Monday, April 15, 2013 at 08:19AM Rauan Klassnik's The Moon's Jaw was reviewed this month in Publisher's Weekly:
Reading this collection feels like walking through a post-apocalyptic world where the sounds of torture are mistaken for orgasm, and vise versa: “Everything’s An Orgasm–Growling Frozen–/Mauled & Writhing–Furious & Ecstatic As We–Sail On.”
Read the review in full here.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at 04:41PM 
We are thrilled to announce that Fjords Vol. 1 by Zachary Schomburg (Black Ocean 2012) has been slected for the 2013 Oregon Book Award: Stafford Hall Award for Poetry. View the full list of winners HERE!
In selecting Fjords Vol. 1, Judge Mary Jo Bang remarked:
Perhaps it’s the odd deadpan-earnest tone the speaker uses to address those large lyric subjects—love, death, and the changing of seasons (which is, yes, simply death by another name)—that makes these small prose poems so distinctive, and so convincing. Who would say “From the very beginning, I knew exactly what would kill me” if he or she didn’t mean for such a statement, which openly flaunts its implausibility, to speak figuratively about something much larger than itself. Each of these poems is more than the language with which it’s been constructed. Each is a seedling that is meant to become a full-fledged allegory not on the page, but in the reader’s imagination. Schomburg intuitively knows exactly how much, and how little, it takes to conjure a sense of the ever-puzzling world. He leaves it to the reader to make use of the material he provides. I for one delight in that freedom.
Haven't read Fjords Vol. 1 yet? Visit the catalog page here.
awards, fjords in lit love, press news Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 01:59PM Mission Creek Festival is a week-long experience that takes over the venues and spaces of downtown Iowa City—creating an easily navigated nexus of music, literature, food and art.If you're going to be within 5 hours driving distance of Iowa City this week, you should try to make it to at least one of the excellent events we're participating in. Full schedule for the Mission Creek festival can be found at missionfreak.com
Wednesday, April 3, 5:00 pm @ Brix Cheese Shop and Wine Bar The
Tuesday Agency Presents: Writing Industry Roundtable
Editors Roxane Gay ([PANK] Magazine) and Janaka Stucky (Black Ocean) join Trinity Ray of the Iowa City-based Tuesday Agency (Speaking agents representing Colson Whitehead, Ann Patchett, Khaled Hosseini, Jon Ronson & more) to talk all things writing industry, publishing, and public sphere.
Wednesday, April 3, 9:00 pm @ The Mill
Michael Zapruder's Pink Thunder
Pink Thunder is a record. Pink Thunder is a book of poems. Pink Thunder is an art show featuring the work of 23 poets, illustrated and hand-lettered, and all set to music. A collaboration between the poets (such as D.A. Powell, David Berman, Matthew Zapruder, Joshua Beckman, Matthew Rohrer, James Tate, Mary Ruefle, Dara Weir & more), and musician Michael Zapruder, Pink Thunder will be read and performed at Mission Creek Festival. Readings by Black Ocean Editor Janaka Stucky will accompany Michael’s performance. Iowa band Christopher the Conquered will open, and support.
Friday, April 5, 7:00 @ Foxhead, Clinton Street Social Club
Lit Crawl Iowa City: Round 3: Black Ocean & Spork Press
Featuring readings by: Feng Sun Chen, Amelia Gray, Aase Berg (in person all the way from Sweden!), Steve Roggenbuck, Rauan Klassnik, Thea Brown and Grant Souders.
Saturday, April 6, 11:00a – 6:00p @ The Mill
4th Annual Small Press and Literary Journal Book Fair (with New Belgium Beer)
Presses large and small, literary magazines in print and online, from all corners of the U.S., once again gather at The Mill to sell some of the most exciting books being published today. Publishers and Editors will be on hand from Granta Magazine, n+1, Cave Canem, A Strange Object, Milkweed Editions, Vice Magazine, Coffee House Press, [PANK] Magazine, POETRY Magazine, Sarabande Books, Dzanc Books, The Collagist, Spork Press, Black Ocean, Forklift Ohio, H_NGM_N, Rescue Press, Birds LLC, MAKE Magazine, Hobart, Perfect Day Publishing, jubilat, Canarium Books, Black Clock, draft: the journal of process, The Iowa Review, UI Press, Wag’s Revue, The Doctor T.J. Eckleberg Review, Autumn Hill Books, The Examined Life, Ninth Letter, and many, many more. And once again, New Belgium Brewery will be handing out a selection of their newest brews.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 08:00AM Chicago Black Oceanographers--here are three events in celebration of Michael Zapruder's Pink Thunder, a new collection of songs featuring collaborations from 23 poets. Pink Thunder is a truely sensory experience, and if you can make one of these event, you can experience it to the fullest.
