I was thrilled and honored when I received an email from the award winning Cuban-American novelist and playwright, Teresa Dovalpage, inviting me to review her soon to be published collection of short stories.   I'm so happy I accepted because I throughly enjoyed reading The Astral Plane: Stories of Cuba, the Southwest and Beyond, a collection of eight short stories, [...]

Carlos Eire discussing his latest book, "Waiting to Die in Miami" at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, Thursday, April 21 as part of the George Washington Forum on American ideas, politics and institutions.  It's fabulous, revealing, instructive, and heartbreaking. Take tissue.
Thank you Carlos for sharing your Cuban soul, and bearing witness to Cuba's true history.

H/T: [...]

 If you're in the LA area, you don't want to miss the esteemed Manuel Marquez-Sterling presenting his important and wonderful book, "Cuba 1952-1959 The True Story of Castro's Rise to Power."

Where:  Eso Won Bookstore
4331 Degnan Blvd. LA.
90008
(323) 290-1048
When: Friday, November 19 2010, 7:00pm - 9:00pm

 Introduction from the bookstore's website:
Cuba 1952-1959: The True Story of Castro's [...]

My family left Cuba in early 1961.
My brother was on the first Pedro Pan flight in December of 1960. Happily, my family was only separated for a few very tense months. But we were part of the lucky few who managed to leave the country rather quickly.
Once reunited, my father vowed we'd [...]

On Wednesday 27-January, Manuel Márquez-Sterling will deliver a talk in Spanish at the Miami presentation of his book, Cuba 1952-1959: The True Story of Castro's Rise to Power. His talk will be followed by a panel discussion with question and answer period, and book signing. Panelists are Marcos Antonio Ramos, Alberto Luzárraga, and Sylvia G. [...]

If you're interested in "The True Story of Castro's Rise to Power,"  then tune in and listen to an interview with Manuel Márquez-Sterling and R. Rembert Aranda on Blog Talk Radio's  "Speak Your Mind,"  hosted by Cubanology's Jose Reyes.
The books author Márquez-Sterling, and his collaborator, R. Rembert Aranda will discuss their new book, "Cuba 1952-1959: The True Story of Castro's [...]

Via Cubanology, comes the exciting news of the release of Manuel Márquez-Sterling's important book, "Cuba 1952-1959:  The True Story of Castro's Rise to Power."
The son of  Cuba's seminal figure, Dr. Carlos Márquez Sterling, this book is a must have.  For a taste of the historical treasures sure to await you within its pages, visit the [...]

 Marta Darby -  author, blogger extraordinaire, and more importantly just about the best person I know, has shared her family's story in The Orange County Register!   Super congratulations Marta!
Cuban, with a detour in Mission Viejo
By MARTA DARBY
I was born in Havana, Cuba. My family left Cuba on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 1961. I know the date because it is [...]

By Yoani Sanchez

I skirt the edge of my building, avoiding walking under the balconies, because the kids throw condoms filled with urine to kill the boredom. A man with his daughter is carrying a bag that’s dripping a mix of grease, water and blood. They’re coming from the butcher’s, where the line announces [...]

For those of you living in the New York City area, Ramiro Fernandez and Kevin Kwan, creators of the new book, "I Was Cuba: Treasures from the Ramiro Fernandez Collection," will be holding an open discussion on their recent work. The event takes place February 29th - 7:00 p.m. at McNally Robinson - 52 Prince [...]

“Ten piedad de mí, Señor, cubano soy”.
For those of you in the New York and Miami metro areas, Professor Carlos Eire, author of "Waiting for Snow in Havana," will be celebrating the release of a new Spanish translation at two speaking engagements in New York City and Miami, Florida.
Friday, October 6th at 6 p.m., Professor [...]

“You’ve gone snorkeling before, right?”
Yes, I had gone snorkeling before: as a child, in swimming pools and backwoods ponds, and as an adult, in still reef waters where you might as well be sleeping on a cushion of air. I had not, however, been snorkeling in this particular part of Mariel. On this day, my [...]

What follows is the text of an essay written by an individual identified only as "Gabriel." With his permission, I am posting his words here at Babalu, in a bid to foster just a bit of understanding as to the life of an exile. Be it a Cuban exile, a World War II-era refugee escaping [...]

This morning, I offer readers a glimpse into the reaction of a son of Cuban exiles living in Barcelona, upon his arrival in Cuba on a trip to discover his roots. "Antonio Diaz Torres" traveled to Cuba back in the Winter of 1999 and has told me on numerous occasions: "It changed my life." What [...]

Today, I offer readers a glimpse into the reaction of a son of Cuban exiles living in Barcelona, upon his arrival in Cuba on a trip to discover his roots. "Antonio Diaz Torres" traveled to Cuba back in the Winter of 1999 and has told me on numerous occasions: "It changed my life."
“Tonight you’ll see [...]