her imagery is richly fluid and at times startling. With a deft hand, she guides us through poems on love, sexuality, longing, what it means to be a self, and...