Wings of Red

by James W. Jennings

Overview

An inventive and stylish debut written by a Black educator, Wings of Red is a clear-eyed, funny, imperfect, and observant work of autofiction that grapples with the absurdity of the New York City educational system as a substitute teacher—that, in the end, reads as an ode to the city itself

June Papers is a twenty-eight-year-old MFA grad with a felony record, “the classic young, Black and gifted American misfit.” He’s also a substitute teacher. He’s also homeless. With dreams of becoming a writer, June endures a host of trials and dilemmas as he reluctantly realizes mentoring and teaching might actually be a path forward for him.

Wings of Red is driven by June’s unique narrative style, a propulsive voice that intimately and vulnerably guides readers through the condemned external reality of a Black educator’s personal and professional world falling apart, and coming together again.

Populated by a host of true-to-life characters who are attempting to realize their dreams despite precarious professional and financial realities, Wings of Red elucidates the fallacy of the American dream while serving as a reminder of how powerful and necessary autofiction can be. Directed at students and educators but written for any audience, Wings of Red is an inspiring and poetic tour de force and an unexpectedly necessary ode to New York City that features a texture, velocity, and immediacy that speaks to the author's authentic and lived perspective.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781593767099
Publisher:	Catapult
Publication date:	11/21/2023
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	151,368
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

JAMES W. JENNINGS is a writer, artist, and educator with a BA in English from Emory University in Atlanta, and an MFA from CUNY-Brooklyn College. Originally from Hartford, Connecticut, James worked for many years as a basketball coach, substitute teacher, dean of students, and English teacher within the NYC Department of Education and on Martha’s Vineyard in the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School. James is currently promoting his novel Wings of Red, preparing his 2024 Inspirations Tour, and painting in his living room in the Highlands.

Editorial Reviews

09/04/2023

Jennings debuts with a gritty yet hopeful novel centered on June Papers, a 28-year-old Black man and aspiring writer in New York City. The story kicks off with June playing dice with his two roommates and godbrother, Hollywood, hoping to win enough to make his overdue rent. He has an MFA, but his felony record for fraud and theft makes it hard for him to secure gainful employment and stable housing. The narrative takes the form of his journal, in which he records daily interactions with friends, part-time shifts as a substitute teacher at a public school, and a visit with family on Martha’s Vineyard. Though June makes some questionable decisions, like stealing a suit and causing his bank account to overdraft by staying at a hotel, he sincerely believes he’s doing his best to get by. June’s voice will hook readers from the jump with its mix of cheekiness and sincerity, such as in his translations of other characters’ slang for readers not in the know (a gig done for “clean” money means it’s legal), and in his words of wisdom for young people (“I realize that, to my younger readers, gambling for food and transportation is degenerate activity. I don’t condone it”). Jennings shows promise. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Debutiful, A Most Anticipated Book of 2023

“June . . . navigates his circumstances and city life with grit and grace.” —The New York Times Book Review

"Wings of Red captures a philosophical and spiritual awakening . . . In less-capable hands this idea—believe in your dreams even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds—might flirt with cliché. But Mr. Jennings’ achievement here is to write about these things in a language so close to the bone that it effectively strips away the reader’s possible cynicism. A remarkable debut." —Jeffrey Condran, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Striking and original . . . A thoughtful meditation on artistic aspirations, financial hardship and the multiple meanings of home.” —Jackie Thomas-Kennedy, The Star Tribune

“Told in an epistolary format of journal entries, this work of autofiction invites the reader to experience the visceral immediacy of June’s life through his clever and humorous voice." —Katherine Ouellette, WBUR

"The authenticity of Jennings’ voice and his clear knowledge of what and where he writes—whether it be the exchanges he has with students, conversations with friends, the complicated family issues, his time in New York, on the Vineyard, and on the bus that gets him from the city to Woods Hole—allows readers to truly enter his world.” —Kate Feiffer, The Martha’s Vineyard Times

“[June] is a nuanced character full of humanity, and following him through the city as he navigates all sorts of existential journeys is a deeply immersive and beautiful experience.” —Sarah Neilson, Shondaland

“James W. Jennings’ Wings of Red flips the MFA novel on its head . . . Not your typical bildungsroman by any measure.” —Emily Sandstrom, Interview Magazine

“With a cast of relatable characters and witty observations, Jennings takes on the paradox that is the American Dream.” —Alex Faccibene, Geek Girl Authority

"I came to regard Wings of Red as a picaresque novel, essentially comic in spirit . . . It was Cervantes’ Don Quixote, the archetypal picaro, who brought the major comic tropes to the relation between fiction and reality . . . Cervantes looked around post-medieval Europe and wondered: what are people? He considered courage, love, loyalty, winning and losing, exultation and humiliation—and then packed these attributes into his main character. James Jennings does the same thing with June Papers.” —Ron Slate, On the Seawall

