BOA Blog

Christine Cody from Gently Read Literature calls Anne Germanacos In the Time of the Girls  (BOA, 2010) "contemporary and timeless." Recalling her first encounter with Germanacos, Cody says: "BOA Editions... builds stunningly gorgeous books. I can recognize their logo, a black and white rendering of Orpheus playing his lyre, from several shelves away. This sometimes is how I select books from the library—not by author, nor by title, but by beloved, trusted small press. And this is how Anne Germanacos found me. A painting by Belinda Bryce of a red dress and a tiny lamb, against a black background graces the front...

   We are thrilled to announce to you that Jillian Weise has been awarded the 2013 James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets for her second poetry collection The Book of Goodbyes (BOA Editions, 2013). Established in 1954, the James Laughlin Award is given annually to recognize and support the year’s most outstanding second book by a U.S. poet. It is the only second-book award for poetry in the United States. As recipient of the award, Jillian Weise will receive a $5,000 prize from the Academy of American Poets. The award ceremony will be held on October 25,...

We are proud to announce that Bruce Beasley's Theophobia (BOA, 2012) has been named a finalist for The Washington State Book Award (Poetry), alongside: Raptor by Andrew Feld (The University of Chicago Press); Here I Throw Down My Heart by Colleen J. McElroy (University of Pittsburgh Press); and Lacemakers by Claire McQuerry (Southern Illinois University Press). Plume by Kathleen Flenniken (University of Washington Press) took home the prize. The Washington State Book Award (formerly the Governor's Writers Award) is given annually for outstanding books published by Washington authors the previous year. The WSBA winners and finalists will be honored at a Book Awards...

In a West Branch Wired review of The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home, Janice Harrington is compared to late political poet Adrienne Rich, for her concern with "how the intersection of the personal and political engenders human dignity." Rich made her mark by adopting "increasingly radical forms in order to better advocate for the disenfranchised." According to the review, The Hands of Strangers shares a "commitment" that Rich also adhered to: "the shattering of a particular kind of silence." "Winding through nursing homes' sanitized rooms and hallways, The Hands of Strangers makes a study of women and...

Fred Shaw of Pittsburgh City Paper is calling Jim Daniels' new poetry collection Birth Marks (BOA, 2013) "clear-sighted about the past, without nostalgia." According to the review, Daniels "seems most interested  in keeping memories of places (and their inhabitants) alive with a worldly reverence,"  as evidenced through the poet's choice of speaker: "a faithful son/friend and realist, unafraid to point out his own faults and others'. This, paired with the grittiness of his surroundings, makes the collection stand out." By setting his poems in such urban landscapes as Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Oakland, all places which have heavily influenced the poet, they...