This book places Singletary's work within the wider histories of both glass art and native arts traditions―especially the art of spoken-word storytelling. Preston Singletary's art creates a unique theatrical atmosphere, in which the pieces follow and enhance a narrative.

Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight In the traditional story, the raven, or Yéil, decides that he will try and do something about the darkness in the world. When he finally decides he is ready to return to his bird form and leave, he breaks the boxes. However, those treasured boxes are never far from the raven’s mind. Yéil grows up well-loved in the clan house, and the nobleman showers him with gifts and affection. His next form is that of a human child, ultimately born by the daughter. This transformation works-the nobleman’s daughter scoops him up in a ladle and swallows him. Then, he becomes a piece of hemlock floating in the river. He knows that he can’t reach the clan house in his bird form, so he first becomes a speck of dirt. After deciding that he wants to go to the clan house to release this light for other creatures to see, the raven embarks on a path of shapeshifting and trickery. While the man’s great wealth is appealing, the bird is more interested in his carved boxes that contain the sun, moon and stars. Yéil learns of a nobleman who lives at the head of a river. To do so, raven must transform again and again. In a bold plot to transform life on Earth, the white bird wants to shine light from the sun and the moon and the stars on the world. An all-white raven named Yéil is a trickster in many oral traditions originating on the Northwest Pacific Coast.

Raven's Tale by T.K. Cassidy