BOA Blog

In an interview with 3AM Magazine,  Ales Steger, called "simply one of the most enjoyable poets to read in Europe right now," answers questions about his poetic style, his influences, and his titles.  Steger has published 4 books of poetry in the past 15 years, his most recent being The Book of Things. When asked about his style, which is called distinct and exact, Steger responds, "There are different kinds of exactness and different goals that could be acheived through attempts at precision.  Although rational, my poetry is not preoccupied with highlighting exact logical procedures.  Rather, it aims at throwing light at...

On Beloit Poetry Journal Poet's Forum, BOA Author Janice Harrington explains the inspiration behind her piece "Why, Oh Why, the Doily?"  She walks us from her early drafts in 2004 to the "springboard" Selden Rodman provided in Horace Pippen:  A Negro Painter in America. "I knew I wanted a poem that enacted obsession, wanted to crochet a poem (links, chains, intertwining, dropped stitches) that moved from the specifics of family history and memory toward more abstract representations." She then goes on to give an analysis of each section of her work, starting with section one, which "begins with a memory:  a woman crocheting beside the front window of her living room. ...

In the latest publication of The Hollins Critic, Lynnell Edwards offers her response to Cecilia Woloch's most recent book Carpathia.  Edwards writes that Woloch beautifully explores the notion of "place," a theme that is increasingly being studied by journals, panels, and universities.   "Cecilia Woloch's most recent book of poetry, Carpathia (2009) as well as her first four books spring chiefly from this complex understanding of place as both emotional and historical geography, and it is a theme that informs the trajectory of her five volumes of poetry."    Read an excert from the review here The Hollins Critic      

Each year, the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (a.k.a. AWP) holds a huge conference in a different city. This year the AWP Conference takes place in Washington, D.C. from Feb 2-5. As usual, BOA will be there selling books, meeting people, and soaking up the creative energy generated by having thousands of writers and publishers in the same place. If you're attending AWP, please visit the BOA tables: B31 and B32 Many of our authors will be on discussion panels and involved with readings and talks about journals, creative writing programs, etc. Here are a few BOA-specific highlights to mark...

In the new issue of Fogged Clarity, poet and critic Scott Hightower takes a smart look at Jeanne Marie Beaumont's new collection, Burning of the Three Fires:  "Burning of the Three Fires is Jeanne Marie Beaumont’s third book. The overriding characteristic of Beaumont’s poems is their exuberant exploration of poetic possibilities; i.e., variation. Beaumont is interested in the modal possibilities of poetry, she is no dabbler. Her interest is smart, abiding – and, ultimately for the reader, rewarding." Read the complete review here [Fogged Clarity on Burning of the Three Fires] [caption id="attachment_1137" align="aligncenter" width="265" caption="Jeanne Marie Beaumont. BOA poet."][/caption]