[1] In addition to running Victoria University Press, Barrowman also edited and published the New Zealand literary magazine Sport from 1988 until its final issue in 2019.
[1][3][4][5] The name was Barrowman's idea and he intended it to be a playful reference to the divide between the worlds of sport and literature.
[10] David Eggleton, in a review for The Dominion Post, commented: "Barrowman displays genuine talent as a connoisseur, showing us why we should sit up and take notice of the best of New Zealand writing.
"[12] In June 2014, Barrowman was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to publishing.
[13][14] As of 2020 Barrowman lives in Wellington with his wife, the author Elizabeth Knox, and their son, Jack.