BOA Blog

[Translator Bruce Weigl and author Nguyen Phan Que Mai, of The Secret of Hoa Sen] Douglas Valentine of political newsletter Counterpunch recently sat down with BOA translator Bruce Weigl to discuss war writing and his forthcoming translation The Secret of Hoa Sen (BOA, Fall 2014). Weigl, "one of many young Americans who heard the banshee wail of close combat in Vietnam," is considered a war writer. According to Valentine, he "assembles the archetypes of war and presents them with ruthless force that shatters our assumptions about ourselves, and what we represent, and he does it in such an effortless way, it's...

'Tis the season to share good literature! To celebrate the season of giving, BOA is participating in the Black Friday conglomerate weekend (with Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and #GivingTuesday) to help you save. From now through December 16, get free shipping on your entire order from BOA Editions' secure online bookstore. Just enter promo code BOAHOLIDAY at checkout and select the free shipping option to save big on your holiday shopping! Click here to find something for everyone on your list. Happy Holidays from BOA, and thank you for your support!

Riffle World Literature's Gina Rodriguez recently sat down with Kazim Ali, co-translator of The Oasis of Now (BOA, 2013), to discuss his thoughts on the new Iranian translation. Here's a nice sample of questions and answers that bring you closer to the exceptional book and its backstory: How did you first discover Sohrab Sepehri’s work? My father had been working in Iran and he brought back several books of poetry by Iranian writers. I was dissatisfied with the translation, though the beauty of the poetry enamored me. It was many more years before I met Jafar Mahallati, who worked with me...

Barton Sutter's The Reindeer Camps (BOA, 2012) is featured in Saga 4 of award-winning Swedish filmmaker Stefan Quinth’s Pretty Much 100% Scandinavian, a series of documentaries about Scandinavian-Americans living in the American Midwest. The film, co-produced with Dr. William Beyer, reveals how the Scandinavian heritage is still very present in the lives of its descendants. Saga 4, which focuses on Scandinavian-American artists and craftspeople, features Sutter's reading of three poems from The Reindeer Camps: "Swedish Lesson," "Whistle Dance," and "Not Sleeping at Bill Holm's House." This latest installment premiered at the American Swedish Institute in October. "The descendants of U.S. immigrants from...

A new Booklist review says Michael Teig's There's a Box in the Garage You Can Beat with a Stick (BOA, 2013) is "brimming with wit." The collection "has one of the boldest titles in poetry-book history, and he follows his standout title with highly imaginative poems boasting imagery with passionate reach." "Nearly every poem in this collection can be viewed as a picturesque mural that doesn't quite make sense, yet, curiously, leads to wonder and excitement. It is quite possible that Teig has inherited the mantle of William Carlos Williamsons' 'Red Wheelbarrow.' But there is nothing here that is definitive,...