“Jennings performs a magic trick . . . While Wings of Red dances playfully at the edge of aimlessness, it carries you steadily into emotional and existential climax. A refrain of ‘this is home too’ leads June back to a self that he ultimately finds within members of his family . . . Among the most enduring takeaways offered up by Wings of Red is that the shape of progress is not fixed. You may not even know it for what it is until after you leave it behind. But once it comes, no one can take that knowing from you. They can only watch to see what you do with it.” —Gianni Washington, Chicago Review of Books

"The stylish narrative voice propels this book. Jennings’ point of view is unlike any other." —Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful, A Most Anticipated Book of 2023

"Driven by June Paper’s distinctive narrative style, Wings of Red features a compelling voice that intimately and openly leads readers through the tumultuous external world of a Black educator, both in their personal and professional life, as it unravels and eventually mends. Within this narrative, a cast of authentic characters strives to achieve their aspirations despite the precarious professional and financial challenges they face. Wings of Red not only highlights the illusion of the American dream but also underscores the potency and importance of autofiction.” —Paridhi Badgotri, Platform

“In this exciting and insightful work of autofiction, James W. Jennings lays bare the absurdities of the New York City educational system while also offering a memorable look at the beauties and burdens of the city overall . . . While the American dream may be a fallacy, Jennings’s writing reaches for something better for his characters at every turn.” —Michael Welch, Chicago Review of Books

“Introspective and spectacularly written . . . The novel expresses love for New York, a powerful opposition to stereotypes, and an intimate look into the American dream . . . An important and relevant debut.” —Clara Newton, Shelf Awareness (starred review)

"Compelling . . . The narrative voice is the main strength of Jennings' novel, pared down and energetic in the fast pace of June’s mutable life, turning more reflective and philosophical as June directly addresses readers, sharing insightful musings about his circumstances. An unexpected optimism propels June forward and the reader along with him. This is a realistic, hopeful, and uniquely told story that will engage fans of Jason Mott, especially Hell of a Book (2021).” —Booklist

"The reader will quickly sink into [Jennings'] rhythm and appreciate the lively nature of his present-tense verbiage and his quick syntax . . . A portrait of a writer that is at once harsh and tender." —Kirkus Reviews

"A gritty yet hopeful novel . . . June’s voice will hook readers from the jump with its mix of cheekiness and sincerity." —Publishers Weekly

"Much like the author himself, Wings of Red is totally unique and individual, and yet finds deep points of connection and understanding. Written for the teacher and the student in us but also the brother, mother, and friend we hope to be, this is a story that breaks all the rules in the best of ways." —Mathea Morais, author of There You Are

"Tender-hearted and tough-minded, James W. Jennings is a necessary writer for these harsh times. His novel Wings of Red records the daily life of June, a young Black man, a struggling writer, and a substitute teacher. June’s consciousness reveals the contemporary moment. Wings of Red is genuine and honest, a diaristic bildungsroman through which Jennings renders June’s past and present, as June seeks to understand his past and present. June’s startling ingenuousness and compassionate heart is beautiful and revelatory. Written in a stunning style, demolishing cliches and stereotypes, Jennings recharges writing with flair and hope: He is an original in every sense of the word. I love Wings of Red." —Lynne Tillman, author of MOTHERCARE and Men and Apparitions

From the Publisher

2023-09-09
A young man, badly beaten up by life, meanders around the city in this work of autofiction.

June Papers has bet, and lost, his last $10 in a game of dice. He can’t pay the rent and, after that night, he’ll be homeless on the streets of New City (an obvious, if somewhat inexplicable, stand-in for New York). June, a Black writer with an MFA and a day job as a substitute teacher, spends most of his time wandering the streets, handing out copies of his first book, Strays, and jotting in his notebook. But June is not lost. Equipped with a love for his city and an unrelenting thirst, he doesn’t succumb to the hopelessness of his situation, persevering despite getting bruised in the process. June brings the reader inside the public school system, to his grandmother’s home on Martha’s Vineyard, and into his close-knit and supportive, if flawed, community of friends. Occasionally speaking directly to an audience, June offers up pithy, somewhat ironic advice, talking just as much to his future reader as he is to himself. Jennings’ distinct style can be jarring at first, but the reader will quickly sink into his rhythm and appreciate the lively nature of his present-tense verbiage and his quick syntax. And despite the weighty topics of homelessness, racism, and capitalism, among others, Jennings doesn’t lapse into either overt cynicism or rose-colored optimism, instead settling into a gritty and gripping middle: “Monday comes around and I find myself on another couch not my own. I kneel before it and say a prayer. I brush teeth, pack bag, and step out into the cold.”

A portrait of a writer that is at once harsh and tender.

Kirkus Reviews