The Jack Tales

      I came across a book in my collection recently: THE JACK TALES, Folk Tales From The Southern Appalachians Collected And Retold By Richard Chase.
      First some background: I live in the Southern Appalachians. One of the draws to this area was the incredible culture that developed, uninfluenced, in these mountains due to its incredible isolation. There is a strong Celtic/English influence here which shows up in many places. For instance, instead of Y'all, people here say Yu'uns. People play dulcimers and blue grass, and they tell the Jack Tales.
      I did my exit show in Graphic Design on the National Storytelling Convention in Jonesborough, TN. There, Ray Hicks, declared a national treasure by President Reagan, told the Jack Tales. (Another good article on Ray Hicks is HERE.) His accent was so thick and his verbiage so ancient, he was hard to understand. But he was a joy to watch as he sat in his overalls, rolling cigarettes, cracking himself up. Unfortunately we lost Mr. Hicks several years ago, but there is an irony here. Most of the Jack Tales collected by Mr. Chase were gathered in Boone, NC, home to Ray Hicks.
      Imagine my surprise when I came across THE JACK TALES in my collection, signed by my grandparents, "With love to Elizabeth, Christmas 1975, from Gameo & Pop Pop." My Grandparents have both long since left this world.
      It would seem there were some powerful forces putting me on this path of storyteller, long before I actually stepped into the journey. It's a bizarre foreshadowing.

      Okay, so all that covered, why do I mention this? This past Tuesday, I read EPOSSUMONDAS by Coleen Salley to the kids during Storytime at my local library. I immediately recognized the structure of one of the Jack Tales, "Jack and the King's Girl." I think it's wonderfully appropriate that an obviously southern story should have roots in Appalachian lore, and I never would have recognized the influence if it hadn't been for Jack weaving in and out of my life for so many years. In honor, I have named the protagonist in my latest project "Jack."
      By the way, I've noticed that THE JACK TALES was reprinted in 2003 by Houghton Mifflin. I highly recommend it.