Dear Black Oceanographers,
It is with great sadness that we observe the passing of Tomaž Šalamun today. Tomaž touched many poets through his support and generous spirit, and many more through his incredible body of writing. He was a tireless advocate of young and emerging voices, and he leaves behind an incredible legacy of both words and actions. Back in July we announced our excitement at becoming the future home for him in the U.S., and so it is with a renewed sense of purpose that we commit ourselves to sharing the work of this visionary poet. With over 30 collections of poetry written in his lifetime, we will continue publishing translations of Tomaž's poems well into the future. In the meantime—working with him, his wife and his translators over the past few months—we have made near-term plans for his next three books:
2015 - Justice (trans. Michael Thomas Taren)
2016 - Andes (trans. Jeffrey Young & Katarina Vladimirov Young)
2017 - Druids (trans. Sonja Kravanja)
We are thinking of his many colleagues, friends, and family members today, and how we are all learning in new ways what this great man meant to us. It is a gift for us at Black Ocean to honor his life's work for many years to come.