Pam Sherman, columnist for the Democrat and Chronicle and Rochester Magazine, calls BOA Editions "one of the most renowned publishers of contemporary poetry in the world." A life-long admirer of poetry, Sherman feels lucky to be part of a community where poetry is celebrated in the midst of busy lives: "My rare poetic encounters these days happen when friends, much smarter than I, quote poetry on Facebook, or there's a viral YouTube video of a too-cool poetry slam... In my spare time I don't read poetry. I watch real housewives screaming at each other, which I suppose you could say is some form of poetic justice. But it's definitely not poetry ...here in Rochester we are lucky to have one of the most renowned publishers of contemporary poetry in the world, BOA Editions. Founded in 1975 by A. Poulin, Jr., the publishing house's mission is to  bring high-quality literature to the public. BOA has published more than 260 volumes (mainly poetry but also short fiction as of 2007), and some of its writers have won significant prizes, including the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize." Citing some of the many ways BOA gets involved in the Rochester community, Sherman praises BOA for wanting to make poetry "accessible," and not intimidating. "...BOA participates in larger cultural events around the city to integrate poetry into such events as the jazz festival and concerts with RPO ... BOA also donates hundreds of volumes of books to help schools and other organizations build their literary libraries. They donate books all over the country as well as right here in Rochester, most recently to the Monroe County Sherriff’s Office. Melissa Hall, development director at BOA, sums up the appeal of poetry in a very, well, poetic way: 'In the disjointed and fragmented world we all now inhabit, poetry lovers look deeper than most of us do today to find meaning and connections in their lives.'" Click here to read the entire Democrat and Chronicle feature.