Tomaž Šalamun has published more than thirty books of poetry in his home country of Slovenia and is recognized as one of the leading poets of Central Europe. His honors include the Prešeren Fund Prize, the Jenko Prize, a Pushcart Prize, a visiting Fulbright to Columbia University, and a fellowship to the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. Numerous collections of his poetry have been published in English, including There’s the Hand and There's the Arid Chair (Counterpath Press, 2009), Woods and Chalices (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008), Poker (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2008), and The Book For My Brother (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006). His most recent collection, Blue Tower,will be available from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in the spring of 2011. Šalamun lives in Ljubljana, Slovenia.  

Photo by Kari Klemela