Praise for Poem of Stone & Bone

“Dr. Washington often said: ‘The universality of the Spirit is available to all who desire it. . . . It’s that Spirit in the stone that speaks to me.’ Only someone fully understanding these statements could enter Washington’s space as Carletta has meticulously done, connecting the bloodline, capturing secrets that dwell within the canvas of Washington’s landscape.” —Rev. Dr. LaVerne Corine Williams Foster Hall, Executive Director, Dr. James & Janie Washington Cultural Center

I have always been grateful to observe the experience of an artist going through a residency firsthand. It can be a transformative and life changing time for them. We often have conversations about what they are working through conceptually, but it is impossible to read their thoughts as they move through the process. I have never read a more intimate portrait of an artist, with an all-access pass to the daily thoughts that go into conceiving a body of artwork. Reading this is a rare privilege, and I want to thank Carletta Carrington for her generosity in opening her innermost creative process for view. It will serve as a roadmap for artists of all types who are traveling down this universal road to manifesting meaningful art. —Tim Detweiler, Former Director James and Janie Washington Foundation

Poem of Stone & Bone The Iconography of James W. Washington Jr. In Fourteen Stanzas and Thirty-one Days, by Carletta Carrington Wilson is a beautiful and unique book, in itself, a poem.  The author has built the narrative from the perspective of her own creative process, including entries from her literary visual arts journal.  I am recommending this book to my library students as a model text for creating a unique approach to both writing and researching.  —Nora Martin, Adjunct Instructor, Montana State University, Library Media Certification Program, Bozeman, Montana

The privacy of a public journey, that of both the author and the subject, comes alive on these pages and powers our contemplation of bloodlines connected to migration, triumphant journeys of creation and recreation, and a certain resilience undergirded by curiosity and possibility. —Vivian Phillips, Civic Arts Leader, Co-founder Historic Central Area Arts and Cultural District

Carletta Carrington Wilson is a literary, mixed-media, and installation artist. She explores the "text" of textiles. Her work appears in This Light Called Darkness, Take a Stand: Art Against Hate, The African American Review, Cimarron Review, Obsidian III, and Cascadian Zen: Bioregional Writings on Cascade Here and Now. Her works have been exhibited at Wa Na Wari, CoCA, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art and the Northwest African American Museum.