MARCH 19, 2009 ISSUE
Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns, as Told by Orville Hicks Now Available
The ancestors of Orville Hicks, who settled in the Appalachian Mountains, brought folktales from Europe and passed them down through more than 200 years and six generations. From these mountain roots, storyteller Orville Hicks learned his craft.
Hicks grew up in a hollow near Beech Mountain, where he learned tales from his mother, Sarah. Her father had told tales learned from his father, Council Harmon, a central figure in the Beech Mountain Jack Tale’s history. Hicks also heard tales from his second cousin Ray Hicks, who received a National Heritage Award for his storytelling before his death in 2003. For over two decades, Orville Hicks has enthralled audiences with his storytelling performances. As his reputation as a storyteller grew, audiences clamored for a book of Orville’s tales. Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns, as Told by Orville Hicks includes more than 20 transcribed stories that capture his voice.
Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns, as Told by Orville Hicks is available in bookstores and online from Publisher John F. Blair by clicking to www.blairpub.com. To order the book by mail, call 1-800-222-9796. Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and other major wholesalers, also carry the book, which costs $19.95 for hardcover and $14.95 for soft cover.
The book includes Jack Tales as its centerpiece but also growing-up stories and other regional folktales for children, such as “Gallymander,” and “Catskins,” an Appalachian Cinderella tale. The final story of the text is an original tale in the handwriting of Orville Hicks. In addition, the book includes a glossary, notes for further thought and a scholarly afterward by Thomas McGowan of the ASU Department of English. Pencil sketches by Sherry Jensen bring to life the mountain folk hero Jack, the kings and other characters, while capturing the mountain setting, its nature and the mountain lifestyle of the stories.
Wayne Martin, folklife director of the North Carolina Arts Council, said, “Orville Hicks tells Jack Tales, riddles, jokes, ghost stories and tall tales passed down to him and adds his own personal experiences to the mix. …Orville is a godsend for those who love Appalachian culture and yearn to hear mountain storytelling practiced masterfully in the present day.”
Schuyler Kaufman wrote, “…this book is just a load of fun to read. As a bedtime story book, it is a near-infallible way to send your listeners to bed smiling.”
Hicks grew up listening to folktales as a part of daily life. The authenticity of his mountain storytelling and his dedication to telling the traditional tales of his heritage earned him a North Carolina Heritage Award in 2007. Orville can be heard telling stories at festivals, libraries, at Todd General Store and wherever two or more are gathered. His biography, Orville Hicks: Mountain Stories Mountain Roots, by Julia Taylor Ebel, received the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award from North Carolina Society of Historians. Hicks is currently an artist in residence at ASU, working with the folklore classes of McGowan.
Ebel celebrates nature, heritage and cultural history through stories and poetry. Her books include Addie Clawson: Appalachian Mail Carrier; Orville Hicks: Mountain Stories, Mountain Roots; The Picture Man (Parkway Publishers); Walking Ribbon (Viewpoint Press); and Dresses, Dreams and Beadwood Leaves (High Country Publishers/Ingalls Publishing Group). The North Carolina Society of Historians has presented three history book awards for her previous books. Ebel also has more than 50 nature poems published in magazines. She lives in Jamestown, but spends time in the North Carolina mountains, where she finds inspiration for much of her writing. Ebel presents programs and workshops for schools, libraries, and community groups. She enjoys speaking about writing, poetry, and keeping stories.
For more information, click to www.juliaebel.com.
Sherry Jensen, a native of Winston-Salem, has shared her art as a mural artist. She has worked previously with Ebel as the illustrator of Addie Clawson: Appalachian Mail Carrier. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Sherry lives in Greensboro with her husband and three active sons.
Community Interest
News & Notes
Events
Arts & Entertainment
