BOA Blog

Adam McOmber, the author of BOA's This New and Poisonous Air, had a recent discussion with Time Out Chicago's Jonathan Messinger about the historical elements in his new book. Though all of the tales in his debut collection of short stories are steeped in the uncanny and the macabre, McOmber says that he is "really interested in using elements of the fantastic in a serious way, not the whimsical elements of the fantastic you see in some short stories." His draw to history is apparent as well, as in his stories "The Automatic Garden," and "There Are No Bodies Such...

Nikola Madzirov, the Macedonian poet behind Remnants of Another Age, was recently interviewed by L.A. Grove of the California Journal of Poetics. Discussing the history of the Balkans and Europe which is so felt in his poetry, Madzirov answers in his characteristically cryptic, lyrical way, touching on the themes of borders and the ways in which everything in the world has more than one story. Nikola Madzirov Born into a family of refugees from the Balkan Wars, Madzirov draws from the political history of the region in some of his poems, particularly "A Way of Existing."  When asked about the...

  Recently, book reviewer Craig Santos Perez interviewed Barbara Jane Reyes about her poetic process and recent book, Diwata, for part of his series through Jacket2, Last Commentator In Paradise. They talk extensively and thoughtfully about many elements of her creative process and focus. They talk also about where she's been, as a writer, and where she's going next. When asked about the mythos of her writing, she talks about the complexities of storytelling and perspective, and her great love of traditional storytelling methods. Among many other things, she says, "I am always looking for someone other than myself to...

[caption id="attachment_1038" align="aligncenter" width="241" caption="Barbara Jane Reyes. BOA Poet. Photo by Peter Dressel."][/caption] In Craig Santos Perez's recent interview,  Barbara Jane Reyes, author of Diwata,  discusses with her trademark candor and precision the origins of her poems, her relationship with the traditions of story-telling, and her ever expanding vision of poetry. The interview begins with an exploration of Barbara's cultural concerns in which she acknowledges that she is "always looking for someone other than [herself] to 'tell the story,' or to be the speaker," exploring those stories "within the context of these larger cultural and historical narratives." The scope of...

[caption id="attachment_1016" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Remnants of Another Age. Poems by Nikola Madzirov."][/caption]   3:AM Magazine writer SJ Fowler recently conducted an interview with BOA Editions poet Nikola Madzirov. Madzirov's new book, Remnants of Another Age, came out March 15th, but, as Fowler points out in his introduction, Madzirov is already a significant, seasoned author in Macedonia. The interviewer poses questions that span the length and breadth of Madzirov's poetic career, but also asks him to consider what it means to be a Macedonian poet, and what the feeling for poetry is in his home country. Madzirov's response is charcteristically lyric...