BOA Blog

Recently, the world played witness to the startling events in Egypt, whose political situation had gone largely unnoticed by the general public. We watched as the protests organized and then swelled thanks to the internet, as journalists struggled to cover the event as it turned violent, as President Mubarak struggled to hold on to his position but ultimately conceding power. Now, we continue to watch as the events of Egypt to see what will happen next as the political climate in the Mid-East shifts, spilling over into the surrounding countries. With Mubarak ousted, Egypt enters a new chapter in its...

Recently, Charles Coté spoke with Boa Editions poet Kazim Ali about his book, The Fortieth Day, his earlier publications, his methods as a poet, and his philosophies as a writer. The interview is detailed and intensely thoughtful, focusing in on specific lines, images, techniques, and motifs that Kazim Ali uses in his poetry. Fans of Ali's work will certainly learn a great deal about his poetry and process from this thought-provoking interview. The following is a short excerpt from the interview: Coté: Another line in your collection, in the poem "The Far Mosque", the last line - "a person is only...

The Readers Review recently posted an interview with BOA Author Anne Germanacos in which Germanacos discusses her new book In the Time of the Girls.  Interviewer Mary Ellen Hannibal, who calls the book "a work you must give yourself to in order to sit with at all," asks Germanacos about her non-linear style and her themes that cross boundaries. When questioned about the references the work makes to "drastic painful experiences that are particularly female," Germanacos responds, "None of my characters have dodged pain.  To have done so would mean that they'd dodged life, and what kind of story would that be?!"    Read the full interview here The Readers Review...

Should you be heading to Washington, DC this week for AWP, please make sure to join us for a tribute to Lucille Clifton, celebrated writer and educator. KC Culver, Michael S. Glaser, Theresa Sotto, Jayme McLellan, Lauri Watkins will make up a panel to honor Lucille Clifton, not only as an author of international importance, but also as mentor and colleague. Lucille enjoyed a long career sharing her light with faculty, undergraduates, and graduates. Participants will discuss her compelling presence, her teaching and writing methods, and her influence on us as students, teachers, and human beings. We will also explore...

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...