Indianola-based artist and Jewish scholar Zann Jacobrown will visit Eagle Harbor Book Company at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6 to discuss “Palace of Pearls: The Stories of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav,” which she illustrated.

Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1810) is widely considered to be one of the foremost visionary storytellers of the Hasidic movement. The great-grandson of the Ba’al Shem Tov, founder of the movement, Nachman came to be regarded as a great figure and leader in his own right, guiding his followers on a spiritual path inspired by Kabbalah.

In the last four years of his life he turned to storytelling, crafting highly imaginative, allegorical tales for his Hasidim.

Here, three-time National Jewish Book Award winner Howard Schwartz has compiled the most extensive collection of Nachman’s stories available in English, beautifully illustrated by Zann, who had long obsessed with Nachman’s stories.

In addition to the well-known “Thirteen Tales,” including “The Lost Princess” and “The Seven Beggars,” Schwartz has included more than a hundred narratives in the various genres of fairy tales, fables, parables, dreams and folktales, many of them previously unknown or believed lost.

One such story is the carefully guarded “Tale of the Bread,” which was never intended to be written down and was only to be shared with those Bratslavers who could be trusted not to reveal it. Eventually recorded by Rabbi Nachman’s scribe, the tale has maintained its mythical status as a “hidden story.”

With utmost reverence and unfettered delight, Schwartz has carefully curated “A Palace of Pearls” alongside masterful commentary that guides the reader through the Rabbi’s spiritual mysticism and uniquely Kabbalistic approach, ultimately revealing Nachman to be a literary heavyweight in the vein of Nikolai Gogol and Franz Kafka.

Jacobrown’s paintings, prints and designs have been exhibited in one-woman and collective shows in art centers, galleries and art shows for almost 30 years, including at The Stonington Gallery, Seattle; Maude Kerns Art Center, Eugene, Oregon; Legends Gallery, Newport, Oregon; and the Berkeley Jewish Community Center, Berkeley, California.

She also has artwork in more than a hundred private collections.

Her water colors have been used in many publications, including illustrations and cover of a book forthcoming from Oxford University Press.

In addition to painting and teaching, she also creates and teaches theatre mask-making through her company, The Maskery, together with her husband, Craig, and son, Toby.

Visit www.eagleharborbooks.com to learn more.