The purpose of the common reader at ASU is to improve the first-year experience for incoming freshmen. The Common Reader provides a shared experience of intellectual and community engagement by bringing the campus community together to read and discuss the text and its themes. At ASU, this selection is made by a committee.

• Increase student reading skills.
• Increase critical thinking skills.
• Increase student connection to ASU.

 Edge of the Wind

James E. Cherry resides in Tennessee, where he is president of the poetry club.  Additionally, he is founder/president of The Griot Collective of West Tennessee, where he conducts a monthly poetry workshop. Mr. Cherry's other publications including Shadow of Light, Still a Man, Honoring the Ancestors, and Loose Change.