Opening: March 22, 2013 7-10pm
Performance: March 30, 2013 7pm
Gallery hours: March 22-April 12, M-F (by appointment)
Rational Park is excited to host 22 portmanteaus, each containing a song from the album Pink Thunder—a collection of free-verse pop art-songs, including contributions from 23 poets, three engineers, and a few dozen musicians.
What began as a bus tour that brought together hundreds of American poets has been recorded and remixed into a potent collection of poem-songs. Pink Thunder features instrumental contributions from over forty musicians and poems from Noelle Kocot, James Tate, Bob Hicok, Mary Ruefle, D.A. Powell, Dara Wier, Joshua Beckman, and Valzhyna Mort. The album was released on October 16, 2012 via The Kora Records.
Friday, March 22 from 7-10, we invite you to view and listen to each portmanteau. These unique pieces, which combine sculpture and sound, are equipped with headphones for your listening pleasure.
On Saturday, March 30, you’ll be able to follow-up your experience with a live performance by Michael Zapruder and friends at Rational Park. Watch the video for the song Florida
Tuesday, April 2 takes us offsite to presenting partners, Danny’s Reading Series. At Danny’s Tavern, 1951 W. Dickens Ave, 7:30pm sharp, Zapruder will be joined by Billy Blake and the Vagabonds members, Kennedy Greenrod and Reid Coker. Each will perform a few songs from their recent albums, and then answer questions about blending poetry and songwriting. Hosted by Joel Craig and Fred Sasaki.
Rational Park
2557 W North Ave.
This event is being presented by Black Ocean, Danny’s Reading Series, Rational Park, and MAKE Literary Productions.
performance, readings in press news, readings Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 11:58AM Black Ocean authors Brandon Shimoda, Zachary Schomburg, and Joshua Marie Wilkinson, along with Dot Devota, kicked off their European tour yesterday, while many of us dreamt of it from afar. Thankfully, you can get a little bit closer no matter where you are because this amazing quartet will be live tweeting their experience from the Black Ocean Twitter account using the hashtag #océannoir. Follow along, ask questions, and interact.
The tour continues to expand with new dates added. Here is the most recent schedule from Brandon Shimoda's blog (and some handsome photos as well):
Clockwise, left-to-right: Schomburg, Devota, Shimoda, Wilkinson
March 12, New York, New York—Triptych Reading Series @ Envoy Enterprises, 7:30 pm—with Dot Devota, James Gendron, Amy Lawless, Brandon Shimoda, Zachary Schomburg & Mathias Svalina
March 18, Paris, France—Spoken Word Paris @ Au Chat Noir, 9 pm—with Dot Devota, Zachary Schomburg, Brandon Shimoda, Joshua Marie Wilkinson & various rabble …
March 19, Paris, France—IVY Writers Paris @ Cafe Delaville, 7:30 pm—with Dot Devota, Paul Laborde, Virginie Poitrasson, Martin Richet, Brandon Shimoda, Zachary Schomburg & Joshua Marie Wilkinson
March 22, Mulhouse, France—Universite de Haute Alsace—with Dot Devota, Jennifer K. Dick, Zachary Schomburg & Joshua Marie Wilkinson
March 22, Mulhouse, France—The Book Corner—with Dot Devota, Jennifer K. Dick, Brandon Shimoda, Zachary Schomburg & Joshua Marie Wilkinson
March 23, Basel, Switzerland—Elaine MGK, Museum für Gegenwartskunst—with Dot Devota, Zachary Schomburg & Joshua Marie Wilkinson
March 24, Zurich, Switzerland—Cabaret Voltaire, 5 pm—with Dot Devota, Brandon Shimoda, Zachary Schomburg & Joshua Marie Wilkinson
March 25, Berlin, German—Saint George’s, 8:30 pm—with Dot Devota, Brandon Shimoda, Zachary Schomburg & Joshua Marie Wilkinson, and special guest hosts Christian Hawkey & Donna Stonecipher
March 27, Amsterdam, Holland—Versal/This Is Not A Reading Series @ Lost Property, 7:30 pm—with Dot Devota, Zachary Schomburg & Joshua Marie Wilkinson
March 29, Brussels, Belgium—International School of Brussels—with Dot Devota, Brandon Shimoda, Zachary Schomburg & Joshua Marie Wilkinson
live tweets, readings in press news, readings