The New York Times review of Iron Balloons

The New York Times review of Iron Balloons has been largely favorable and the tide may be turning in terms of public reception of Caribbean fiction. Much of this change has been due to the tireless work of Colin Channer and Kwame Dawes, co-founders of the Calabash Literary Festival.

Of course, this project would not have gone anywhere without the visionary (and I don’t use that word lightly) support of Johnny Temple of Akashic Books. I forget where I read the quote because it was offered as a balm to quell the sting of rejection: “Publishing is a hobby that’s organized.” That may be true because I still don’t know why many of the independent publishers whom I’ve met continue to publish. Many of them, like Johnny Temple and Chase Twichell, love literature and books. We may never earn the big bucks nor the respect that seem to go with publishing with a giant conglomerate, but independent presses may be the route for Caribbean writers.

To read the article in its entirety, please follow this link: Iron Balloons in New York Times.

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Iron Balloons