Huge congratulations 
are in order: BOA Editions is turning 40 in 2016! Based in Rochester, New York, BOA has become a leading non-profit and independent publisher of poetry, literary fiction, and poetry-in-translation. Founded in 1976 “to give voice to important, yet underserved writers,” the press now has over 300 titles in their catalog and is one of the nation’s premier independent presses.
To celebrate BOA’s 40 years, the press has planned a year-long celebration, including being the Presenting Sponsor for the 2016 AWP Conference in Los Angeles, where they have many fun things planned including on-site readings and a reception to celebrate the 40 year anniversary.
BOA Editions’ Staff and Board. William J. Ingalls. © 2014 All Rights Reserved.
Peter Conners, publisher at BOA, was recently recognized in Publisher’s Weekly Star Watch because of his innovation and dedication, a timely honor to match BOA’s 40th celebration. Thanks to a dollar-for-dollar challenge grant from the Lannan Foundation in Santa Fe, BOA is kicking of “40 for 40,” in which $40,000 will be used to celebrate BOA’s 40 years in the industry, while another $40,000 will be provided to ensure the press’ financial stability for the next 40 years. In addition, the University of Rochester has acquired the press’ archives from 2006-2016, creating the “largest repository of BOA materials.” Conners said that given BOA’s place in “Rochester’s cultural history” and the University of Rochester’s “status as a venerable institution of higher learning,” he couldn’t be happier with the partnership.
As icing on the cake, many of BOA’s titles and authors have recently won prestigious awards. The poetry collection The End of Pink by Kathryn Nurenberger was chosen for the 2015 James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets, and the work of psychological fiction Bridge by Robert Thomas won the 2015 PEN Center USA Literary Award for Fiction.
Conners summed up BOA’s exciting milestone: “We will celebrate BOA’s past, work to ensure its future, and celebrate the artistic and communicative power of the written word.”