Born and raised in Wellington County, Dr. Donna Mann grew up to become a pastor, grief counselor, and award-winning author.
Recently retired from ministry, Mann now pursues her passion for writing and has embarked on a new venture. She aims to bring the time-honoured art of story-telling into a contemporary context.
Mann treasures childhood memories of hearing stories told around the kitchen table at the farm where she grew up in old Pilkington township. Years later, captivated by the imagination and energy of her grandchildren, she continued the story-telling tradition.
In 1999, she and her husband purchased an historic property north of Mount Forest. They dubbed it The Meadows, and transformed it into a country retreat.
Exploring the farm with her grandchildren inspired Mann to create several whimsical characters: trolls to guard the bridge across Reeves Creek; a mystical mermaid in the pond; the Meadow Ma’am living under the hill, just to name a few.
They came to life in stories she later turned into the Grammie Books – perfect Christmas stocking stuffers for her grandkids over the years.
A conversation around Mann’s own kitchen table led to an idea to convert the cherished tales into audio books for children. She partnered with poet and retired primary teacher Sharon Sinclair, who agreed to narrate the stories.
Mann developed a special Children’s Playground with plans for children to download free activity sheets, puzzles and songs. She sifted through endless files looking for the best stories to revise and edit before Sinclair recorded them as MP3 files.
Later, Mann uploaded them onto the storefront site, http://stores.livingwordsmann.com, which links to the playground. Each story has a Food for Thought section, encouraging children to consider character building concepts.
Mann’s perseverance paid off.
She launched the website and its storefront in November; a colourful and creative place for a new generation of children to enjoy timeless stories, activities and songs.
