James Cherry
James E Cherry is the author of seven books: a collection of short fiction, two novels and four volumes of poetry. His latest collection of poetry, Between Chance and Mercy, was published in April 2024 from Aquarius Press/Willow Books. His prose and poetry have been featured in numerous journals and anthologies both in the U.S. and abroad. His Novel, Edge of the Wind, was re-issued in 2022 from Stephen F. Austion University Press.
Cherry has been awarded a fellowship from the Martha Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, Kimbilio for Black Fiction and has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award and a Lillian Smith Book Award. He was a finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Fiction as well as Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalist for Fiction. Cherry has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Texas at El Paso. President of The Griot Collective and founder of The Jazz Foundation of West Tennessee, he lives in Tennessee.
Featured Work
EDGE OF THE WIND
In the highly suspenseful Edge of the Wind, the main character, a sensitive but deeply troubled 25 year-old black man, Alexander van der Pool, is off his meds and has begun hearing voices, especially that of his alter ego, Tobi. Having been holed up in his sister’s bedroom in southwest Tennessee for two months, Alex has done nothing but read and write poetry. Until one day, he is convinced writing poetry is his life’s calling and sets out to visit a local community college to have his work evaluated. But life takes a terrible turn when those at the college reject Alex and his work. When they try to kick him out, he takes matters into his own hands and holds the literature class hostage. Noted author James E Cherry holds nothing back as he tackles mental illness, race, poetry, art and the importance of relationships in this his second novel.
Five Questions for JAMES E CHERRY
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They all came together simultaneously. The novel is based on a true incident that took place in rural west Tennessee. In that case, a young black man took a math class hostage. I flipped the script and added literature, race, relationships. But the stage was already set when I got there.
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Being alive works for me. Just being able to move through the world each day and to slow down enough to listen and observe my surroundings always provides me with material to enhance or jumpstart my writing, whether it be poetry, fiction or creative non-fiction. I don's subscribe to the idea of writer's block. The best ideas come from the things we consider pedestrian. If nothing else, you can always write about having writer's block.
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I've experienced both ends of the spectrum. My first novel, Shadow of Light, was published in the U.K. and at that time, Serpents Tail Press, treated the book as a priority with editors, publicity, interviews. the whole nine. On the other hand, I've dealt with publishers who treated the book as an afterthought. I'm just grateful they didn't forget to put my name on the cover.
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The big three that impressed and inspired me most during my incipient year of writing were Richard Wright, Chester B. Himes and John A. Williams. Wright for shocking the world with Black Boy and Native Son. Himes for If He Hollers (which is an extension of Bigger Thomas) and the black detective series and John A for being a combination of the two and his approach to research and history in his writing.
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Anytime I published a work of fiction, I think of friend and mentor Arthur Flowers. Years ago, he critiqued an early novel and trashed the hell out of it. I was pissed initially, but afterwards everything he said was correct and I learned from his comments. All these years later, I can still hear his admonishments echo: character, character, character!
