Every culture has its own trickster character. The Southern Appalachian Mountain trickster is Jack, whom readers may know from traditional stories like "Jack in the Giant's Newground" and "Jack and the Bean Tree."
The stories in Trickster Jack, which focus on the shenanigans of Jack and his older brothers, are actually tall tales emerging from Reid Gilbert's tricky imagination. Set in the Southern Appalachians around the end of the nineteenth century, these tales describe actual activities of the time, such as making a wooden wagon with white oak rounds for wheels, fetching water from wells with windlasses, and using outdoor outhouses.
Trickster Jack introduces those readers from outside the Appalachians to some of the ways and manners of that region, while reacquainting Appalachians themselves with their own heritage. Regardless of where you hail, there is plenty in this whimsical collection to delight and entertain you.
E. Reid Gilbert has earned academic degrees from five institutions. This journey has included careers in Methodist and Unitarian ministries, two Fulbright awards to India and Thailand, founding and directing the Wisconsin Mime Theatre and School (which the New York Times dubbed the 'center of mime training in the US), administrator of the International Mimes and Pantomimists, serving on NEA review panels and performing in various solo and full-scripted venues as well as college and university teaching. He has directed more than forty theatre productions, including Shakespeare, Japanese Noh, Commedia Del Arte, original and international scripts and has written five production scripts. His private study included Folklore with Richard Chase, Modern Dance with Charles Weidman, Mime with Etienne Decroux and Japanese Noh with Sidayo Kita. Having conducted many classes and workshops on masks, he has taught "Architecture as Extend Mask" at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. He also taught at Union College in KY and Lambuth College in TN. For ten years he directed the Valley Ridge Theatre in Thomas WV and taught Movement for Actors at the Ohio State University from which he is now retired. He was the founder and first President of the Jackson (TN) Arts Council, and he is past Executive Director of the Thomas Education Center (WV). His most recent creative activities have been in writing. In addition to his books, he has written several stage scripts. His recent film script. Sapling Spring is based on his novel, Shall We Gather at the River. Currently, he is a member of the Old Pueblo Playwrights, located in Tucson, and the National Theatre Conference.
