By Erin Wood
A very unique book launched on March 20, the birthday of author and “create(her)” Crystal C. Mercer’s late grandmother, in whose honor she sewed the book’s pages. Yes, sewed. By hand.
The pages of her first children’s book, From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair, reflect 467 hours of hand-stitching and not only incorporate fabrics studied in Ghana, Africa, as part of her graduate work, but also those found right here in Arkansas. Mercer’s textile renderings are textured with symbolic notions such as cowry shells, golden and pearl earrings, enamel pins, buttons, and more. (These incredible works of art are on display for a short time at M2 Gallery in Little Rock’s SoMa Neighborhood.)
Once completed, the textiles were photographed by Little Rock-based photographer Arshia Khan so that they could be transformed into the book’s colorful pages alongside a story that blends cloth, culture, and the superpowers of the kinky, curly coif, with Mercer’s signature poetic voice.
ABOUT THE BOOK: It’s Wash Day! But Elise doesn’t want to wash her hair. Will a visit from her favorite Auntie CC, encouragement from her big sister, Gisele, a poem laced with magic, and a special gift passed down from the women who came before her be enough to change her mind? From Cotton to Silk encourages girls everywhere to appreciate their hair in its natural state and love themselves just the way they are.
Signed copies of this 8.5 x 11 hardback picture book are available for $19.95 with free shipping at etaliapress.com and can also be purchased through local and national booksellers.
A Hot Springs native, Erin Wood is a writer, editor, and publisher in Little Rock. She owns and runs Et Alia Press (etaliapress.com). Wood is author of Women Make Arkansas: Conversations With 50 Creatives.
