BOA Blog

Ah yes, it's true, kids do say the darndest things. But in the hands of poet Naomi Shihab Nye, those "darndest things" turn into poetic observations with the power to remind our adult minds of the pure wonder - and insight - that children possess.  Here is Naomi reading her poem "One Boy Told Me" which is a "found poem" of insights given to her by her son as he grew up. The recording is from The Poetry Foundation's "Poetry Everywhere" video series and the reading is from the Dodge Poetry Festival. BOA is proud to have published Naomi's collections, Red Suitcase,  Fuel,  and, You & Yours. We are...

[caption id="attachment_915" align="alignleft" width="190" caption="Peter Orlovsky (left) and Allen Ginsberg"][/caption] The poetry world is simultaneously small and enormous. It creates an immediate sense of intimacy while also sweeping across centuries and continents. Peter Orlovsky was in the thick of the Beat movement and, alongside Allen Ginsberg, logged more miles in the name of poetry (and lifelong adventure) than just about anyone. To many, he was a living embodiment of what we think of when we hear the word "poet." He died last week at the age of 76. Here at BOA, we give thanks for the spirit he brought into the world and the work...

You don't need to be from Rochester to make plans for the Rochester International Jazz Festival. It is what it says it is: an international jazz festival. And it's the real deal! The XRIJF runs June 11-19 and includes hundreds of shows spread out all over the city. The big names at this year's festival include Herbie Hancock, Gladys Knight, Jeff Beck, Bernie Williams, and Keb Mo. But that barely scratches the surface! Check out the full XRIJF schedule [Here]. And this year, BOA is throwing our hat into the XRIJF ring with a special event called Poetry Is Jazz! Here...

Think poetry publishing is all about heartfelt discussions of metaphor and metrics while draped wistfully across chez lounges? Think again. Sometimes you've got to get into the dirt and wrangle with mega-corporations (say... I don't know... UPS perhaps?) just to get your books to a reading on time. Below is the one such tale of woe and suffering. In this case, we were shipping 20 copies of Carpathia to Cecilia Woloch for a reading in Paris. The story is told below courtesy of Cecilia's host Adrian Leeds.  [caption id="attachment_903" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Photo provided by UPS press room"][/caption] Dear Parler Paris Reader, My friend and...

[caption id="attachment_900" align="aligncenter" width="202" caption="Book of the Edge. Poems by Ece Temelkuran, translated from Turkish by Deniz Perin."][/caption] Here at BOA, we like to say that a book has been "born" when it arrives at our office. Of course, that is our own biased opinion and could be debated a hundred different ways. When is a book born? Is it born when the author finally finishes the manuscript and submits it for publication? After it goes through the editorial and revision process? Once it is typeset? Once it is printed? Or perhaps a book isn't born until it is read... Or...