BOA Blog

Congratulations to BOA poet Sharon Bryan for having her collection Sharp Stars nominated for the distinguished Poet's Prize. The Poet's Prize is awarded by a panel of fellow poets in honor of the "best book of poems published in 2009." This isn't the first award recognition for Sharp Stars either. The book was given the Isabella Gardner Poetry Award for 2009. The Gardner Award is given biennially to a poet in mid-career whose manuscript is of exceptional merit.  Adam Zagajewski says of the book: "Sharon Bryan is a poet who contemplates radical questions and situations.  Her beautiful astonishment vis-a-vis the universe knows...

[caption id="attachment_1111" align="aligncenter" width="203" caption="White Hand Society by BOA's Publisher Peter Conners"][/caption] Peter Conners is not only BOA's Publisher, but he's also an author in his own right! His latest book, White Hand Society: The Psychedelic Partnership of Timothy Leary & Allen Ginsberg, weaves a fascinating and entertaining tale of the life, times and friendship of these two larger-than-life counterculture figures and the incredible impact their relationship had on America. The book was released this week by the legendary indepedent City Lights Books and is just reaching a bookstore near you! In celebration of the publication of White Hand Society, BOA has arranged...

Thanks to everyone who came out last Saturday to make Dine & Rhyme a huge success! Over the next week or two we'll post pictures from the reading, the reception, and all the surrounding hooplah. For now, we want to share some pics from a portion of the Dine & Rhyme that most people didn't get to see. As part of this year's event, we partnered with Nazareth College and the Rochester Literacy Movement to offer writing workshops to underserved area youths. Accompanied by their Rochester Literacy Movement mentors, the kids came to Nazareth where they participated in small group...

Due to a plane malfunction in Los Angeles, Cecilia Woloch will not be attending this year's Dine & Rhyme. We will all miss her presence and hope to bring her to Rochester at a different time. However, we're also thrilled to announce that BOA poet Sean Thomas Dougherty will be performing on tomorrow night's bill along with Janice N. Harrington!   [caption id="attachment_707" align="aligncenter" width="205" caption="Sean Thomas Dougherty. BOA Poet."][/caption] Sean Thomas Dougherty has read and performed his poetry extensively across North America and Europe. His most recent collection, Sasha Sings the Laundry on the Line, was written in part...

In case you haven't noticed, BOA is in full-tilt pre-Dine & Rhyme mode! We're selling last minute tickets (have you got yours yet? hmmm?), arranging final details, and gathering a stunning array of auction items. Here's another sneak peek at some of our more photogenic pieces (gift certificates just don't photograph well). Keep in mind our inexpensive digital camera doesn't do any of these pieces justice, but you'll get the idea! [caption id="attachment_1084" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hand-crafted wooden box by Dan Westervelt"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1085" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Painting by Steve Smock made during our Poetry Is Jazz event"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1086" align="aligncenter" width="300"...