BOA Blog

Library Journal recently placed Geffrey Davis' Revising the Storm and Keetje Kuipers' The Keys to the Jail on its list of "Thirty Amazing Poetry Titles for Spring 2014." According to the feature, "Davis’ lyrical debut is rooted in the tender memories of childhood; a boy observes the actions of his father and later comes into his manhood, reflecting on the lessons of his youth and what it means to be a father. Signaling the frailty that we are made to feel when we’re vulnerable, these poems give voice to the important and powerful role of family..." Calling The Keys to...

In a recent The Journal review of Keetje Kuipers' new collection The Keys to the Jail, reviewer Sonja James calls the book "a fresh and audacious look at the darker side of the human condition." The review highlights some of the collection's central themes: relationships, death, and what it means to be a "self."  Clearly unafraid to plumb the depths, Kuipers brings readers to places we are often hesitant to explore. "Her imagery is richly fluid and at times startling. With a deft hand, she guides us through poems on love, sexuality, longing, what it means to be a self, and...

The Rumpus is praising Geffrey Davis' new debut collection Revising the Storm in a recent review by Jess Smith. Discussing such topics as childhood, a drug-addicted father, marriage, a second marriage, and the birth of a child, Davis opens up to his readers on a most personal level. In her review, Smith notes the poet's transparency. "The bulk of Revising the Storm deals with what we see when we are very young that we cannot unsee, how we learn and cannot unlearn certain vicious truths. The speakers are frequently trying to make sense of past trauma but the very presence and...

Jim Daniels' newest collection, Birth Marks, resonated strongly with Passages North reviewer and self-proclaimed "Yooper," Zarah Moeggenberg. "Michigan is all over this book and in this 80-degree weather I want to go back to the blizzard I missed ... Daniels' book brings me back to small town Michigan and especially the rusty clink and clang, the steady whiz and honk of Detroit at rush hour. This book has its hands dirtied Michigan brown," she writes. The review highlights the "braided, complex, and rich" narrative style Daniels employs in his poetry, comparing his technique to that of Susan Terris and Aimee Nezhukumatathil....

Sohrab Sepehri's The Oasis of Now, translated from the Persian by Kazim Ali and Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, is a finalist for the 2014 Best Translated Book Award in Poetry! Launched by Three Percent in 2007, the Best Translated Book Awards (BTBA) for poetry and fiction "aim to bring attention to the best original works of international fiction and poetry published in the U.S. during the previous year." Each winning translator and author is awarded a $5,000 cash prize and an award plaque. Earlier this month, the BTBA won "The International Literary Translation Initiative Award” at the inaugural International Book Industry...