Jacob and Duvall
Books, Paintings, Music ... Art!
’Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers’ awarded co-authors Murv Jacob, Debbie Duvall, and James Murray for historical fiction ‘
TAHLEQUAH, Okla - Artist Murv Jacob will present his new paintings, cut-outs and book illustrations at the Canebrake Resort, near Lake Fort Gibson in Wagoner County. The show opens Friday, June 1 from 6-8 pm, and Jacob will be on hand to discuss his work. The Canebrake will also present live jazz entertainment and serve gourmet meals that night. Patrons should call ahead for reservations for meals or an overnight stay. Menus and driving directions are available online.
This is Jacob’s third art show in as many years at the Canebrake, and the first to feature illustrations from his full-color storybooks. “Some of these book paintings have never been shown anywhere,” Jacob said. “I’ve kept them under wraps until now. I think people will find them impressive.”
Jacob, a master artist at the Five Civilized Tribes Museum, has done artwork on nearly a hundred book and video projects, including Doubleday, Time-Life, University of New Mexico Press, and National Geographic books. He lives in small town Tahlequah Oklahoma, the Cherokee Capital, with singer/writer Deborah Duvall where he’s had an art studio on the main street for twenty years.
Characters from Jacob’s Cherokee animal storybook illustrations have been transformed into animal cut-outs. “The cut-outs are made of birch cabinet-grade plywood, hand-painted with acrylics and they are much smaller than those I created in years past,” he said. “I’ve added a lot of new ones, too, like Alligator, Mouse, Raccoon, Fox, and the Uktena, the winged serpent of Cherokee legend.”
Copies of many of Jacob’s books will be on display for sale, including the newly released novel, “Secret History of the Cherokees,” that he co-wrote with authors Deborah Duvall and James Murray. Paintings from the front and back covers of the new novel will be exhibited for the first time at the Canebrake Resort in this “Month of June” show.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Tahlequah Friends of the Library will present a reading, discussion and book signing of the new novel, “Secret History of the Cherokees,” on Thursday, May 10, at 12:00 noon in the historic Carnegie Library, 120 S. College Avenue. Featured speakers are Deborah L. Duvall, Murv Jacob and James Murray.
The authors, all from Tahlequah, have created a depiction of Cherokee history “unlike anything you’ve ever read before,” said Jacob. “For the first time in fiction, the African slaves of the Cherokee plantation owners have a voice, and we believe our readers will be amazed as the history they thought they knew is forever changed.”
The novel contains a series of chapters that follow the Cherokees from their ancestral homes in the American southeast to the wilds of Indian Territory.
“Much of the action takes place right here in Tahlequah,” said Duvall, “and some characters also venture into the wilder west, Texas and Mexico. Readers will meet Sequoyah, Stand Watie and John Ross, along with a host of other noted historic names, including Sam Houston, Tom Starr, Belle Starr, Jesse James and even youthful versions of Redbird Smith and Ned Christie. But the characters here appear as they may have been behind the scenes - real people with real lives and hidden stories.”
“Throughout the novel, the dividing rifts between the various factions of the Cherokees never cease,” said Murray. “In ‘Secret History,’ we go after the reasons for the division, including the ongoing debate between traditionalists and mixed-bloods over the issue of slavery.”
Murv Jacob says that the novel has “nearly sold out of its first edition. We worked on the novel for over four years, trying to make it the very best that we could, and probably never had more fun on any project.”
“We hope you can shake loose from your tasks and responsibilities,” Jacob said,” and come enjoy this time with us. Bring a sandwich to eat, a burrito, a tasty beverage. This is actually the first time that we will be doing a public reading from the book in Tahlequah, so it should be a time to remember. In these days, you know, there are darn few of those.”
Admission is free and everyone is welcome. The authors caution parents that “Secret History of the Cherokees” is intended for adult readers.
Book Reviews & Interviews
Cyber Storybooks
Jacob & Duvall - library of original cyber storybooks presented in the style of old Cherokee tales. Features Murv Jacob paintings & the voice-over narratives of Deborah Duvall (requires Flash Media player)
Cherokee World Series
These new stories are original tales that feature many of the same Cherokee forest characters who appear in the Grandmother Stories.
The Grandmother Stories Collection
Published by the University of New Mexico Press, each book in the series is hardbound with cloth cover and exterior color book jacket. Intricate black-ink illustrations adorn each of the 32 pages. To order direct from the authors, see Jacob/Duvall Order Form
