Two local authors have contributed to an new anthology about grief.
Elora’s Donna Mann, along with publisher and author Glynis Belec of Drayton, are two of six contributors to Good Grief People.
The anthology is “filled with real stories respecting and affirming the individuality of grief while offering hope and encouragement,” a press release states.
Mann, a United Church mister with accreditation from the Grief Institute of Canada, told the Advertiser the book isn’t aimed at anyone in particular.
“I think people who pick this up will be interested in what they can learn and what they can experience when the time comes,” she said.
Mann hopes each reader has a learning and faith experience.
“I would hope that the reader is encouraged, is strengthened to maybe face these situations with a sense that they have something to contribute to that,” Mann said.
“I think every reader is going to take something different away from it, but I feel the stories are captivating and they’ll be able to unpack some of those stories for themselves and if they’re in a situation where someone is dying in their family or in their circle of friends they will be able to take some of these stories and apply them.”
Each of the book’s five parts contains different stories from the contributing authors. In addition to Mann and Belec, the contributors include: Alan Anderson, Barbara Heagy, Ruth Smith Meyer and Carolyn Wilker.
“I think … that little paragraph right at the top of the cover, ‘easing the sting of death by recognizing and respecting the individuality of grief and the reality of hope’ … really captures what we did here because everybody grieves differently and there’s not a how-to book anywhere that will fit … one size fits all,” Mann said.
“You can put forth a lot of ideas and you can put forth a lot of options and it’s really up to the person who is grieving, who is reading this book to see if it fits.
“But I think all the stories are interesting enough that even if it doesn’t fit for their grieving process they will, the readers will learn … as they read and they’ll experience as they read.”
The official book launch for Good Grief People will be on May 6 at 1pm in the Aboyne Hall at the Wellington County Museum and Archives.
Attendees will get to meet the authors and enjoy a light lunch.
Good Grief People is available at many different retail outlets including locally in Drayton (at the Angel Hope Book Boutique at the Drayton FoodMarket, BloomingDales and Studio Factor) and also at Wordsworth Books in Waterloo, Roxanne’s in Fergus, The Bookshelf in Guelph and at Booklore in Orangeville. Books are also available from the authors at Amazon.ca and in the Angel Hope Publishing Bookstore at http://www.glynisbelec.com/BOOKSTORE.html.
Signed copies can be obtained from the individual authors.
