Seems to be the never ending question, “What is the Ice Cube Press? It is not the same thing to everyone. To me it is many things. In this new world of the internet it is at least, in a keywords realm the following: an online book business, a literary arts compnay, we focus on midwestern authors–midwest life, living in iowa and have become an award winning publisher. Some say we’re a literary business, an independent book publisher, I consider what I do helping to better understand the Midwestern, Heartland experience. As the press moves in to year 20 we hope to better achieve all this.
Mission: The Ice Cube Press is an independent publisher promoting books on how we can best learn to live in the Midwest. In a world becoming less and less “real” because of technological influences our books offer a sort of solace for stories, the natural world, and for a time, as W.S. Merwin once wrote, “an language older than words.” As our social fabrics are altered we remain steadfast in the old saying, “What’s truer than the truth? The story!”
The low down on how and how long ……. and then some. We started in 1993 and have tried to grow each year, little by little. We hand-wrap each order, write thank you notes, drink coffee and talk about our book projects with our authors. We still fantasize about using a letterpress and wonder why our goofy press name causes such confusion with booksellers at first. Using prairie roots as our model for inspiration we continue to find, promote and expand how we can best live here in the Midwestern land and culture. We have been featured in a wide array of regional magazines articles, on local television as well as on radio stations. A good piece of the press can be found in an issue of the Iowa Source Click here to read There is also a very good article on the press in the Radish Magazine. Click here to read.
The best way to learn more, pick up a copy of one of our books at a local bookstore near you.
UNESCO City of Literature Bookmarks will include our book: Train To Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation.