Out of the Bonecage Singing

Carla Martin-Wood's latest collection of poetry is a personal journey through anguish, revelation and release. The title poem depicts the human spirit in transcendence and triumph over the obstacles confronted in life, while other poems examine the solace found in the natural world and a faith that has both challenged and fortified this pilgrimage toward spiritual freedom. Extraordinary language, vivid imagery and originality define this book's excellence on every level. - Wendy Howe, Pushcart Prize nominee, freelance writer, and former editor of "The Baroque Review"

From the loss of an estranged brother to the fall of JFK, Carla Martin-Wood's poetry confronts mortality head-on and never looks away. Yet hers is an art with "many pockets" from which spill images of rare and indelible power, and in the process, she finds both her own redemption and the reader's reward. The "bonecage" forms her central motif: the means by which we meld the temporal with the ethereal. Its bars hold us back only until we learn to open them. - Brenda Levy Tate, Pushcart Prize nominee, author of "Wingflash" (The Pink Petticoat Press, 2010)

Carla Martin-Wood's "out of the bonecage singing" takes readers beyond the ordinary into transcendence. She weaves keen observations of the natural world and awareness of its cycles, within cycles of traditions. Her profound insights on mortality are stunning and beautiful. Her language will grip you and pull you into her inner realizations. - Joanne Uppendahl, Pushcart Prize nominee, author of "She Who Gathers Stones"