BOA Blog

In a thoughtful and probing interview, Rachel Cole Dalamangas asks Joanna Howard, author of On the Winding Stair, a broad range of questions that cover the details of her work, her writing process, and the inspiration that fuels her wild imagination: In addition to the beauty of ruin and decadence, I can't ignore the possibility of a social commentary that particularly reminds me of Virginia Woolf's association in A Room of One's Own with poverty and nourishment to the imagination (or lack thereof).  In a world and an economy where most of us have to spend most of our time...

Wyn Cooper's Chaos is the New Calm and Keetje Kuipers' Beautiful in the Mouth were recently reviewed in the Midtown Review.  These reviews compare poetry to tweets, albeit the "much more complex, resonant, and luxuriant to the ear" version of tweets or status updates, in an attempt to encourage readers to turn to p0etry in the age of shortened attention spans. The review of Cooper's poems highlights the sonic quality of his book, which "resounds deliciously" and "lingers on the tongue."  These poems are recommended as a "fine choice to begin your foray into the pleasures of poetry" that you...

Photograph by Betsy Dougherty Keetje Kuipers, winner of the 2009 A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Award, discusses the origins of her poem “4th of July,” which appeared in her book Beautiful in the Mouth, for Brian Brodeur’s blog How a Poem Happens. In the interview, Keetje not only shares with readers the inspiration behind the poem but also insights into her own writing process: “Because I often write in my head as I'm driving or hiking, sound and musicality are very present and motivating factors as I compose. Because I also consider almost all of my work as coming out of the...

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...